Chinedum Ndukwe

Chinedum Ndukwe

Ndukwe with Notre Dame in 2006
No. 41, 44
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1985-03-04) March 4, 1985 (age 39) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Dublin (OH) Coffman
College:	Notre Dame
NFL draft:	2007 / round: 7 / pick: 253
Career history
Cincinnati Bengals (2007–2010) Oakland Raiders (2011)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 260 Sacks: 7.5 Forced fumbles: 2 Fumble recoveries: 3 Interceptions: 7 Defensive touchdowns: 2 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Chinedum "Nedu" Ndukwe // ^ⓘ (/ˈtʃɪnəduːm ənˈduːkweɪ/ CHIN-ə-doom ən-DOO-kway;^[1] born March 4, 1985) is an American former professional football safety. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame. He also played for the Oakland Raiders.

College career

After graduating from Dublin Coffman High School, Ndukwe went on to start as safety for the University of Notre Dame for his junior and senior seasons. He played in 46 games with 25 starts and made 157 tackles.^{[citation needed]}

During his tenure at Notre Dame, his fellow Dublin Coffman graduate, Brady Quinn, was his roommate. Ndukwe had a double major in Marketing and Psychology.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Ndukwe was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round (253rd overall) of the 2007 NFL draft.^[2] Ndukwe made an immediate impact by playing in 14 games and starting two in place of an injured Dexter Jackson at strong safety. Ndukwe finished the season with 35 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, six pass deflections, a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown, and one forced fumble. He finished the season one of four Bengals to log an entry in every statistical column on the defensive stat sheet for the season. Ndukwe missed the second and third games of the season due to a hamstring injury suffered against the Baltimore Ravens. In a December 23 contest against the Cleveland Browns, Ndukwe totaled two interceptions off quarterback Derek Anderson. His first interception was returned 44 yards to the five-yard line, setting up a Bengals' score. His next interception came off of a pass intended for tight end Kellen Winslow that Ndukwe grabbed in the end zone. He also recorded 12 tackles, which was second-best on the team. In a November game against the Ravens, Ndukwe intercepted a Kyle Boller pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

In the season finale against the Miami Dolphins, Ndukwe returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown that put the Bengals ahead 28-10 in the fourth quarter. After the touchdown, excited commentator Joe Woeste claimed Ndukwe was a future Hall of Famer.^[3] He was competing with Dexter Jackson for the starting safety role; however, in 2009 the Bengals cut Jackson, leaving Ndukwe as the starting strong safety.^[4]

He became a free agent after the 2010 season.

Oakland Raiders

After rehabbing a knee injury for 10 months, the Oakland Raiders signed Ndukwe on October 18, 2011. He played in two games with one interception before aggravating the original injury, ending his comeback and his season on November 10.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2007	CIN	14	2	45	35	10	2.0	1	3	44	0	44	6	2	1	54	1
2008	CIN	11	11	64	43	21	3.0	5	1	12	0	12	4	0	1	15	1
2009	CIN	16	12	89	63	26	2.0	4	1	9	0	9	5	0	0	0	0
2010	CIN	12	6	60	41	19	0.5	1	1	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	0
2011	OAK	2	0	2	2	0	0.0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
		55	31	260	184	76	7.5	11	7	65	0	44	19	2	3	69	2

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2009	CIN	1	1	6	3	3	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		1	1	6	3	3	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Personal

Ndukwe's name, "Chinedum," means "God is my Guiding Light" in Igbo.^[5]

In 2008, Ndukwe attended the Harvard Business School, followed by the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 for the NFL Business Management Program.

On January 30, 2012, Ndukwe made his voiceover debut, working for NFL Films as the narrator for ESPN's Hey Rookie.

Ndukwe is the youngest of the three sons; his oldest brother Kelechi is Commanding Officer of USS HALSEY who previously served on the Minesweeper Crew SWERVE, based in San Diego, as the Executive Officer and later as Commanding Officer of USS DEVASTATOR in Manama, Bahrain. The middle brother, Ikechukwu, is an offensive tackle in the NFL who is a free agent. The youngest sibling, Ezinne, is earning her masters in public health at the University of Michigan.

He founded the Cincinnati-based Kingsley + Co., a commercial real estate company.^[6]

References

1. Rabinowitz, Bill (May 8, 2007). "NFL: Ndukwe making name for himself". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
2. "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
3. ESPN - Hashmarks By Matt Mosley^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "Ndukwe: I'll keep working". Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
5. "Igbo (Ibo--Nigerian) Names & Their Meanings". Chamaka: African Language & Culture. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
6. "Columbus developer Michael Schiff wants to build $100 million Cincinnati tower". Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.

External links

• Official Web Site of Chinedum Ndukwe
• Chinedum Ndukwe on Twitter
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
• Bengals Player Bio
• Official Blog