Published by the Oklahoman:
Eccentric Odiari on verge of becoming a starterBy Mike Baldwin
The Oklahoman
OSU linebacker Alex Odiari, who is from Nigeria, is known
for bringing a stuffed monkey to team meetings.
Photo by Matt Strasen
STILLWATER -
Alex Odiari refers to himself as Da African.
Oklahoma State teammates choose other terms to describe the eccentric sophomore linebacker, a native of Nigeria whose story is as unique as his personality.
“That dude wears pajamas and brings a stuffed monkey to team meetings,” said linebacker
Rodrick Johnson. “That’s how crazy he is. That’s Alex. He’s loud. Alex likes to play around and have fun. He’s going to have to grow up some day.”
Constantly in trouble in junior high and high school in the Dallas area, uplifted by a life-altering living arrangement with a new family, Odiari is on the verge of becoming OSU’s starting weakside linebacker.
Football terminology and strategy are a foreign language to Odiari, who moved to the United States at age 10. Unlike other boys in Texas, Odiari knew one sport - soccer. He assumed NFL games were movies. Pregame highlights were previews. Starting lineups were opening credits.
His first year to play football, in the seventh grade, Odiari once tackled the quarterback.
The problem was Odiari was the running back. Frustrated the play had broken down, Odiari tackled his quarterback.
A few weeks earlier, after completing his first ever football practice, a year removed from living in Africa, Odiari asked his coach when he got paid. He heard on television Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith and New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor made big bucks.
“I was doing the same things those guys were doing,” Odiari said. “I didn’t know any different. One coach said, ‘Here’s what we’ll pay you.’ He handed me a bottle of Gatorade.”
A powerful running back, Odiari, 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, didn’t really blossom until after coaches at
Carrollton Hebron moved him full time to defense. Undersized for a defensive lineman, Odiari excelled as a nose guard. His senior year, he compiled 108 tackles and was named defensive MVP in his district.
“He’s a very tough, physical kid who will put a lick on you,” said OSU linebackers coach
Todd Bradford. “Last year he traveled to every game. That was a big benefit to him... What he needs to work on most his mental understanding of what we’re doing. That’s the thing he always has to work on. He’s not there, yet.”
It was obvious early on Odiari had talent, but he found trouble. His parents’ stay-at-home rules were like caging a lion. Odiari’s effervescent personality needed an audience. He found friends in the wrong places, trying to fit into his new American lifestyle.
When he was in the eighth grade, his parents became so frustrated they sent him away for six months to a disciplinary camp 85 miles east of Dallas. When Odiari returned, his problems continued for nearly two more years.
The turning point occurred the summer before Odiari’s sophomore season. A one-night stay over with senior teammate
Daniel Foster turned into a week, a couple of months, eventually a permanent arrangement. Odiari’s parents embraced the transformation. They signed guardianship papers so he could live with
Johnny and Dorothy Foster, who had raised three sons.
“Alex has a good heart,” said Johnny Foster. “He’s one of the hardest working young men I’ve seen. He likes attention. He just wanted to fit in and be loved. When he found us he found a way to express himself, someone to laugh at his foolishness. We counseled him. We gave him discipline and boundaries but were more tolerant of his personality.”
Hebron coach
Brian Brazil recalled a story of when Odiari was in the school cafeteria, and would playfully ask fellow students if they were going to eat everything on their plate. Given permission, Odiari would reach over, grab the food and chow down.
“I told him, ‘Alex, you’re just having fun but they might not take it that way,’ ” Brazil said. “I told him, ‘You’re so big, you can intimidate people. Some kids might be scared of you.’ He thought I was joking. He didn’t realize some kids were uncomfortable with his antics.”
In high school, Odiari plugged holes and chased quarterbacks and running backs. The switch to linebacker has forced him to learn zone coverage responsibilities and various assignments.
“I don’t know if he understands the X’s and O’s on the board,” Foster said. “He doesn’t really have that background. He needs to actually experience it on the field. English is his second language. Sometimes people still don’t understand what Alex actually is saying.”
The stuffed monkey was purchased during a recent weekend trip back home to Texas. While visiting the Fosters and his parents, Odiari recalled he had $7 left on a gift card. The monkey, who he has named “Sweetness,” cost $7.
“I like being different,” Odiari said. “I’m loud. I’ll make a dumb blonde comment because I don’t understand some things. But I believe I’ve come a long way. You notice they’ve given me a lot more responsibilities this year. They see the player in me. I’m trying to earn their trust to where I can stay in there.”
Edited by HebronHawk, 11 August 2006 - 08:17 AM.
