Julius Okorie
Once a Nigerian, always a proud Nigeria. That is perhaps, the best way to capture Nigeria-born Morotoluwa Ojomo’s celebration, after winning the Super Bowl with Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night.
The 23-year-old American football defensive tackle with Pastor father, proudly brought out his Nigerian flag to celebrate the occasion.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelBefore the massive turnout associated with typical Super Bowl final, Ojomo and his Philadelphia teammates, delivered a photo finish, beating Kansas City 40-22 in a night of thrills. For Ojomo and Philadelphia Eagles, it was not just about defeating the defending champions of the Super Bowl, it was also about getting a revenge suffered in the hands of the same Kansas at the 2023 edition (LVII). That edition had ended by a slim margin 38-35.
The Eagles on this occasion ensured that the margin was indeed beyond reach of their opponents. Ojomo no doubt deserved his celebration in style as he contributed in no small measure to the achievement made on the night. His two tackles and a crucial tackle for loss contributed to the Eagles’ defensive dominance, a performance that stifled the usually explosive Patrick Mahomes and kept the Chiefs scoreless for a remarkable stretch of nearly three quarters. He played an important role in the Eagles’ defensive strategy, helping to contain one of the most potent offenses in the league.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria Ojomo was in Primary School when his family moved to California in 2009. His father is a pastor and his mother worked for an information technology company. While in seventh grade, his family moved again, this time to Houston, Texas. He attended Katy High School, being two years younger than most of his classmates due to having started his education at 3 in Nigeria.
He did not play varsity football as a freshman or as a sophomore, and additionally said that he had not figured out how to work out by that time.
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However, following his sophomore year, he began getting serious with weight training and running, and made the varsity team as a junior, eventually earning All-District honors as a defensive lineman at the end of the year.
From that point it has been progress all the way, and like they say, the rest is now history after he has inked his name in gold at the Super Bowl.
Ojomo’s victory underscores the growing influence of Nigerian athletes in the NFL. He joins a distinguished group of players like C.J. Uzomah, Chukwuebuka Godrick, Chris Oladokun, and Charles Omenihu, all of Nigerian heritage, who are making their mark in the sport.
Ojomo’s Super Bowl ring will no doubt go beyond symbol of his individual achievement, but serve as inspiration for aspiring athletes across the globe.
Congratulatory messages did not fail to pour in from Nigerians and in the diaspora who took to the social media to hail one of their own.
IG; flowjoee__ ™@flowjoejoe not wanting to talk too much simply said “Naija to the world 🌎 🇳🇬”
Peter Lloyd Kantiok @peterteekay had a confession to make, saying ” I was rooting for the Chiefs to win, not knowing one of our own is among the winning team. Congratulations Moro Ojomo”
Smoothie Guy @OrlandoNanman appeared to have caught the bug following Ojomo’s impressive run as he said “I’m currently watching the replay. This is first time I’m given so attention to this game of Superbowl. Super proud of him”
Funny enough phantomDviper @PhantomD_viper was not finding it funny perhaps because power interuptions made it impossible for him to follow the event as he tweeted “Imagine celebrating a country that take light 273737373 a day”
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
