Ronnie Amadi (born October 6, 1981) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He played

arena football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, an ...

in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL) and

af2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football r ...

as well as

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). His most substantial professional experience came with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the CFL, where he started 11 games as a

defensive halfback The halfback in Canadian football, and most commonly the Canadian Football League, currently refers to the defensive back rather than the running back, as in American football. The defensive halfback lines up inside covering the slotback. They a ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

. Amadi also played for the

New York Dragons The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division (AFL), Eastern Division. ...

and the

Tulsa Talons Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa ...

of the AFL.

Early life

Amadi and his brother, Donnie Amadi, were born in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. The brothers lived in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

for six years with their father, John Amadi, before returning to the United States to live with their mother, Christiana Georgewill, in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. While in Nigeria, the Amadi brothers frequently played

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, but they transitioned to

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

upon moving to Texas.

Early career

Amadi played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Alief Hastings High School Alief Hastings High School is a public high school in the Alief area of Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Sout ...

. He recorded 80 tackles and three interceptions in 1999 before being named an all-district player as a senior in the 2000 season. Amadi was also a member of Alief Hastings'

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

team. Following his senior season, Amadi was recruited by several programs, including

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He committed to play for the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools List of college athletic programs in Kansas, in the state of Kansas that participate in ...

in early 2001, largely because Kansas also recruited his brother, with whom he played in high school. As a freshman, Amadi was designated a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

and did not play. As a backup

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

in 2002, Amadi received substantial playing time due to personnel changes resulting in him being the sole backup to both starting cornerbacks. He continued in a reserve role through 2004. After backing up cornerback Theo Baines as a junior, Amadi started much of his senior season in place of Baines due to nagging injuries. In a November game against the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...

, Amadi blocked a punt which was returned for a touchdown by teammate Darren Rus, marking the second time the two had combined to return a blocked punt for a touchdown. By early November, Amadi had recorded 22 tackles and two fumble recoveries in his final and most successful college season. Amadi also played on the college indoor track and field team while at Kansas when not involved in football activities.

Professional career

Amadi was eligible for the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

but went undrafted. For the following three years, Amadi played

for several professional league teams and one developmental league team. He signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League (AFL) in December 2006, but the Brigade released him in February 2007 before the start of the regular season. Amadi played for the Green Bay Blizzard of af2 in 2007 before returning to the AFL with the New York Dragons the following year. He recorded 20 solo tackles, nine tackle assists, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery for the Dragons. Amadi was picked up by the Columbus Destroyers in August 2008 after the Dragons released him. In 2009, Amadi signed with the Calgary Stampeders and joined the team in the middle of training camp. Amadi was initially considered unlikely to play a large role, but he was forced into a starting role after two knee injuries to starting defensive halfbacks Brandon Smith and J. R. Ruffin. Amadi struggled in his first starts for the Stampeders, but he improved as the season continued. He started in 11 consecutive games before being moved to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

, where he remained for the rest of the season. Before being moved off the active roster, Amadi recorded 28 tackles, three pass deflections, and a sack. He later re-signed with the Stampeders but was released after suffering a strained

quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

in the preseason. Amadi played for the Tulsa Talons of the AFL in 2010, recording 24 solo tackles, six tackle assists, seven pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

AFL statistics

Personal life

Away from football, Amadi has also spent time as a model.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadi, Ronnie 1981 births Living people American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Kansas Jayhawks football players Kansas Jayhawks men's track and field athletes Green Bay Blizzard players New York Dragons players Calgary Stampeders players Tulsa Talons players Players of American football from Columbia, South Carolina Players of Canadian football from Columbia, South Carolina