Howard University Bison.
1974 US National Collegiate champions.
Back row : Tunde Balogun, 3rd from left. Yomi Bamiro, 6th from left. Kenneth Ilodigwe, 5th from right.
Front row : Dominic Ezeani, 4th from left. Muyiwa Sanya, centre, Sunday Izevbigie, 4th from right.
This was in the early exodus of Nigerian soccer players to US on athletic scholarship.
Dominic Ezeani and Kenneth Ilodigwe left Rangers FC at the peak of their soccer career.
The same faith befell my team from University of San Francisco. Our championship in 1978 was retracted for rules violations. The University smartly fought the allegation for years and ultimately succeeded in being reinstated as the legitimate champion.
In the ‘70s, these types of accusations were very common. They are typically made against schools that fielded a cadre of black players and Howard and USF fell into that category.
It is on record that the crop of Nigeria players that moved to the US in the ‘70s contributed immensely to the growth of the sports here in the US.
Yes the likes of Ezeani, Kendo Ilodigwe and Miwa were trailblazers. They opened the door for others. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Bravo!
Fidelis Atuegbu
I wish we can hear from Sonnie Izevbigie; he has an interesting take on this kafkasque.
I'm a Bison, but didn't carry my sports talent to Howard University at an old age 😅
Nonetheless, there are menacing and recurring complexities associated with collegiate transfers...
... I bet you, if those transfers were from Birmingham England, with the same 'O' and 'A' level credentials, there wouldn't be any raised eyebrows 😳🙄
Be reminded that this is against the background of a society that judged the exploits of that squad on the color of their skin, rather than the quality of their play!
I remain a Bison, and understand that sports and politics are inexplicably tied😅😍
Oritseolomor J. Osibor
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