Israel Idonije
 Idonije at training camp, 2008 |
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| No. 71 Chicago Bears | |
| Defensive End | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: November 17, 1980 | |
| Place of birth: Lagos, Nigeria | |
| Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | Weight: 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Manitoba | |
| CFL Draft: 2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17 | |
| Undrafted in 2003 | |
| Debuted in 2004 for the Chicago Bears | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011 | |
| Tackles | 224 |
| Sacks | 21.0 |
| INTs | 0 |
| Forced fumbles | 5 |
| Total touchdowns | 1 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Israel Idonije (born November 17, 1980) is a Nigerian-Canadian defensive end for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Manitoba. A draft pick of the now defunct Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League, for whom he never played, Idonije spent the start 2003 season on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad prior to his release in September. He was subsequently signed to the Bears' practice squad for the final six weeks of the season.[1]
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[edit] Early years
Idonije was born in Lagos, Nigeria and immigrated with his family to Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, when he was four years old.[2][3] He attended Vincent Massey High School in Brandon and, though he had never played football and was reluctant, coach Kevin Grindey convinced him to play when the school restarted its Canadian football program in 1997, when Idonije was in grade 12.[4] He went on to play CIS football for the Manitoba Bisons. During this time he worked as a daycare teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba, played in the East-West Shrine Game, and was drafted 17th overall by the Ottawa Renegades in the 2003 CFL Draft. At Manitoba from 2000–02, Idonije recorded 16 sacks which stands fourth all-time in Bison history. He helped lead the Bison to the 2001 Vanier Cup where Manitoba was defeated by the Saint Mary's Huskies. In 2002, Idonije was named 2002 Manitoba Male Athlete of the Year. His goal, however, was to play in the National Football League.[5]
[edit] Professional career
[edit] NFL combine
Idonije was not invited to the NFL Combine, but appeared on his own to distribute tapes of his years at University of Manitoba. Nine NFL team scouts were originally scheduled to attend a subsequent workout in Manitoba, but only one team (The Cleveland Browns) ended up attending. Idonije was eventually signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent, and put on Cleveland's practice squad.[5]
[edit] Cleveland Browns
As a rookie in 2003, Idonije was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, and put on Cleveland's practice squad. He was waived by the Browns midway through the season.
[edit] Chicago Bears
Idonije was obtained by the Chicago Bears as a practice squad player late in the 2003 season. He made the Bears' roster the following year, and has been with the Bears since then. Idonije is known for his versatility, including his ability to play both Defensive Tackle and Defensive End, his contributions to special teams, and his blocked kicks.
In 2006, the Idonije became a restricted free agent and the Buffalo Bills attempted to sign him, but the Bears retained him by matching their offer. During the 2007 NFL Season, Idonije had three consecutive games with a blocked field goal or extra point. In 2008, Idonije set career highs in sacks (3.5), tackles (22), and passes defensed (6). In May 2009, signed a two-year, $7 million contract extension with the Bears. On December 30, 2009 Idonije was placed on injured reserve due to a foot injury.
In 2010, week 5 at the Carolina Panthers, Idonije recorded a career high 3 sacks. Also, in 2010, week 9, Idonije broke the streak of 321 straight PAT's converted by Rian Lindell. .[6]
In 2011, in week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks, Idonije scored his first NFL touchdown after a fumble recovery in the end zone after Tarvaris Jackson had the ball stripped by Julius Peppers.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5600
- ^ "NFL star serves as principal for a day at Winnipeg school". CBC News. 2009-03-11. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/story/2009/03/11/mb-nfl-principal.html?ref=rss. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Israel Idonije". Current Players. National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/players/israelidonije/profile?id=IDO444955. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ Taylor, Scott (October 2007). "Manitoba's Friday Night Without Lights". Manitoba Score Magazine (Winnipeg: Manitoba Score Magazine) 1 (1): 25–29. http://www.manitobascore.com/docs/Manitoba_Score_Issue_2007_10.pdf.
- ^ a b Mayer, Larry (2009-02-18). "Idonije didn't let Combine snub stop him from chasing dream". Chicago Bears. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5600. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Bills reach midpoint winless after loss to Bears". CBSsports.com. CBS Interactive. 7 November 2010. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20101107_CHI@BUF/bills-reach-midpoint-winless-after-loss-to-bears.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Charity Foundation Site
- NFL Profile
- Chicago Bears Profile
- NFL's Israel wants to celebrate victory in Israel
- 1980 births
- Living people
- American football defensive ends
- American football defensive tackles
- Black Canadian players of American football
- Canadian expatriate American football people in the United States
- Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- Canadian players of American football
- Chicago Bears players
- Sportspeople from Manitoba
- Naturalized citizens of Canada
- Canadian people of Nigerian descent
- Nigerian expatriates in Germany
- Nigerian expatriates in the United States
- Nigerian emigrants to Canada
- Nigerian players of American football
- People from Brandon, Manitoba
- People from Lagos
- Manitoba Bisons football players
