Osi Umenyiora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| New York Giants — No. 72 | |
| Defensive end | |
| Date of birth: November 16, 1981 | |
| Place of birth: London | |
| Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | Weight: 261 lb (118 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2003 for the New York Giants | |
| Career history | |
| College: Troy State | |
| NFL Draft: 2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season) |
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| Tackles | 231 |
| Sacks | 41.5 |
| INTs | 0 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Ositadinma "Osi" Umenyiora (pronounced /OH-see yoo-men-YUR-ah/) (born November 16, 1981 in Golders Green, London, England) is an American football defensive end in the NFL for the New York Football Giants. [1] Umenyiora is one of three British born players to have won the Super Bowl, alongside Scott McCready and Giants teammate Lawrence Tynes.
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[edit] Biography
Umenyiora was born in London to Nigerian parents. His family moved back to Nigeria and later to Auburn, Alabama, where he started playing football in high school. Osi's full first name means in Igbo "from today things will be good".
He currently resides in Atlanta and Edgewater, New Jersey.[2]
[edit] High School
He attended Auburn High School, the same school attended by fellow Troy State alum and current Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Demarcus Ware, as well as Washington Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington.
[edit] Professional Career
He was drafted in the 2nd round (56th pick overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Troy State University (now simply Troy University), where he finished second in the nation with 16 sacks.[3]
In the 2004 season he scored his first career NFL touchdown, the play was a 50-yard fumble return against the Baltimore Ravens on December 12.
Umenyiora established himself as a premier pass rusher in 2005 and started to become known for his quickness off the line as well as his explosive power. In his first year starting all 16 games for the Giants he recorded 14.5 sacks and 70 tackles. This placed him second in the NFL, behind only Derrick Burgess of the Oakland Raiders, who had 16 sacks. He also had 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumbles recovered. His outstanding and consistent playmaking ability earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl, where he played with teammate Michael Strahan. The two collected 26 sacks total during the regular season, tops in the NFL for any pair of teammates. His play also earned All-Pro recognition.
On December 23, 2005, he signed a six-year, $41 million contract extension with the New York Giants.[4]
In the fourth game of the 2007 season, Umenyiora set a Giants franchise record by recording six sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles.[5] He recorded his second career touchdown on October 21, 2007 against the San Francisco 49ers when he sacked Trent Dilfer, forced a fumble, recovered the fumble and sped untouched 75 yards down the field for the score[6].
Umenyiora's 13 sacks helped the Giants to an NFL regular season leading 53 sacks. This pass rush was pivotal in the Super Bowl XLII upset victory over the New England Patriots, in which Osi had 4 tackles (3 solo). Umenyiora would make his second Pro Bowl appearance in the 2007 season as the only New York Giants player voted to the team by the fans and NFL coaches and players.
He is known for his speed off the outside edge and his ability to sneak behind the play and strip the ball free from the quarterback as he goes into his throwing motion.
[edit] Personal Life
Osi is currently dating the Victoria's Secret model, Selita Ebanks. In 2008 he made a cameo appearance in the music video "I Luv Your Girl" by The-Dream.
[edit] References
- ^ NFL Player Profile
- ^ Jenkins, Lee. "Global Warning: Born in Britain, nurtured in Nigeria and baptized for football in Alabama, Osi Umenyiora is ready to rock the Patriots' world", Sports Illustrated, January 29, 2008. Accessed March 7, 2008. "'I feel like I come from everywhere,' says Umenyiora, who now splits time between Atlanta and Edgewater, N.J."
- ^ Giants.com Player Profile
- ^ ESPN article
- ^ MSNBC article
- ^ Umenyiora Sets Mood, and Giants Join the Fun
[edit] External links
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