Nigerian-born Solomon Oduma moved to the United States when he was in seventh grade. A year later, he played football for the first time. (Photo by GoRedbirds. com)
By Dan Verdun
Solomon Oduma didn’t start playing football until eighth grade. Given modern day safety concerns of many parents, that may not be a surprise.
But Oduma’s delayed introduction to the sport had other factors.
“I came to the U.S. in 2017, which was my seventh grade year,” the Nigerian-born Oduma told Prairie State Pigskin.
His parents, Friday and Florence, settled in Fort Wayne, Ind. with Solomon and sibling Shadrach.
“We had family who were there. My cousin played basketball overseas for a little bit. His family was friends with mine. That connection, having some sort of family, drew my family to Indiana,” Oduma said.
Like most immigrants, the Odumas came for “a better opportunity.”
That opportunity included playing football for Solomon, where his Carroll High School team made its first-ever trip to state at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Get to know Solomon Oduma in our Moving the Chains Q&A.
Is there any significance to your first name?
Of course, my first name is Biblical. I grew up in a very Christian household and Solomon was the wisest king. Wisdom is something every parent wishes for their kids. My father named me Solomon just so I would remember that and try to be wise in every situation that I’m in.
What sports did you play growing up?
I ran track and played soccer. I’m from Nigeria, so I was a big soccer guy.
How big is track and field in Nigeria?
After soccer, it’s the second biggest thing that they do over there.
You mentioned you began playing football in eighth grade. At what point did you realize that you were good enough to play in college?
Like any kid I just started off playing to have fun and make friends. It wasn’t until I got to high school and started getting bigger and stronger that I stood out more did I realize it would be smart for me to take the game seriously.
Did you play any other sports in high school?
I ran track. I ran the 4 by 4, the 400 and 200.
Indiana’s high school football postseason is unique in that every team is admitted and the initial matchups are a random draw. In Illinois, schools must qualify and are then seeded into brackets. Which do you prefer?
Letting everyone play and have an opportunity. It makes for a more interesting game and a more interesting playoff in the end.
Does it bother you that, in theory, the two best teams in the state could play each other in the first round because of the random draw?
It is what it is. If you’re really the best team in the state, you’ll come out on top in the end.
What is it that your teammates and others don’t understand about Nigeria?
It’s just a different world out there. I think people fail to realize how blessed we are, having food on the table and power in our houses and shelter. Those ‘little things’ get taken for granted.
When you look back on last year’s run to the national championship game, what stands out in your memory?
It was a pretty remarkable playoff run. We did something special. We’re trying to replicate the same emotion and the same locker room culture (this season). We can control what we can control. It’s like Coach (Spack) said, just go 1-0 each week.
Much has been said and written about that playoff run, but which game from the regular season was the craziest?
It was when we played North Alabama (at Hancock Stadium in Normal). It doesn’t get any wackier than that, a six-hour game and two weather delays (with ISU prevailing, 38-36, in double overtime). There was a lot of adversity in that game. It ended up helping us later down the line.
How do you view your role this season?
Being in the program for as long as I’ve been, at this point I’ve been honored to share in a leadership role. It’s setting the best example, not only leading with words but with actions as best I can. Like any other player, just be coachable. Be the player for the young guys to look at and emulate.
Is there any other country that you would like to visit some day?
I’d like to visit as many countries as possible. We have a very beautiful world out there that God has made. I’d love to see everything if I could.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would you choose?
Brock Spack, great leader.
That leads us to our next question. When the bio pic of Coach Spack is made, who plays him in the movie?
Let’s give him a really good-looking guy. If Ryan Gosling could grow out a mustache like Coach Spack does, he would be a great choice.
What role would you play in the film?
I don’t know. Coach talks about Drew Brees a lot. He’d be a big part of the story. I would humbly play Drew Brees.
What are you studying at Illinois State University?
Cyber security. Tech is the future. Everyone should have an education with technology. When I started the program, I just fell in love with coding and with computers. I kept riding with that.
Removing coaches and players from the choices, who are unsung heroes in the ISU football program?
(Equipment manager) Nick Watson and (director of football operations) Holden Boyle, if I can shout out two guys. They keep our team together and they do a lot of behind the scenes stuff that goes unnoticed.
What do you appreciate about your position coach Kye Stewart?
How hard he can be, but at the same time how gentle he is. It’s the duality of a man that does an excellent job. He knows how to respond and when to respond to something. I look up to Coach Stew because the man and the father he is. As a Black man, I think he’s a great role model, especially for myself.
What sport at Illinois State do you enjoy as a fan?
When I’m not living the football life, the sport I’ve been to most is definitely basketball. I like supporting my guys on the team like Johnny and Chase. I like watching them and all their hard work pay off too. It’s something that I enjoy seeing.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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