Obafemi Devin Ayanbadejo (; born March 5, 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 wi ...

running back, fullback and special teams player. He was signed by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

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 i ...

in 1997. In 1998 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings he was allocated to the London Monarchs of the NFL Europe league. A since defunct developmental league. Ayanbadejo also played for the Baltimore Ravens (1999-2002), Miami Dolphins (2002-2003), Arizona Cardinals 2004-2007), Chicago Bears (2007) and California Redwoods (2009) of the UFL. His professional football career began in 1997 and he officially retired from professional football in January, of 2010. 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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

. Ayanbadejo earned a

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

with the 2000 Ravens via

Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

. He is the older brother of NFL

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, ...

Brendon Ayanbadejo Oladele Brendon Ayanbadejo (; born September 6, 1976) is a former American football linebacker and special teamer who played in Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He played college foot ...

. Brendon is an All-Pro and Pro Bowler. Obafemi Ayanbadejo met Larry Fitzgerald while a young "Fitz" was a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings. The pair became teammates when the future Hall of Famer was drafted in the 1st round of the

2004 NFL Draft The 2004 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 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...

by the Arizona Cardinals. During that same 2004 season Emmitt Smith tossed his first and only touchdown pass of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career. That touchdown reception belongs to Ayanbadejo.

Early years

Ayanbadejo was born in Chicago to a Nigerian father and an American mother of Irish descent. His family moved to Santa Cruz, California just after his 11th birthday. He attended Mission Hill Junior High. As a high schooler he played football, baseball and basketball at

Santa Cruz High School Santa Cruz High School is a comprehensive public school in Santa Cruz, California which originally opened in 1897 and now serves an enrollment of about 1,040 students in grades nine through twelve. It is part of the Santa Cruz City School Distr ...

College career

Ayanbadejo played at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

where he was used as a tight end, receiver and out of the backfield. Prior to attending SDSU he began his college career as a two sport athlete playing football and baseball at

Cabrillo College Cabrillo College is a public community college in Aptos, California. It is named after the conquistador Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 12,000 students per term. Facilities Classes are of ...

Aptos, California Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and ...

. He was all Coast conference in both sports.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Following his collegiate career at San Diego State, Ayanbadejo was signed as an

by the Vikings. He was cut by the team before the season began and did not play football that year. However, he was resigned by the Vikings in January, of 1998 and allocated to the London Monarchs of NFL Europe. That fall he resumed his Viking career where he spent time on both the practice squad and active roster. In 1999 he began the season on the Vikings active roster and was cut after week 3. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens in week 4 of the 1999 season.

Baltimore Ravens

Ayanbadejo was signed by the Baltimore Ravens in week 4 of the 1999 season after his week 3 release by the Vikings. He remained in Baltimore until Ayanbadejo was released by the Ravens after the 2001 season. His official release was in March 2002. After a late signing with the Miami Dolphins in June 2002 he was the final roster cut at the end of training camp and failed to sign with another team, he sat out the 2002 NFL season.

Miami Dolphins

Ayanbadejo signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2003, appearing in 16 games (two starts) and catching 12 passes for 53 yards. His brother,

, was a linebacker for the Dolphins that season.

Arizona Cardinals

In March 2004 Ayanbadejo signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals where he was reunited with head coach Dennis Green. He appeared in all but three games over that three year time period and was voted NFL player representative by his teammates. After playing out that contract, the Cardinals re-signed Obafemi Ayanbadejo to a two-year extension, though he was cut three months later.

Chicago Bears

Ayanbadejo signed with the Chicago Bears in 2007, becoming professional teammates with his younger brother, Brendon, for the third time in their careers. In August 2007, Ayanbadejo was suspended for the first four games of the 2007 season after testing positive for a banned substance. Ayanbadejo's failed drug test was attributed to a tainted supplement and the company responsible settled with Ayanbadejo before the case went to trial. Ayanbadejo was the second player in NFL history to bring suit against a supplement company. Following his suspension, he was released from the Bears' roster.

California Redwoods

Ayanbadejo was drafted by the

California Redwoods ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

of the United Football League in the

UFL Premiere Season Draft The UFL "Premiere" Season Draft was the inaugural draft of the United Football League (UFL). The results of the draft were announced via press release on June 19, 2009. Among the players selected were those that participated in earlier workouts in ...

in 2009. He signed with the team on August 18. After a professional career that started in 1997, Ayanbadejo officially retired in January 2010.

Sportscasting career

Obafemi Ayanbadejo is currently a gameday analyst for the Baltimore Ravens radio station WBAL.

Personal life

Ayanbadejo is the older brother of former NFL

. He went on to get an MBA from the

Carey Business School The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School (also Carey Business School or simply Carey) is the graduate business school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It was established in 2007 and offers full-t ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

References

External links

Just Sports StatsUnited Football League bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayanbadejo, Obafemi 1975 births Living people Cabrillo Seahawks football players Players of American football from Chicago American people of Irish descent American football fullbacks American sportspeople of Nigerian descent American people of Yoruba descent Yoruba sportspeople San Diego State Aztecs football players Minnesota Vikings players London Monarchs players Baltimore Ravens players Arizona Cardinals players Miami Dolphins players Sacramento Mountain Lions players Chicago Bears players Johns Hopkins Carey Business School alumni Santa Cruz High School alumni Sportspeople from Santa Cruz, California Players of American football from California