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| Born | October 9, 1972 Cameroon |
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| Career information | |||
| Year(s) | 1996–2007 | ||
| NFL Draft | 1996 / Round: 3 / Pick: 66 | ||
| College | Louisville | ||
| Professional teams | |||
| Career stats | |||
| Games played | 143 | ||
| Games started | 130 | ||
| Fumble recoveries | 4 | ||
| Stats at NFL.com | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Roman Dissake Oben (born October 9, 1972 in Cameroon) is an American football offensive tackle who retired in 2008. He co-hosts the New York Giants pre and post game show on WFAN in the fall as well as being a television color football analyst for MSG Varsity high school sports television network. In 2011 Oben left CBS Outdoor as an Account Executive to become Regional Director of [Advantage3 http://www.advantagethree.com] as well as the East Coast Director for [School of The Legends http://sotl.com], while still being actively involved in many charity, community,and civic organizations. Oben was formerly Vice President of Development for The Corporate Playbook, an on-line job board that matches former college and pro athletes with top companies for employment. In February 2009 Oben was appointed by Morris County, NJ to serve as chairman for the local Democratic Party in Kinnelon, New Jersey. The Head Start Program of Dover, NJ added Roman Oben as its newest board member in October 2009.
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Roman Oben has been inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame at Gonzaga College High School, Fork Union Military Academy and the University of Louisville
At the age of four he moved with his mother to the United States and they settled in Washington, D.C. In high school Oben played for Gonzaga College High School and spent one year at Fork Union Military Academy. His wife's name is Linda Claude-Oben.
A two-sport college athlete, Oben played college football at the University of Louisville, and was a four-year letterman in football and three year letterman in track and field. In football, he was an All-National Independent first team selection as a junior. In track and field, he placed at the Metro Conference Championship on the shot put. Oben was also Vice President of his collegiate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Originally selected by the New York Giants in the 1996 NFL Draft Oben was the first Cameroonian born NFL player drafted. Previously Oben has started over ninety percent of his games played in his twelve year NFL career for the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was also the starting left tackle on Tampa Bay's 2002 Super Bowl champion team.
In 2004, the Chargers traded a fifth round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft to the Buccaneers for the rights to Oben. Oben was used with the pick obtained from the Giants in the Rivers-Manning trade. Oben quickly became a fixture at the left tackle position and after bouncing back from a career threatening foot injury he spent the 2007 season as more of a player-mentor as a reserve on the Charger's young offensive line.
As a leader on and off the field, Oben has remained committed to helping athletes make the transition into the workplace. While serving as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) team representative for three teams over seven years, Oben was integral in drafting a resolution that ensures NFL Player Programs pay for continued education for retired players and as an active team representative, Oben was a charter member of the NFLPA Benefits Committee that ensured future medical coverage for all NFL players. Oben has been honored for his outstanding work with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America in San Diego where he was recognized as the 2007 Man of the Year. Oben earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Louisville in 1995 and was one of the only NFL players over a ten year year span to take graduate courses each off-season in order to earn his master's degree in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2001 when he played for the Cleveland Browns.