Obi Pius Ezeh (born February 2, 1988) 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 ...
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 ...
. He was included on both the 2009 mid-season and the 2009 preseason watchlist for the
Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...
.
He was the active
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...
career leader in
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 up ...
.
In high school, he played
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
on offense more regularly than linebacker on defense. He shared running duties as a sophomore and junior before becoming the starter as a senior at
Catholic Central High School in
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
, Michigan. He established his school career rushing record of nearly 3,000 yards. As a senior, he scored a
two-point conversion
In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...
to give his school a one-point victory and a berth in the 2005
Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Unlike ma ...
state championship game at
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...
. He was also a member of a three-time state champion high school
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
team and was invited to try out with the
United States national rugby union team
The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United Stat ...
.
At Michigan, he
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
as a true freshman. Then, as a redshirt freshman for the
2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
, he battled for the starting
middle 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, ...
position and appeared to have lost the position early in the season. However, after an injury he became a regular starter. He concluded the season with thirteen and twelve tackle efforts against bitter rivals
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
and
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, respectively. He started his redshirt sophomore season with a
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
defensive player of the week, fifteen-tackle effort for the
2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
. He finished the season as an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection. Just after earning 2009 midseason Butkus Award watchlist recognition, he was removed from the starting lineup and saw limited action in the final four games.
After his senior season in 2010, Ezeh declared for the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
, where he went undrafted. He later signed as an
undrafted 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 ...
with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
.
High school
As a youth, Ezeh was unable to play football because he was too big for the local leagues according to Grand Rapids area officials. As a sophomore
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
for the 2003 Catholic Central Cougars football team, Ezeh had several 100-yard games as well as multiple touchdown games, even though he was not the primary weapon in the backfield. Ezeh was also a member of the Cougars
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
team that placed 11th at the 2004 United States High School Rugby National Championships.
As a junior running back, he opened his football season with 170 yards on 18 carries. In the 2004 district championship game, he rushed for 88 yards in the first half, but was held to 5 in the second half as Catholic Central lost 33–20. Over the course of the season he compiled 907 rushing yards and 13
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. Ezeh was recognized as a ''
Detroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...
'' Class B All-state honorable mention linebacker. He was also selected as Grand Rapids All-area honorable mention, according to ''
The Grand Rapids Press
''The Grand Rapids Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the largest of the eight Booth newspapers. It is sold for $1.50 daily and $7.99 on Sunday.
AccuWeather provides weather content to the ''Grand Rapids ...
''. He also helped lead the 2005 rugby team to a State Championship threepeat.
In 2005, Ezeh entered his senior season as the focal point of his school's running game and was rated as the seventh-best football prospect in the state of Michigan, according to ''
The Detroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...
''. He was also invited to try out for the
United States national rugby union team
The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United Stat ...
as an outside center. During the season, Ezeh was regularly among the leading rushers in the area. In the Division 4 state semifinal game, Ezeh returned a
kickoff
Kickoff or kick-off may refer to
* Kick-off (association football)
* Kickoff (gridiron football)
* ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games
* ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club
* ''Kick Off'' (magaz ...
80 yards for a touchdown and rushed for 136 yards on 24 carries. During the game, after Catholic Central scored on a
quarterback sneak
A quarterback sneak is a play in gridiron football in which the quarterback, upon taking the center snap, dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward. It is usually only used in very short yardage situations.
The advantages of this play a ...
with 2:28 remaining, Ezeh scored on a
two-point conversion
In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...
to give his team a 35–34 victory. This led them to the 2005
MHSAA state championship game at
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...
, which they lost 17–10 to
Powers Catholic High School
Luke M. Powers Catholic High School is a coeducational private Roman Catholic high school located in Flint, Michigan serving students in grades 9– 12 under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing.
History
Powers Catholic was established in 1970 ...
. By the end of the season, Ezeh had compiled a school record 2,914 career rushing yards, which included 33 touchdowns. During his senior year, he also occasionally played linebacker, recording 34 tackles (16 for a loss). Although, he missed part of the season with an ankle injury, he totaled 1,391 yards and 10 touchdowns on 217 carries and added seven pass
receptions, including one touchdown,
and he was recognized as a 2nd-team All-area running back. ''The Detroit News'' recognized him as their postseason number six blue chip prospect in the state, and he was selected to play in the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association's annual all-star game. In February 2006, he signed his
letter of intent
A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a contract, legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a Heads of agreement ( ...
to play for Michigan, where it was unclear whether he would play
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
,
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
or linebacker.
Michigan
As expected,
[ Ezeh, who had suffered a shoulder injury,][ redshirted his freshman year.][ Prior to his redshirt freshman season, he changed jersey numbers from 44 to 45 as he converted from fullback to linebacker.][ On May 22, 2007, he was charged with suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated for an incident when his vehicle struck a utility pole on the same street on which he lives while his blood-alcohol content was 0.11% (the legal limit in Michigan is 0.08%). Ezeh pleaded not guilty, and the trial was scheduled for September 19 in the 15th District Court. The time of the accident was outside the permissible times for Ezeh's restricted driving license that resulted from a prior non-alcohol-related accident. On the football field, redshirt freshman Ezeh entered the ]2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 30, 2007 and ended on De ...
for the 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
in a three-way battle to replace NFL-bound David Harris at middle 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, ...
with redshirt junior John Thompson and junior college
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
transfer Austin Panter, who had been named national junior college defensive player of the year. Harris also hailed from Grand Rapids and had worn the number 45. The week before the season opener, ''The Detroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...
'' declared Ezeh the starter, however, the ''Ann Arbor News
''The Ann Arbor News'' is a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published daily online through MLive.com, the paper also publishes print editions on Thursdays and Sundays.
History
Original publication
Published in ...
'' and Ezeh's hometown ''The Grand Rapids Press
''The Grand Rapids Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is the largest of the eight Booth newspapers. It is sold for $1.50 daily and $7.99 on Sunday.
AccuWeather provides weather content to the ''Grand Rapids ...
'' both stated that the race between Ezeh and Thompson was undecided heading into the game. In the aftermath of the September 1, opening game loss to two-time defending FCS champion Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and wer ...
, more was made of the fact that both players had trouble playing the position than who had started the game. Ezeh started the first game, but lost his spot to Thompson in the next two.[ After three weeks of play, Thompson, who had been voted the hardest hitter on the team the previous two seasons, had established himself as the starter by ranking second on the team in tackles. However, although Thompson had stepped up to the role he was notable for having trouble with pass coverage.] Ezeh accumulated no statistics in the third and fourth game, but recorded his first interception in the fifth game on September 29 against Northwestern on a deflected pass. Ezeh started that game because of an injury.[ The following week, he again started in place of the injured Thompson and recorded nine tackles against ]Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
.[ He also forced a fumble and fielded one ]kickoff return
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return ...
. Even though Thompson recovered from his ankle injury after four weeks, Ezeh retained the starting job the remainder of the season for a total of ten starts. Thompson only recorded four tackles the rest of the year. On November 1, his lawyer stated that on August 29 Ezeh had pleaded guilty to an operating while visibly intoxicated charge, which is a serious misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...
but a lesser charge than the original operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and had sought alcohol counseling prior to his sentence. The plea resulted in a year's probation, three days in a work release program, a substantial payment covering fines, court costs and restitution. He committed to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada and Brazil that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired drivi ...
class. In the November 3 Paul Bunyan Trophy
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
victory against Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
he recorded a season-high 13 tackles and two sacks.[ One of the sacks occurred on Michigan State's final series of downs in Michigan territory to help secure the 28–24 win. Ezeh recorded 12 tackles in the Michigan – Ohio State rivalry game against ]Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
on November 17 to end the regular season.[
]
After the graduation of Shawn Crable
Shawn Crable (born December 26, 1984) is a former professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Michigan and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Crable was also a member of ...
and Chris Graham there was again a notable battle for linebacker positions entering the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 28, 2008 and ended on De ...
for the 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
. Ezeh who had posted 68 tackles in 2007 was the leading returning tackler. As the only returning starting linebacker, Ezeh assumed the role of mentor. Ezeh won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award on September 1, 2008, for a game against the Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...
where he recorded 15 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 up ...
and an interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
. He also earned an ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
Player of the Game recognition.[ Ezeh also posted fifteen tackles in the October 4 game against the ]Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports.
The University operates a number of athletic faci ...
, which earned him his second ABC Player of the Game award.[ He posted two other double digit tackle games, including a ten tackle effort in his second Paul Bunyan Trophy game.][ Ezeh finished the season seventh in the Big Ten in tackles. He was recognized as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. He won the 2008 ]Roger Zatkoff
Roger Zatkoff (March 25, 1931 – November 4, 2021) was an American professional football player and businessman.
A native of Hamtramck, Michigan, Zatkoff played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1950 to 1952 and was selected as ...
Award as Michigan's top linebacker.
Ezeh entered the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
opener with the third most career starts (23) on the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference. ...
behind punter Zoltan Mesko (38) and offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
Stephen Schilling (26). As a redshirt junior during the 2009 season for the Wolverines, Ezeh posted fourteen tackles against Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
bringing his three-game career total to 37 tackles against the Spartans. Ezeh had grown up in a neighborhood with many Michigan State fans who flew their Michigan State flags, and he once attended Michigan Football camp wearing a Michigan State shirt. He has been included on both the 2009 midseason and the 2009 preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...
. The midseason list includes sixteen linebackers. Although he was added to the midseason Butkus watchlist in mid October, on October 31 he was removed from the starting lineup after starting 29 straight games.
During the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on September 2, 2010, and ended on ...
he started the first six games for the 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2010 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan played its home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference ...
before losing the starting middle 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, ...
position to Kenny Demens. Ezeh's final regular start was against Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
on October 9, when he tied his season-high with nine tackles and boosted his career total against Michigan State to 46. When Jonas Mouton
Jonas Mouton (born March 17, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He played his college football for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He started at weakside linebacker and was previously a highly rated safety for Venice High Sc ...
was unavailable for the Purdue
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 ...
game on November 13 due to a chest injury, Ezeh stepped in and recorded his first sack of the season as well as eight solo tackles.[
]
Professional career
At his initial March 17, 2011 pro day, he posted modest numbers: 40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
- 5.07 seconds; vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...
and standing broad jump . However, after hiring a new trainer he posted better numbers at an April regional combine: 40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
- 4.81 seconds; vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...
and standing broad jump as well as a 4.81 time in the 20-yard shuttle
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...
.
He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
and in the first few days following the 2011 NFL lockout
The 2011 National Football League Player lockout was a work stoppage imposed by the owners of the NFL's 32 teams that lasted from March 12, 2011, to July 25, 2011. When the owners and the NFL players, represented by the National Football League ...
he went unsigned, before signing with the Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
as an undrafted 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 ...
on July 31, 2011. He was waived on August 19.
Personal
Ezeh is the son of Pius and Nkechy. He has four siblings: Onyinye, Kaka, Nnenna and Nicole.
Notes
External links
archived version of Official bio at Michigan
Ezeh
at CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
Ezeh
at ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
Ezeh
at 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 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ezeh, Obi
1988 births
African-American players of American football
American football linebackers
Living people
Michigan Wolverines football players
Players of American football from Grand Rapids, Michigan
American rugby union players
Washington Redskins players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people