Making My Dad Proud: former Steeler Chidi Iwuoma's Road to Success

My father never wanted me to play football or any sports for that matter.  He thought that pro athletes got into a lot of trouble and he and my mother had great plans for my brothers and I that were centered around education and achieving the American dream. Little did he know when I was little, that football would help create the opportunities for me to acquire the academic success he dreamed of for me and give me a chance to positively impact others...

My parents were immigrants from Nigeria, they came to America dreaming of better opportunities for my three brothers and I.  Education was a high priority in my household and seen as the cornerstone for success.  What my parents saw of athletics in the media, set up a belief that sports led to negativity and got in the way of the success they planned for us.  So in addition to the focus on academics, my parents established a steadfast rule for the four of us: no sports.  

 When I was young I lost mother to inner city violence.  My parents were trying to live the  America dream, they worked hard and become business owners. On that tragic day, my mother was working in one of the family stores and was murdered during a robbery attempt. When my mom was killed during that robbery, my dad took it very hard.  In retrospect I can't image what a challenge it was for my dad to deal with grieving and raising four boys at the same time. We grew up in a rough environment, a lot of temptation for the way of life promoted by gangs in the community and easy access to a lot of negativity.  My father stuck to his plan; education was good, sports were bad.  His plan to keep us out of the streets was anchored by a strong focusing on education. 

Despite my dad's views on athletics, I knew there were positive aspects. I would watch the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Lakers, and I saw good things.  My brothers and I loved to play sports out in the neighborhood with our friends and our dad was okay with these casual, home based games. But even when I began to get noticed in school for my athletic abilities, but my dad wouldn’t let me play organized sports. When I was in elementary school, my brothers took me and signed me up for Pop Warner football.  I was so excited and loved the tryouts and proudly took my pads home after making the team.  My dad took one look at the pads and said no way, take them back. So I focused on school and community and build a reputation as a stand up guy.  I was involved in student government and lots of school based activities, but continued to dream of playing organized team sports. 

My freshman year  of high school I tried out for football and my coach was really impressed with me.  I came up with plan where I went to study hall and got school work done during the day and then went to practice after school for part of the practice and still got home before 4pm.  I got a recruiting letter from Cal Berkeley and was on the varsity squad by the end of my freshman season.  I kept my participation a secret from dad my entire freshman year and halfway through my sophmore year.  The local newspaper did a story about me and put my picture in the paper after a particularly good game which someone showed my dad, causing all hell to break loose. 

The letter from Cal Berkeley turned out to be my saving grace, I showed it to my dad and pointed out the opportunity to get a free education through my abilities on the football field.  Dad finally said if I kept my grades up I could play.  Recruiting letters kept coming in.  I knew I had to keep my grades up in order to play and that was my focus all through high school. I knew I wanted to graduate, get a college degree and make my dad proud.  My senior year I got a bunch of scholarship offers, I was so excited that people were going to pay for me to go to school because I could run with the football.  I could combine my love of the game with my love of education, I couldn't ask for anything more.  I graduated from Pasadena High school and entered the University of California at Berkeley, my dad's favorite school, on a football scholarship.   

My brothers, who were all older than me, didn't get to play sports because of my dad’s beliefs about professional athletes.  But they never begrudged me my experience and my success.  They came to all of my games and made sure I had everything I needed.  They would use their money from their part time jobs to buy me cleats and they would get me wherever I needed to go.  They couldn’t do it but I could and they became my biggest fans.  Their dedication and support of me made me feel important and made a huge impact in the man I've become.

I wanted to graduate from Cal with a degree, that was my main drive from the moment I stepped onto campus. I was good in high school, but coming to one of the top programs in the nation at one of the best schools in the nation, was a whole new game. I had to fall back on my cornerstone, education. I kept trying and studying and working hard academically.  I worked with my academic advisor regularly and studied hard to be a good player and teammate.  It wasn’t until my junior year at Cal that the NFL made it onto my radar as a possible reality.  I got my degree in five years and during that time I decided that I wanted to help student athletes as a career.  My academic advisors my first year was really important and helpful to me and I wanted to become that support for other student athletes wheither or not I went pro. 

I played in the NFL for seven years.  I knew that I was physically able to be there but being mature and being a good person who was goal oriented and wanted to handle business was an important component to staying there.  I was nominated team captain four years in a row.  Besides the obvious money and accolades, that honor by my peers was special to me.  To be voted team captain and not be the superstar comes down to being accountable, guys acknowledge that I would take care of business and lead by example and carry through on goals for the team.  The experience of playing pro football was exciting and fun but it is a business. You are expected to take care of yourself and handle your business of your own accord.  You have to figure out what is expected of you and how you get it done.  My childhood, the goals and expectations my parents and brothers put in place,  were my stepping stones to success.

I am participating in the 'Smart Guy' movement because I want to help young people realize that your last name is important and that you are representing generations of your last name in the way you carry and present yourself. No matter how old you are you are never too young to be a good person.  Becoming a 'smart guy' when you are young is setting yourself up to be successful for the majority of your life.

I've had a pretty good run and it all started with being serious about academics. I played in the NFL for seven years, including five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the opportunity to be a part of the 2005 Super Bowl championship team!  After I retired from the NFL, I returned to Cal and got a master's degree in education.  I currently work as the Assistant Director of Student Athlete Development for Cal Berkeley's football program. My responsibilities are to nurture student development and support them in dealing with classroom, academics, housing-- anything that student athletes need outside of x’s and o’s.  It is what I've wanted to do since my freshman year of Cal,  help guide young, bright minds on what could possibly be their future endeavors.  I’ve been there and done that and that gives me credibility.  I work with all the athletes on a backup plan.  What kind of impression have you left on people that they  would want to do business with you after you graduate?  After you retire?  What kind of person are you?

 I've had the opportunity to show my father that education can lead to success in whatever venue you apply it to, even sports.  I've had the opportunity to carry myself both on and off the field as someone that other's can be proud of and emulate.  And now I have the opportunity to guide young student athletes about making good choices and putting their education to good use, about being 'smart guys'...

Another Smart Guy,

Chidi