By now you’ve heard at least some of Prince Tega Wanogho’s incredible story. How he left his native Nigeria as a teenager for a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean to live and play basketball in the United States, embarking on a movie-script journey that eventually led to the Eagles’ drafting him in the sixth round last month.
But it’s important to know why he did it.
Because Tega Wanogho didn’t leave home and go through this journey for himself. He didn’t even do all this just for his family. He did it to help and inspire all those he left behind in Nigeria.
“I say it all the time; it’s way bigger than me,” Tega Wanogho said to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark this week. “This dream is not just for me or my family; this is for my village.
“This is something I’m doing to help people back home too because I know there’s so many kids back home in Nigeria with the same dream. Especially the fact of me being drafted, they see they can do it. That’s what I want to present to them someday, just the chance.”
Tega Wanogho, 22, said he eventually wants to give kids back home in Nigeria the same type of opportunity he had: the opportunity to make something of their lives. It’s a heavy burden, but the 6-foot-5, 308-pound offensive lineman feels honored to carry it.
The beginning
NFL
Growing up in Warri, Nigeria, Tega Wanogho dreamed of becoming a professional athlete but his only exposure to American football came through movies. The first one he ever saw was “The Waterboy” featuring Adam Sandler. He also saw “The Longest Yard” and “The Blind Side,” to which his own story has drawn comparisons.
Maybe one day there will be a movie about Tega Wanogho. It would make for a pretty good one.
Tega Wanogho didn’t begin playing football until he arrived to the United States and that wasn’t even the plan. Back in Africa, he loved basketball. In fact, he was first discovered at a basketball camp about six hours from his home. He tells a story that there was a player who was 7-foot-2 and Tega Wanogho, never lacking confidence, proudly told his friends he was going to dunk over him. During a 5-on-5 game, he did. And that’s really how it all began.
“It was always basketball,” he said. “I thought every time I stepped on the court I was going to be the next LeBron James.”
While still in Nigeria, Tega Wanogho began sending videos to Edgewood Academy in Montgomery, Alabama, and also began speaking with Todd Taylor, an assistant basketball coach who would become his host dad in America.
Coming to America
When Tega Wanogho boarded his flight to a new life, he didn’t even bring a suitcase. He had the clothes on his body and a backpack with another pair of jeans, two pairs of boxer shorts and two t-shirts. He had $20 USD that he exchanged from Nigerian Naira at the airport. And he had a bible that was a gift from his mother.
“I was scared,” he said. “At first, it was pretty exciting, knowing I was coming to the United States. That’s everybody’s dream. If you grow up in Africa or in Nigeria, that’s a big dream come true for everybody. Everybody wants to come to the United States someday. That’s something my family was willing to make that sacrifice. They were like really down for it and they were supportive about it the entire time.
“My mom, I say this all the time, she made the biggest sacrifice of them all. Letting your little boy get on a plane, go to a land where you don’t know nobody. She took that leap of faith right there.”
Not long after he arrived in Alabama, Tega Wanogho discovered football and loved the physicality of it. He began playing almost immediately in 2014 and was an instant star, especially on the defensive line. He had some big-name college coaches offering him and visiting him at Edgewood Academy and he didn’t know who any of them were — Nick Saban? Gus Malzahn? — he recalled with laughter.
While he had already become a standout in his one season of high school football, Tega Wanogho still played basketball that winter but broke his leg. From then on, he really realized football was the right path.
“I was like, I’m going to stick to football,” he said. “Let LeBron James be LeBron James. I’m just going to be Prince Tega.”
Landing in Philly
Tega Wanogho redshirted his first season at Auburn in 2015 and didn’t make the switch to offensive tackle until 2016. He became a starter in 2017 at left tackle and blossomed into a draft pick some thought could go as high as the second round.
But Tega Wanogho played through a knee injury his senior year and needed a scope after the season. That scared many teams off and he dropped.
When the Eagles finally drafted him in the sixth round, he said he felt an immense sense of relief and told head coach Doug Pederson the team wouldn’t regret its decision.
“For me, I’m a man, I take pride in whatever I do,” he said. “Me actually telling them that, I meant it. That’s what I do. I’m confident, 100 percent. I’m going to go in there and do what I need to do.”
While his mother, Princess Onome Wanagho, died in the winter of 2017, Tega Wanogho still has many brothers and sisters living in Nigeria and none of them have ever seen him play football. He tried to get a couple of his sisters over to see a game last season when he was a senior but wasn’t able to.
Now, Tega Wanogho is hoping to get some of them to Philadelphia to see him play in the NFL.
“It’s going to be great. It’s going to be crazy,” he said. “I’m the only one in my family who’s ever been in the United States. So just getting them over here is going to be a blessing and a dream come true for me too. Just get them to come see big brother and little brother actually play. But I’m going to promise you they don’t really know much about the game. They see pictures, they see videos, they just re-post it. That’s what they do all the time. I love them. They’re so proud.”
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