Oshiomogho Isaac "O.J." Atogwe (born June 23, 1981) is a Canadian former professional
football player who was a
free safety in 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 ...
(NFL). He most recently served as the secondary coach for the
Memphis Express
The Memphis Express was a professional American football franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stad ...
of the
Alliance of American Football (AAF).
He was drafted by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
in the third round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
. He played
college football for the
Stanford Cardinal. Atogwe was also a member of 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 ...
and
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
.
Early years
Atogwe attended high school at
W.F. Herman Secondary School in
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...
, Canada. While he was there he starred in football, soccer, basketball, and track and field. In basketball, he was a three-time All-City selection and was the league MVP as a senior. Atogwe was named All-Canada, All-Ontario and All-Academic. In football, he was a two-year starter at running back and cornerback and was named the league's Defensive MVP in 1999, under head coach Harry Lumley. He was also All-city as a running back. He was a league MVP in basketball as a senior and three-time All-City selection and competed in the long jump (OFSAA Gold Medalist - 2000), triple jump (OFSAA Silver Medalist - 2000) and 200-metre dash (22.8) in track.
College career
Atogwe played
college football and ran track for the
Stanford Cardinal in the
Pac-10 conference where during his career he made nine interceptions. Atogwe
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...
ed as a freshman at Stanford in 2000. He appeared in every game as a reserve free safety in 2001, producing four tackles on special teams. Atogwe took over the strong safety position in 2002, going on to start the next 33 games. He led the team with 71 tackles (47 solos), a sack, a fumble recovery, three forced fumbles, three interceptions and four pass deflections. He was named team co-MVP and earned second-team All-
Pac-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
honours in 2003, as he again led the team with a career-high 90 tackles (54 solos), including five stops behind the line of scrimmage, two interceptions and eight pass deflections while manning the free safety position. He also led the FBS with six fumble recoveries and six forced fumbles. As a senior in 2004, Atogwe started all 11 games and finished with 76 tackles, four for a loss, four interceptions and seven passes broken up.
Atogwe also was a member of the Stanford track team in 2001 and 2002. He participated in the sprints and jumps, and his best marks in 2002 included 22' 10" in the long jump and 43' 3¾" in the triple jump. He was a Biological Sciences major.
Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Other notable measurements: 335-pound
bench press, 525-pound
squat, 285-pound
power clean
St. Louis Rams
Atogwe was selected by the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
in the third round (66th overall) of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...
. On July 28, 2005, Atogwe signed a three-year $1.6 million contract with the Rams.
In his rookie year he played in 12 games, finishing the year with 11
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 ...
, one
sack, 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 ...
, and a
fumble recovery. The following season, he finished the campaign with 72 tackles and three interceptions and forced five fumbles. In the 2007 season, Atogwe had a team and NFC-high 8 interceptions along with 75 tackles and one touchdown and forced two fumbles. On April 22, 2008, the Rams tendered Atogwe a one-year deal for $2.017 million which he signed to remain with the club. In the 2008 season he recorded five interceptions to lead the Rams once again. He also recorded 83 tackles and forced six fumbles.
On February 19, 2009, the Rams used their
franchise tag
In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has on ...
on Atogwe. The tag was the non-exclusive franchise which allowed other teams to negotiate with Atogwe, but if any signed him that team had to give the Rams two first-round picks as compensation. As part of the designation Atogwe received a one-year tender of $6.342 million. On July 15, 2009 the Rams signed Atogwe to a one-year, $6.342 million contract. On December 9, Atogwe was placed on
injured reserve due to a dislocated right shoulder.
In June 2010 he signed a five-year contract worth $32 million with the Rams. The Rams released Atogwe on February 18, 2011.
Washington Redskins
On March 3, 2011, Atogwe agreed to terms on a five-year, $26 million deal 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 ...
. He made his first interception for the Redskins in Week 6 against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. In Week 15 against the
New York Giants, Atogwe made a leaping interception and returned it for 26 yards after
London Fletcher
London Levi Fletcher-Baker (born May 19, 1975) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins. He played college football ...
deflected
Eli Manning's pass to
DJ Ware. Atogwe played 13 games, starting eight of them, in the
2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay defeating the Super Bowl XLIV champion Ne ...
and recorded 60 combined tackles, one-half sacks, three interceptions, and six pass break-ups. He was released following the
2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay defeating the Super Bowl XLIV champion Ne ...
on March 12, 2012.
Philadelphia Eagles
The
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
signed Atogwe to a one-year contract on June 20, 2012. However, Atogwe was waived on August 31.
Coaching career
On December 18, 2018, it was announced on the
Alliance of American Football website that Atogwe was hired to be the
Memphis Express's secondary coach. For the inaugural season of the league, he worked under head coach
Mike Singletary, his father-in-law.
On April 3, 2019, it was announced that the AAF would suspend all football operations.
Boxing
Since retiring from football, Atogwe has taken up boxing and has competed in a few amateur matches.
See also
*
List of Canadian sports personalities
The following is a list of Canadian sports personalities.
Olympic athletes
*Alex Baumann, Sudbury, swimmer
* Josh Binstock (born 1981), volleyball player
*Patrick Chan, Ottawa
* Victor Davis, Guelph
*Andre De Grasse, Scarborough/ Markham
*Lor ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atogwe, Oshiomogho
1981 births
Living people
American football safeties
Black Canadian players of American football
Canadian expatriate American football people in the United States
Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent
Gridiron football people from Ontario
Memphis Express (American football) coaches
Philadelphia Eagles players
Sportspeople from Windsor, Ontario
Stanford Cardinal football players
St. Louis Rams players
Washington Redskins players