Rees Odhiambo ( ; born September 23, 1992) is a former

Kenyan ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

professional American football offensive guard. 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 ...

Boise State Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...

. He was drafted by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in the third round of the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. Odhiambo also previously played 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 ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

Early years

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, to parents George and Evelyn Odhiambo, he moved to Texas at the age of seven, shortly after his father's death. Odhiambo's mother died ten years later when he was 17, and he lived with an uncle and rode to school every day with an assistant coach. He has one sibling, a younger sister named Evette. Odhiambo attended Legacy High School in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

, a suburb southwest of Dallas. He began playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

as a sophomore, after being asked to turn out by an assistant coach who had him in a P.E. class. Odhiambo earned two letters in football (and another in track and field) and graduated in 2011.

was his sole scholarship offer, then led by head coach Chris Petersen.

College career

Odhiambo committed to Boise State prior to his senior year in July 2010 and signed his letter of intent on February 2, 2011. As a true freshman, he redshirted in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, and was awarded the Ultimate Goon Award by Tim Socha, BSU's head strength coach. Odhiambo played the next four seasons for the Broncos and appeared in 32 games. His final two seasons were played under head coach Bryan Harsin, who arrived in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Odhiambo was drafted by the

in the third round of the

, the 97th overall pick. A week later on May 6, he signed a four-year deal worth $2.9 million overall with a $645,416 bonus. Backed up against their own end-zone during the divisional round of the 2016-17 NFL playoffs, Odhiambo accidentally stepped on the foot of Seahawks quarterback

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played his first 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson is widely regarded ...

, causing a safety. Odhiambo entered the 2017 season as the Seahawks' starting left tackle. He started the first seven games before suffering multiple dislocated fingers in both hands. His injuries required surgery on both hands, and he was placed on injured reserve on November 8, 2017. On September 2, 2018, Odhiambo was waived by the Seahawks.

Indianapolis Colts

On September 24, 2018, Odhiambo was signed to the

' practice squad.

Atlanta Falcons

On October 24, 2018, Odhiambo was signed by the

off the Colts' practice squad. He was waived on November 12, 2018.

Indianapolis Colts (second stint)

On November 14, 2018, Odhiambo was signed to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad.

Arizona Cardinals

On December 3, 2018, Odhiambo was signed by the

off the Colts' practice squad. Odhiambo was waived/injured during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and reverted to

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 5.

Personal life

Odhiambo graduated from Boise State in December 2015, with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. On July 31, 2018, Odhiambo became a U.S. citizen after taking his oath at the Tukwila U.S. immigration center.

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bio

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Odhiambo, Rees 1992 births Living people American football offensive linemen Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Boise State Broncos football players Indianapolis Colts players Kenyan emigrants to the United States Kenyan players of American football People from Mansfield, Texas Seattle Seahawks players Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Sportspeople from Nairobi