Chinedum "Nedu" Ndukwe ( ; born March 4, 1985) 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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the seventh round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. 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 ...

for the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. He also played for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

College career

After graduating from

Dublin Coffman High School Dublin Coffman High School is a public high school located in Dublin, Ohio, United States, a suburb northwest of Columbus, Ohio. The school was formerly known as Dublin High School. It is the oldest of three high schools in the Dublin City Scho ...

, Ndukwe went on to start at

for the

for his junior and senior seasons. He played in 46 games with 25 starts and made 157 tackles. During his tenure at Notre Dame, his fellow Dublin Coffman graduate,

Brady Quinn Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn (born October 27, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where ...

, was his roommate. Ndukwe had a double major in marketing and psychology.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Ndukwe was drafted by the

in the seventh round (253rd overall) of the

. Ndukwe made an immediate impact by playing in 14 games and starting two in place of an injured Dexter Jackson at strong safety. Ndukwe finished the season with 35 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, six pass deflections, a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown, and one forced fumble. He finished the season one of four Bengals to log an entry in every statistical column on the defensive stat sheet for the season. Ndukwe missed the second and third games of the season due to a hamstring injury suffered against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. In a December 23 contest against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Ndukwe totaled two interceptions off quarterback Derek Anderson. His first interception was returned 44 yards to the five-yard line, setting up a Bengals' score. His next interception came off of a pass intended for tight end

Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recogn ...

that Ndukwe grabbed in the end zone. He also recorded 12 tackles, which was second-best on the team. In a November game against the Ravens, Ndukwe intercepted a

Kyle Boller Kyle Bryan Boller (born June 17, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he was selected by the Balti ...

pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter. In the season finale against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, Ndukwe returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown that put the Bengals ahead 28-10 in the fourth quarter. After the touchdown, excited commentator Joe Woeste claimed Ndukwe was a future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

. He was competing with Dexter Jackson for the starting safety role; however, in 2009 the Bengals cut Jackson, leaving Ndukwe as the starting strong safety. He became a free agent after the 2010 season.

Oakland Raiders

After rehabbing a knee injury for 10 months, the

signed Ndukwe on October 18, 2011. He played in two games with one interception before aggravating the original injury, ending his comeback and his season on November 10.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal

Ndukwe's name Chinedum means "God is my guiding light" in

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

. In 2008, Ndukwe attended the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

, followed by the

Wharton School of Business The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 2009 for the NFL Business Management Program. On January 30, 2012, Ndukwe made his voiceover debut, working for NFL Films as the narrator for ESPN's Hey Rookie. Ndukwe is the youngest of three sons; his oldest brother Kelechi is commanding officer of ''USS Halsey'', who previously served on the Minesweeper Crew SWERVE, based in San Diego, as the executive officer and later commanding officer of ''USS Devastator'' in Manama, Bahrain. The middle brother,

Ikechukwu Ikechukwu Onunaku, known professionally as Ikechukwu and Killz is a Nigerian actor, rapper, and singer. He was a cast member in The Wedding Party and The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai. Early life Onunaku was born in Manassas, Virginia ...

, is an offensive tackle in the NFL who is a free agent. The youngest sibling, Ezinne, earned her masters in public health at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He founded the Cincinnati-based Kingsley + Co., a commercial real estate company.

References

External links

Official Web Site of Chinedum Ndukwe
*

Bengals Player Bio

Official Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndukwe, Chinedum 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Dublin, Ohio People from Powell, Ohio Players of American football from Delaware County, Ohio American football safeties Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Cincinnati Bengals players Oakland Raiders players Igbo sportspeople Players of American football from Charlottesville, Virginia Players of American football from Cincinnati American players of American football of Nigerian descent