Chikezie Russell Okeafor (; born March 27, 1976) 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 ...

player. During his

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) career from 1999 to 2009, he played

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, and the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

Background

Okeafor was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

in 1976. His father, of Igbo ethnicity, had come to America in the wake of the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

. His parents pursued advanced academic training at universities in Michigan and Ohio, before his father returned to

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, ...

in 1983 and Chike and his sisters were raised by his mother in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. After moving to

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette ( ) is a city in Wabash and Tippecanoe Townships, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, approximately northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash ...

, Okeafor played High School Football at

West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School (also informally known as West Side High School or simply West Side) is the only high school within the West Lafayette city limits, and is administered by the West Lafayette Community School Corporation. ...

. He was a finalist for the Indiana Mr. Football Award, and co-captained his team to the 1993 state championship in his senior year. Okeafor stayed in West Lafayette to play college football at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, where he also studied engineering. He was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection and two-time nominee for the

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

given to college football's top linebacker. Okeafor was suspended from the team for the 1997 season by new Purdue coach Joe Tiller for "conduct detrimental to the team", and then converted from linebacker to defensive end for his senior year.

NFL career

San Francisco 49ers

In the 1999 NFL Draft, Okeafor was selected in the third round 89th overall by the San Francisco 49ers and signed a four-year contract. Playing defensive end and on special teams, he became a starter in 2001, and started all 16 games in 2002. During his tenure with the 49ers he recorded 119 tackles, 11.5 sacks and five passes defended.

Seattle Seahawks

Okeafor signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent and played with them in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He led the team in sacks both seasons, recording 100 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 1 pass defended and one interception which he returned 18 yards.

Arizona Cardinals

Okeafor signed a five-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. He initially played defensive end for Arizona in the 4-3 scheme of head coach Dennis Green. Once Green was fired, new head coach

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected in the twelfth round of the 1985 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he pla ...

introduced a Pittsburgh-style 3-4 scheme that would ultimately change Okeafor's position to Outside Linebacker. The Cardinals won their division in 2008 and 2009, including a losing effort in

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

in which Okeafor contributed 6 solo tackles. He missed the entire 2007 season with a biceps injury, but in four active years as a Cardinal recorded 210 tackles, 25 sacks, 12 passes defended and one interception which he returned 39 yards. In 2010, Okeafor became a free agent.

Personal

During his football career, Okeafor became known for his eccentric activities, including meditation, yoga, and practicing

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...

. He favored natural foods and herbal remedies, slept on an electrically grounded bed, and wore a medallion to ward off chaotic energy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okeafor, Chike 1976 births American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers American players of American football of Nigerian descent Purdue Boilermakers football players Arizona Cardinals players Living people San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players Players of American football from Grand Rapids, Michigan American people of Igbo descent Igbo sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen