Tristan Okpalaugo (born October 10, 1989) is an American 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 ...

outside 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 lin ...

who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. He signed with 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 ...

as undrafted free agent in 2013. 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

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

Early years

He attended Granada High School in

Livermore, California Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley, giving its name to the Livermore Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisc ...

. He was selected to the First team East Bay Athletics All-League in 2007 in which he played defensive end, wide receiver and tight end in high school. He was named an honorable mention for the All-Metro football team in his senior year in high school. He was named as Granada High School Most Improved Player in 2007. He also played other sports including basketball and competed in track and field was selected to the first-team East Bay Athletics All-League basketball team twice during high school.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

On April 27, 2013, he signed with the

as an undrafted free agent following the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He failed to make the 53 man roster.

Minnesota Vikings

On September 2, 2013, he was signed as a defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings practice squad and then released on September 10, 2013.

Toronto Argonauts

Okpalaugo was signed 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 ...

(CFL) on June 22, 2014. He was the East Division nominee for the

CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and t ...

in 2014, winning the

Frank M. Gibson Trophy The Frank M. Gibson Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, given to the most outstanding rookie in the East Division. Each team from the East Division nominates a candidate from which a winner is chosen, and either this winner or the winne ...

Arizona Cardinals

Okpalaugo was signed by the Arizona Cardinals on February 19, 2016. On September 3, 2016, he was waived/injured by the Cardinals and placed on injured reserve. On September 12, he was released from the Cardinals' injured reserve.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On February 8, 2017, Okpalaugo signed a two-year contract with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

(CFL).

Personal

Okpalaugo is also the son of Chris and Mary Ann Okpalaugo of

References

External links

Fresno State bio

Toronto Argonauts bio

Miami Dolphins bio

Minnesota Vikings bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okpalaugo, Tristan Living people Miami Dolphins players 1989 births American football defensive ends Canadian football defensive linemen Players of Canadian football from California Fresno State Bulldogs football players Minnesota Vikings players Dallas Cowboys players Toronto Argonauts players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Players of American football from Alameda County, California Sportspeople from Livermore, California Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Granada High School (California) alumni