Chijioke "Chukie" Obinna Nwokorie (born July 10, 1975) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Early years

Chukie Nwokorie was adopted as a teenager by John and Patricia Stephenson of Lafayette, Indiana after his birth father departed for Nigeria and his birth mother proved unable to care for him. Brought into the Stephenson family (three sons and a daughter), he finally found the family he had never had. He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Jefferson High School in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

where he received honorable mention and All State Selection in 1994. He notched 88 career

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

with 8.5 sacks, four forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s and three fumble recoveries.

College career

He played

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 ...

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

where he was a four-year

letter winner In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team. Overview The term comes from the practice of awarding each such parti ...

and a one-year starter.

NFL career

Nwokorie entered 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 ...

for 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 ...

(1999–2002) signing as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

. He also played for 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 ...

(2003–2004).

AFL career

Nwokorie played two seasons in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

with the

Las Vegas Gladiators {{Cat main, Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, Nevada University of Nevada, Las Vegas Wikipedia categories named after buildings and structures in the United States Wikipedia categories named after sports venues ...

(2006) and the

Grand Rapids Rampage The Grand Rapids Rampage was an arena football team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The team began play in 1998 in the Arena Football League as an expansion team. They were last coached by Steve Thonn. Their home arena was the Van Andel Arena. ...

(2007).

Personal

He served as an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

in the enforcement department of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

in 2001. He currently lives in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

with his wife, Jamila. He also had a stint in 2004–2005 as an intern at a local radio station in Indianapolis, WNOU with the ''Morning Mess''. He was arrested on Sex Charge
Former Colt "Chukie" Nwokorie Arrested on Sex Charges
Former Colts player in court http://www.wthr.com/article/former-colts-player-in-court https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2008/08/29/Former-Purdue-player-accused-of-assault/51161220042691/ He is currently working in business development.

References

External links

AFL stats from arenafan.co
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nwokorie, Chukie 1975 births Living people Sportspeople from Tuskegee, Alabama African-American players of American football American football offensive linemen American football defensive ends American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Purdue University alumni Purdue Boilermakers football players Indianapolis Colts players Green Bay Packers players Las Vegas Gladiators players Grand Rapids Rampage players Sportspeople from Lafayette, Indiana Players of American football from Alabama Players of American football from Indiana 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople