Amobi Okoye’s Incredible Story

At age 15 Amobi chose the University of Louisville over Harvard, citing a desire to play for a strong football program. While at Louisville, Amobi majored in biology. He later switched his major to psychology and graduated a semester early, thereby completing his degree in three and a half years. At 16, he became the youngest player in the NCAA. Amobi played in all 13 games as a true freshman at defensive tackle and was credited with 17 tackles and a sack. Amobi garnered Associated Press Second-Team All-American honors and first-team All-Big East honors. As the NCAA’S youngest senior at 19 years old, Amobi garnered first-round draft status during the season.

Amobi was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He is the youngest player to ever be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft at only 19 years old. He was the highest draft pick to come out of the University of Louisville since the AFL-NFL merger. With his first start, he became the youngest player to appear in an NFL game since 1967. Amobi was named Defensive Rookie of the Month for September 2007 after leading the AFC with four sacks. He is the youngest player ever to receive the award.

In March 2013, out of the blue, Amobi had a seizure in his office after working out with a friend. More seizures followed, and a trip to the Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center led to admission to the Memorial Hermann Mischer Neuroscience Institute. Amobi was diagnosed in April 2013 with Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and was placed in a medically induced coma to stabilize recurring seizures.

He was cleared by doctors to play again, and was the first football player to attempt to come back from the disease.