Obed Chukwuma Ariri (born April 4, 1956) is a Nigerian-born former

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

of American football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. He also played in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Washington Federals and in the Arena Football League (AFL) for the

Miami Hooters Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

. Ariri was born in Nigeria, and his middle name Chukwuma means "God Only Knows". He became a skilled soccer player and was scouted by Clemson University's soccer coach Ibrahim M. Ibrahim. After watching him play in Nigeria, Ibrahim offered Ariri a soccer scholarship to Clemson on the spot. He is distinguished as being the first Nigerian to play in the NFL.

Early career

Ariri was enrolled at Clemson in 1977 when Clemson football coach

Charlie Pell Charles Byron Pell (February 17, 1941 – May 29, 2001) was an American college American football, football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most ...

was in dire need of a kicker. Dr. Ibrahim allowed Ariri to try out only if he agreed to continue to play soccer. Pell agreed, and Ariri went on to nail every attempt thus securing his place as the kicker for the Tigers. His scholarship was shifted to football and Pell insisted that Obed forget about soccer. Ariri never kicked a football until he was at Clemson. He was so popular in campus during his Senior year that "Obed Ariri for the Heisman Trophy" bumper stickers were made up. In 1979 Ariri was granted permission to play in the 1979 NCAA Division I National Soccer Championships at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Tigers lost 3–2 to

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.Butler 1976, p. 18 It is the younger of the two major inst ...

. Ariri's performance during the game led to a job offer with the Chicago Sting of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

, where he made four appearances during the 1980 season.

Professional career

Ariri was drafted in the seventh round of the

1981 NFL Draft The 1981 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1981, at the New York She ...

by the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

but was cut from the team days before the season. He was on the initial roster of the USFL's Washington Federals but did not last the entire season due to inconsistency and poor performance. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Obed in the 1984 pre-season but was waived before final cuts. After kicker

Bill Capece William George Capece (born April 1, 1959, in Miami, Florida) is a former professional American football player who played placekicker for three seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He attended Chaminade High School in Hollywood, Florida along w ...

flopped in the final Buccaneer pre-season game, Ariri was hired in time for the start of the regular season and he was their regular kicker that season, only to be released during the 1985 training camp. He was nicknamed the "Automatic African" by his teammates. * 1983 - Washington Federals ( USFL) * 1984 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers * 1987 - Washington Redskins ( strike replacement player) * 1994 -

(Arena Football League)

Honors

* Set 6 NCAA kicking records and tied another 3 * First Buccaneer to kick (3) 40 yard-plus field goals in a game * 1977 Made the longest field goal in Clemson history against Wake Forest (57 yards) * 1978 Made the longest field goal in

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...

history (47 yards) * 1980 NCAA 1st Team All-American * 1998 Inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame

Legacy

Young Nigerian soccer player Donald Igwebuike had idolized Ariri back in Nigeria. Ariri encouraged Igwebuike to attend Clemson and inspired him to kick a football. The young player attended Clemson and was looked after by Ariri. After graduating Ariri even encouraged Coach Danny Ford to give Igwebuike a chance to kick for the football team. Igwebuike not only made the team, he went on to the NFL and beat out Ariri for the kicking spot at Tampa Bay. After his playing career concluded, Ariri has stayed in the Tampa Bay area, driving a taxicab in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ariri, Obed 1956 births Living people People from Owerri Sportspeople from Imo State Nigerian footballers Association football forwards Association football players that played in the NFL Clemson Tigers men's soccer players NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player winners NITEL Vasco Da Gama F.C. players Chicago Sting (NASL) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Nigerian expatriate footballers Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States Footballers who switched code Nigerian players of American football American football placekickers Clemson Tigers football players Washington Federals/Orlando Renegades players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Washington Redskins players National Football League replacement players Miami Hooters players