NFL’s first International Ring of Honor inductee dreams of taking game to Africa

Osi Umenyiora has left a lasting impact on the NFL both on and off the field.

A two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants during his playing days, the London-born defensive end has since transitioned into a new role to help grow the game on a larger scale.

Following his impressive NFL career, Umenyiora helped to create the International Player Pathway (IPP) program and has been leading the league’s international expansion efforts across Africa.

Now he dreams of bringing the game to the continent. 

“It’s truly an honor to be leading the NFL’s efforts across Africa and expand key programming into a fourth country across the continent, Nigeria – a place that is very close to my heart,” the former Giants star said back in June.

“We’ve seen the incredible impact the program has had on young athletes’ lives to date, and we look forward to creating more opportunities for global talent to play the game and grow that impact in the years ahead.”

Four months on, and Umenyiora was honored in the first-ever NFL London Games Ring of Honour ceremony, which took place during half-time festivities of the New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday, 6 October at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

To celebrate the 17-year history of the NFL playing in the UK, the league honored both Umenyiora and Minnesota Vikings hero Jared Allen.

The pair were recognised for their contribution to the growth and development of American football in the UK and Ireland.

“I played in the first NFL regular-season game in London in 2007, so to be honored this season is extremely humbling,” Umenyiora said ahead of his induction.

“The sport and the league have grown tremendously in the last 17 years, and we’ve seen the incredible impact that growth has had on young athletes and fans alike.

“Being recognised in the first-ever International Ring of Honour ceremony is an exciting moment.”

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It’s not just in the UK and Ireland that Umenyiora has helped the growth of the NFL. 

As the league’s Africa lead, last year, he voiced his support for playing an NFL game in Africa during a visit to Cape Town. 

“We’ve had these conversations before, and you see what’s going on out here… it’s an incredible thing, and I don’t think a game being played out here is far-fetched,” Umenyiora said. 

“I think it’s going to happen at some point. We just don’t know when.”

Originally born in London, Umenyiora was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. 

He played for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Giants and featured in three international games – two in London and one in Toronto.

He played his part in the first ever regular season game in the UK, when his Giants overcame the Miami Dolphins in awful conditions at Wembley to win 13-10.

17 years on, he was on broadcast duty as the Vikings and Jets played out a thrilling game in north London.

The rain came down again, but it was Minnesota that remained unbeaten with a 23-17 win over Aaron Rodgers New York Jets.

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