Tony Ugoh
Encyclopedia
Anthony Ike "Tony" Ugoh, Jr. (born November 17, 1983) is an American football
offensive tackle who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Arkansas
.
He has also played for the Detroit Lions
.
. He played football at Wells Middle School and at Westfield High School, both in Houston, Texas
.
at the University of Arkansas
. During his career he started 35 of 43 games and was chosen as a third-team All-America
by the Associated Press
and first-team All-Southeastern Conference
as a senior. He also competed in discus
and weight throw
for the Razorback track team.
in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, after the Colts gave up a first-round pick in 2008 for the chance to move up in the 2007 draft and select him. He took over as the starting left tackle after Tarik Glenn
retired during the offseason. The Colts waived Ugoh on September 8, 2010.
On November 24, 2010, Ugoh was one of eight free agents brought in by the Washington Redskins
for a tryout. None of them were signed. He also worked out for the Buffalo Bills
the same week but was not signed.
Isaiah Ekejiuba
, who was placed on injured reserve
due to a knee injury. Ugoh's signing was seen as insurance if starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus
was unable to play in the Lions' week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers
due to a knee injury. He was released on August 14, 2011.
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...
offensive tackle who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He played college football
College 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 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
.
He has also played for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
Early years
Ugoh's parents are originally from 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...
. He played football at Wells Middle School and at Westfield High School, both in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
College career
Ugoh 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 Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. During his career he started 35 of 43 games and was chosen as a third-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
as a senior. He also competed in discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
and weight throw
Weight throw
The weight throw is a track and field event that is held at Scottish Highland games and occasionally at indoor track meets.In the Highland Games, the weight throw consists of two separate events, the light weight and the heavy weight. In both cases, the implement consists of a steel or lead weight ...
for the Razorback track team.
Professional career
Ugoh was drafted by the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, after the Colts gave up a first-round pick in 2008 for the chance to move up in the 2007 draft and select him. He took over as the starting left tackle after Tarik Glenn
Tarik Glenn
Tarik Glenn is a former American football offensive tackle who played for the Indianapolis Colts. Glenn performed as two-way lineman at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California....
retired during the offseason. The Colts waived Ugoh on September 8, 2010.
On November 24, 2010, Ugoh was one of eight free agents brought in by 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,...
for a tryout. None of them were signed. He also worked out for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the same week but was not signed.
Detroit Lions
On December 10, 2010 the Lions worked Ugoh out and then signed him the next day to take the roster spot of linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Isaiah Ekejiuba
Isaiah Ekejiuba
Isaiah Afamefuna Ekejiuba [Eck-ah-ju-buh] is a Nigerian-American linebacker of American football for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
, who was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
due to a knee injury. Ugoh's signing was seen as insurance if starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus
Gosder Cherilus
Gosder Cherilus is an American football offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions 17th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College.- Family :...
was unable to play in the Lions' week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
due to a knee injury. He was released on August 14, 2011.