Kene Onyeka (born November 18, 1996) is a Nigerian-Canadian professional

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

for the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

of 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).

University career

Onyeka played

U Sports football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athleti ...

for the

Carleton Ravens The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's ...

from 2014 to 2018. In

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, Onyeka was named a First Team All-Canadian and the OUA top lineman as he recorded 32 solo tackles, including 12.5 tackles for a loss, 14 assisted tackles, 10.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles. He repeated both awards following the 2018 season, despite only playing in six of the eight regular season games as he had 21 solo tackles (10.5 tackles for a loss), six assisted tackles, and seven sacks.

Professional career

While eligible to be selected in the 2018 CFL Draft, Onyeka informed

teams that he planned to return to university to complete his mechanical engineering degree at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

. He had been ranked as the 14th best player available in the draft in the winter rankings, but his draft stock fell as teams knew he would not play for them in 2018. Nonetheless, he was drafted with the 29th overall selection, in the fourth round, of the 2018 draft by the

and signed with the team on May 16, 2018. After attending 2018 training camp, he returned to complete his final year of U Sports eligibility. After his fifth season with the Ravens, Onyeka re-signed with the Redblacks on December 3, 2018. He began the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

on the practice roster, but was promoted to the active roster and played in his first professional game on August 2, 2019, against the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. He played in six regular season games that year and recorded three special teams tackles. Due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the ...

, Onyeka did not play in 2020. Instead, he signed a contract extension with the Redblacks on January 6, 2021. Following training camp, he made the team's opening day roster and made his first defensive tackle on August 7, 2021 against the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

. Later in the year, he recorded his first two career sacks on October 11, 2021 in the

Thanksgiving Day Classic The Thanksgiving Day Classic () is an annual doubleheader held on Thanksgiving in the Canadian Football League (CFL). It is typically one of two days in which the league plays on a Monday afternoon; the other is the Labour Day Classic. Purola ...

against the

when he brought down

Vernon Adams Vernon Anthony Adams Jr. (born January 3, 1993) is an American professional Canadian football, football quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles fo ...

twice in the game. He played in 13 regular season games in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

where he had 14 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Onyeka continued his development into his third season in the league, in which he played in 17 regular season games recording 17 defensive tackles, nine special teams tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble. On December 20, 2022 Onyeka and the Redblacks agreed to a two-year contract extension.

Personal life

Onyeka was born in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

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, ...

to parents Jane and Godfrey Onyeka Sr. He moved with his family to Canada when he was nine years old and grew up in

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. His older brother, Godfrey Onyeka, plays professionally in the CFL as a

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 ...

. His cousin, Nakas Onyeka, played

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 ...

and was drafted by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

, and his other cousin, Kosi Onyeka, a defensive back, signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Onyeka, Kene 1996 births Living people Canadian football defensive linemen Carleton Ravens football players Nigerian players of Canadian football Ottawa Redblacks players Players of Canadian football from Brampton Nigerian emigrants to Canada Players of Canadian football from Lagos