Anthony Ike Ugoh, Jr. (born November 17, 1983) is a former

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

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

, who played for five seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). After playing

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, he was drafted by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played for the Colts from 2007 to 2009, the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in 2010, and the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in 2011.

Early years

Ugoh's parents are originally from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. He played football at Wells Middle School and at Westfield High School, both in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

College career

Ugoh played

at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. During his career he started 35 of 43 games and was chosen as a third-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

by the

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and first-team All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

as a senior. He also competed in discus and weight throw for the Razorback track team.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Ugoh was drafted by the

in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, after the Colts gave up a first-round pick in 2008 for the chance to move up in the 2007 draft and select him. He took over as the starting left tackle after

Tarik Glenn Tarik Glenn (born May 25, 1976) is a former American football offensive tackle who played 10 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).. He played college football for California and was drafted by the Colts in t ...

retired during the offseason. The Colts waived Ugoh on September 8, 2010.

Detroit Lions

On December 10, 2010, the Lions worked Ugoh out and then signed him the next day to take the roster spot of

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Isaiah Ekejiuba, who was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

due to a knee injury. Ugoh's signing was seen as insurance if starting right tackle

Gosder Cherilus Gosder Cherilus (; born June 28, 1984) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions 17th overall in the 2008 NFL Dra ...

was unable to play in the Lions' week 14 game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

due to a knee injury. He was released on August 14, 2011.

New York Giants

On December 7, 2011, the

signed Ugoh as a free agent, after placing Stacy Andrews on

. He became a free agent after the season.

Kansas City Chiefs

The

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

signed Ugoh on July 26, 2012. He retired four days later.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioArkansas Razorbacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugoh, Tony 1983 births Living people American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Players of American football from Houston Nigerian players of American football American football offensive tackles Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes Arkansas Razorbacks football players Indianapolis Colts players Detroit Lions players New York Giants players Kansas City Chiefs players