Ifeanyi Ohalete
Encyclopedia
Ifeanyi Ohalete is a former American football
strong safety in National Football League
. He attended and played football for Los Alamitos High School
in Los Alamitos, CA.
at the University of Southern California
. Ohalete is remembered by many USC Trojans
fans as the player who committed an unnecessary roughness penalty after a failed fourth down attempt giving the University of Notre Dame
a crucial first down and allowing the Irish to complete a 21-point second half comeback in 1999.
in 2004. He came to Arizona on waivers from the Washington Redskins
, where he played 47 games with 24 starts from 2001-2003. He entered the NFL with Washington in 2001 as a college free agent.
Ohalete played the 2005 season as the starting Strong Safety for the eventual 2005 AFC North
Division Champion Cincinnati Bengals
.
He played in 2007 for the New York Dragons
of the Arena Football League, and was second on the team in tackles.
n descent. His father is a Nigerian immigrant from Mbano in Imo State.
Ohalete ran into some drama in 2004 with Clinton Portis
of the Washington Redskins
. Portis came to the Redskins in a blockbuster trade that involved Pro Bowl
cornerback Champ Bailey
. Portis had worn the number 26, and Ohalete had the number. Portis agreed to buy the rights to the number from Ohalete, but Ohalete later sued Portis to force payment. The case was settled before trial, but not before Portis challenged Ohalete to a boxing match to determine the rightful owner of the number. The match never happened.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
strong safety in National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He attended and played football for Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only traditional high school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District; the far smaller Laurel High School serves...
in Los Alamitos, CA.
College career
Ohalete played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Ohalete is remembered by many USC Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
fans as the player who committed an unnecessary roughness penalty after a failed fourth down attempt giving the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
a crucial first down and allowing the Irish to complete a 21-point second half comeback in 1999.
Professional career
Ohalete played for the Arizona CardinalsArizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 2004. He came to Arizona on waivers from the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, where he played 47 games with 24 starts from 2001-2003. He entered the NFL with Washington in 2001 as a college free agent.
Ohalete played the 2005 season as the starting Strong Safety for the eventual 2005 AFC North
AFC North
The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
Division Champion Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
.
He played in 2007 for the New York Dragons
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...
of the Arena Football League, and was second on the team in tackles.
Personal
Ohalete is of NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n descent. His father is a Nigerian immigrant from Mbano in Imo State.
Ohalete ran into some drama in 2004 with Clinton Portis
Clinton Portis
Clinton Earl Portis is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. Portis came to the Redskins in a blockbuster trade that involved Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
cornerback Champ Bailey
Champ Bailey
Roland "Champ" Bailey is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Bailey was drafted in the 1st round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Georgia.Bailey is 8th among Broncos in all-time...
. Portis had worn the number 26, and Ohalete had the number. Portis agreed to buy the rights to the number from Ohalete, but Ohalete later sued Portis to force payment. The case was settled before trial, but not before Portis challenged Ohalete to a boxing match to determine the rightful owner of the number. The match never happened.