Chukky Okobi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Free Agent — No. -- | |
| Center | |
| Date of birth: November 18, 1978 | |
| Place of birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 305 lb (138 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2001 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Purdue | |
| NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 5 / Pick: 146 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Chukwunweze Sonume "Chukky" Okobi (born November 18, 1978 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.
Okobi earned a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL. He has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans.
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[edit] Early years
He attended Trinity-Pawling School in New York, where he was All-conference twice.
[edit] College career
Okobi attended Purdue University, where he majored in telecommunications. After redshirting as a freshman, he started 12 games at right guard for the Boilermakers. The following season, he played 11 games at guard and two at center and was named to the All Big Ten Second Team by the Coaches. The offensive line as a whole allowed only 16 sacks all season (one every 37.1 pass attempts). Going into the 1999 season, he was highly recognized as one of the premier guards in the nation, receiving preseason accolades from many sports publications. But he suffered and arm injury in training camp that was supposed to end his junior season. He came back and started the final six games of the season; the offensive line improved upon his return to allow a sack every 37.9 attempts. In his senior year, he switched to center and started every game, snapping the ball to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. He played on a line that featured 5 future NFL players including New England Patriots All-Pro tackle, Matt Light. He was the starting center in the Rose Bowl. He then went on to start in the Hula Bowl All Star Game in Maui after his senior year.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Pittsburgh Steelers
He was selected with the 15th pick of the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He has placed in many games since then, usually platooning the center position with Jeff Hartings, and replacing Hartings when he is injured or otherwise unable to play. During the 2006 season, Hartings suffered a minor knee injury that thrust Okobi into action: he started the last five games. On February 2, Jeff Hartings retired from the NFL. Okobi entered training camp as the starting center, but was replaced by Sean Mahan. A move many feel was political, due to the coaching change from Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin.
[edit] Arizona Cardinals
On September 1, 2007, Okobi was released from the Steelers. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals, but on October 9, 2007 the Cardinals released him.
[edit] Houston Texans
Okobi was signed by the Houston Texans on January 15, 2008. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on May 22, and released with an injury settlement on June 2.
