Iheanyi Uwaezuoke

Iheanyi Uwaezuoke (pronounced uh-HAH-nee' 'uh-WAY-zoo-KAY) (born July 24, 1973 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a former American football wide receiver and punt returner for the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at the University of California, Berkeley.

Early years

Uwaezuoke was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, a Nigerian Igbo, came to America in 1978 to pursue his education, and the rest of his family followed in 1980. Uwaezuoke attended Harvard High School in Studio City, California.^[1] He played wide receiver and defensive back, and was selected to the Los Angeles Times All-Valley team and the All-Southern Section Division VII team. In addition to football, he also played basketball and competed in track and field, setting a school record of 45 feet 2 inches (13.77 m) in the triple jump as well as competing in the 100 meters, 400 meter relay, and shot put.^[1] He was recruited by UCLA, Duke, Penn, and California, but ultimately received no athletic scholarship offers.^[2]

College career

Uwaezuoke chose to attend the University of California as a walk-on,^[1] and earned a scholarship after his first year.^[3] Uwaezuoke became known as a big-play wide receiver for the Golden Bears. He caught 25 passes in his sophomore year, including a touchdown in Cal's 1993 Alamo Bowl win over Iowa.^[4] Playing in 10 games in 1994, he had 56 catches for 716 yards and 5 touchdowns.^[5] In 1995 he missed the front and back ends of his senior year due to thumb^[6] and knee injuries.^[7] and had 30 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns in 6 complete games. He finished his career with 114 catches for 1,703 yards^[8] and tied a school record (later surpassed) for total receptions in a game (13).^[9]

Professional career

Uwaezuoke was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round (160th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. Although he had not played much on special teams in high school or college, he focused on special team play as a way to make an impact on the team.^[10] In 1997 he was the 49ers' regular punt returner until he muffed a catch in the next to last game and the coaches to replaced him with Rod Woodson; Uwaezoke was cut by the 49ers during the subsequent season and claimed by the Dolphins.^[11] In his career he played in 60 NFL games, with 2 starts at wide receiver and 32 contests where he appeared as a featured punt returner. Uwaezuoke currently ranks 27th on the career list of average yards per punt return (11.2).

References