At 6-foot-6, Southern Illinois offensive tackle Abdou Toure stands tall on the football field. But he’s pretty normal among his family members. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)
By Barry Bottino
Imagine coming home from grade school one day to learn your family is moving.
That happened to Southern Illinois offensive tackle Abdou Toure … but with a twist.
His parents decided to leave their home in Dakar, Senegal about 15 years ago with their three children. Their destination was suburban Atlanta.
Toure had to learn English all while adjusting to new classmates he could barely communicate with. In high school, football found him, quite literally.
A two-year starter for the Salukis, Toure comes from a tall family, has created some loyal SIU fans in Senegal and is still amazed at what Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields – who played for a rival Georgia high school – did to his team’s defense.
He will make his 12th career start at right tackle Saturday when the 12th-ranked Salukis host No. 1 South Dakota State in Carbondale for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Learn more about Toure in our weekly Moving the Chains Q&A:
You were born in Senegal. How did your family end up in Georgia?
Around 2008, my parents brought me, my brother (Mamadou) and my sister (Fatima) in the living room one day and said, ‘We’re going to move over to America for better opportunities and for a better chance at life.’ It was between Chicago and Atlanta, and my mom (Marieme) couldn’t handle the cold. (Laughs) So, we chose Atlanta.
Tell us about your family.
I’m the youngest of three siblings. I am 22 (years old). My sister is 33 and my brother is 32.
What was life like after moving to the U.S.?
At first, my dad (Ibrahima) went ahead and got set up in an apartment so we didn’t all come in and try to figure it out at once. That was about a six-month period. Eventually, the rest of the family came over.
Were you nervous or scared when you first came over?
No, I was really excited. I was excited about traveling and new experiences. It was fun all the way. I didn’t know any English back then. But I had plenty of cartoons to teach me. (Laughs)
So how did you learn to speak English?
Just watching cartoons. I came in around the second semester of fourth grade. We had one kid in the class who spoke a little bit of French, so I communicated through him with everyone. Eventually, one day it just clicked.
Was there a particular cartoon that helped you learn English?
Adventure Time was a big one.
French is the official language of Senegal. Do you still speak French or other languages?
Unfortunately, I don’t get to use (my French) much. It’s a little choppy now. I can still understand it, but maybe not write it. I can get my way around it. We also speak Wolof. That’s basically the unofficial official language of Senegal. It’s a mix of French, Arabic, traditional African. It’s like the Spanglish of our country.
When was the last time you visited Senegal?
Just last summer. I have more family there than I can count. It’s a lot.
How would you describe your hometown, Dakar, and Senegal to teammates?
I wouldn’t describe it much differently from America, honestly. Besides trees and bushes and grass, we’ve got sand. It’s maybe five or 10 years behind in terms of technology. You’ll see cars from like 2011 right now driving around. They play the same games. Everybody enjoys parties, just like over here. There’s not much difference, honestly.
What do you appreciate about going back to visit?
I like seeing family and how many people want to see me succeed. When I was a kid, I didn’t grasp the full situation. Moving across the ocean, you’d probably never see some of those people again. But seeing them again now as more of an adult, it was eye opening. It made me appreciate my situation way more.
Are there family members in Senegal who wear SIU Salukis gear?
Football isn’t really a big part of (the culture). I think my younger cousins understand football. They told me they watched the Northwestern game (a 31-24 SIU upset win last season). So I’ve got at least two fans back home.
Are there other athletes in your family?
I come from a pretty tall family. My dad (Ibrahima) is like 6-7. My mom is around 5-11. My sister is 6-1, and my brother is 6-4. My dad and my brother grew up playing basketball. When I was a kid, I also wanted to play basketball, but I didn’t realize how much running I had to do. I played it for fun, but I was too young to ever go to my brother’s practices and play with them. I also grew up playing a lot of soccer.
Is soccer considered the main sport in Senegal?
Yes. Basketball is not too far off, but soccer is definitely the first love. People in Senegal are big LeBron James fans. You can’t walk around Dakar without seeing at least five LeBron jerseys. He’s a big name over there. In soccer, it’s Ronaldo and Messi. People love La Liga (Spain’s top professional soccer league), the Premier League and Ligue 1, the top French league. People are definitely in tune with sports all around the world.
Do you have a favorite Senegalese food?
My favorite is either Yassa or Domoda. Senegal’s No. 1 export is peanuts, so a lot of our foods are peanut-based. Basically, Domoda is rice, lamb and peanut butter stew. It’s really good. My mom makes it. And Yassa is the same thing, but instead of peanut butter, it has an onion sauce, mixed with chicken and it’s really seasoned up.
How were you introduced to football in America?
That’s a funny story, actually. I was a junior in high school. I was in my health class, and we had to walk around the track (for exercise). I spotted our high school coach, who was newly hired at the time, chasing me down from across the field. (Laughs) He came up to me and introduced himself and said, ‘Why aren’t you playing football for me?’ I said, ‘I don’t think my mom wants me to.’ He said, ‘Nah, you’re playing for me this year.’ He got in contact with my parents, set it up and then that next semester, I was playing football.
What was the hardest part about learning the game?
At the time, I thought football was more of a 7-on-7 deal. I didn’t understand the trenches aspect of it. I thought I was just going to go out there and catch the ball. They told me I had to block somebody and I said, ‘Oh, OK.’ When you’re in high school and you’re the biggest kid, you’re definitely playing offensive line. It was fun, though. It was a great experience.
What did you enjoy about the game early on?
The friends I made on the team at the time. I would hang out with everybody (in my high school) but once I started playing football, I found my group of guys. It was great.
Is there an American food that your friends and teammates love, but you can’t stand?
Probably shrimp. I’m not a big fan of it. That’s kind of ironic considering Senegal is (surrounded by ocean). I do like seafood, but not shrimp specifically.
When you were being recruited in high school, what impressed you about SIU’s pitch?
When I first heard about Southern Illinois, I looked them up. I saw the logo and said, ‘What is that?’ I was looking at it and I thought, ‘That’s a funny looking dog.’ (Three assistant coaches) pulled up to my house and I didn’t really know how recruiting worked. Now, looking back and seeing how much they cared to drive all the way down to Georgia to talk to me and my parents … there was a genuineness to it all. It made me feel like this was the right place for me. (With other schools) I didn’t really feel a connection with the coaching staff like I did here.
Do you have a favorite spot on the SIU campus?
One thing about Southern Illinois is that there are a bunch of beautiful lakes all around. There’s a campus lake. There’s Evergreen (Park, which is home to the Carbondale Reservoir) and I go there once in a while to just clear my head and look at the scenery.
If you’re having a bad day, who’s the one teammate you can count on to make you smile?
Anybody on the offensive line. This is the closest we’ve been throughout my years here. You know when you walk in (the locker room), everybody’s got your back. They’ve always got the best intentions for you. I sit next to them every day. It’s a great group of guys.
Do you have a nickname?
Not really. I think Abdou is already a pretty unique name. (Laughs) It does cause a lot of confusion. I don’t think you’re going to find another Abdou.
SIU quarterback Nic Baker just became the school’s all-time leading passer. What do you appreciate about Nic?
Just his composure. He’s never too high, never too low. He’s just an efficient machine. He’s the guy that you know if we’re up by 40 or down by 40, he’s always going to pull through. I put a lot of faith and trust in him and I’m going to ride with him. Off the field, he’s a pretty funny guy. You don’t see that a lot on the field, but he cracks jokes. I’m not a big Call of Duty (video game) player, but apparently he and the other O-linemen play a lot.
Who’s the best player you’ve ever played against?
(Chicago Bears quarterback) Justin Fields. He played at Harrison High School (in Kennesaw, Ga.), which is about 15 to 20 minutes away from my school. We played them every year. (In 2017, Fields was responsible for seven touchdowns in a game against Toure’s Sprayberry team.) He broke down our whole defense (on one run) and I saw that play on Snapchat highlights for the rest of the year.
Part of the movie Remember the Titans was filmed at your high school. Do you have a favorite football movie?
Probably Remember the Titans. When I first found out it was filmed at my high school, (I watched it) and the story of the movie was very inspirational.
You are majoring in management. After football, what’s your dream job?
I’m trying to double major in computer science. If everything works out, I’ll probably go into data analytics and data collection for whatever firm wants to take a chance on me.
What’s your favorite thing about playing for SIU head coach Nick Hill?
He’s always got a positive attitude. Like the rest of the coaching staff, I think he’s a very genuine person. When I was getting recruited, I got to talk to him and he told me about who he is, his family. I could tell that he won’t (BS) you.
What do you miss most about Georgia?
In the winter, I miss the heat. I’m not a big snow guy, so it’s tough dealing with that. … There’s a place called Cook Out. That’s my favorite restaurant. After high school games, it was that or Zaxby’s.
Do you have a favorite athlete and sports team?
Definitely LeBron. And I’m a (New York) Giants fan. I don’t know how. (Laughs) It’s been tough being a fan. That’s a funny story. My middle school was the Pitner Patriots. My first year in that school was when the Giants and Patriots were playing in the Super Bowl. That was the helmet catch. My whole school was Patriots supporters and I said, ‘Forget y’all.’ The Giants ended up winning, so that’s my team forever now.
As an offensive lineman, who are the SIU defensive linemen who you like going up against?
I’d definitely say Dewey Greene or Devin Cowan. Me and Dewey both injured our shoulders and went through rehab at the same time. We made each other better during that process and now we’re both playing again. The first time I saw Devin was the first day of camp. We’ve been going back and forth, and it’s been great.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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