Some people are surprised to discover that so many African players have graced the NFL over the years. Football – or American football to people from outside the US – is commonly regarded as being an all-American game.
However, it has become an increasingly global sport that attracts athletes from all over the world. So, who is the biggest or most famous African star of the NFL?
Howard Simon Mwikuta – Zambia
He may not be as well-known as some others to come later on the list, but Mwikuta certainly deserves his place here. This is because the placekicker from Zambia was the very first African-born NFL player.
After playing college football for Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Mwikuta enjoyed a few moments of glory for the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 before his short career ended. If you have bet on NFL playoff games recently, you will see that there have more Africans playing there since then.
It is also worth remembering that another African was playing football here before the NFL was formed. Wilkie Osgood Moody from DR Congo was a wingback for the Columbus Panhandles in 1920 when the league was still called the American Professional Football Association.
Tamba Hali – Liberia
Hali has been in the news recently because of his plans to build a school in his native Liberia. He left Liberia at the age of 10, to escape the civil war there, and says that he was barely able to read and write when he arrived in the US.
One of his dreams was of becoming an NFL player so that he could earn the money needed to bring his mother over to America to join him and his father. Hali’s NFL chance came after a promising college football career for Penn State.
The 2006 NFL draft saw him picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he stayed until retiring from the sport in 2018. As for his hopes of building a school in his home country, the player aims to raise $300,000 to get things started and to give a better education to those who follow in these footsteps.
Ezekiel Ansah – Ghana
Better known as Ziggy, Ansah was born in Ghana. As a youngster growing up in Africa, he played soccer and basketball but knew nothing about American football. He is now regarded as being a genuine star and hugely influential in the sport.
He went to Brigham Young University in the US to study but failed to break into their basketball team. Turning his attention to football, Ansah tried track athletics. He eventually discovered football but had to be shown the most basic rules and how to use the equipment, due to his unfamiliarity with the game.
A successful college football career led to him being drafted by the Detroit Lions before joining the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 on a 1-year deal said to be worth $9 million.
Donald Igwebuike – Nigeria
In total, 18 African countries have been represented in the NFL. One of the most influential of these players was Donald Igwebuike, who was born in Nigeria. In fact, he replaced fellow Nigerian Obed Ariri at the Tampa Bay Bucanneers.
Igwebuike played in the NFL between 1985 and 1989. He was perhaps best known for his habit of kicking barefoot. However, he also scored enough points to make an unforgettable addition to the list of Africans playing this sport at the top level.
During that time, he played as a kicker and scored a total of 416 points. This makes him the team’s 4th top points scorer of all time. The rest of his career saw him play for the Minnesota Vikings, the Baltimore Stallions, and the Memphis Mad Dogs.
