Adewale Ogunleye
Adewale Ogunleye was the Pirates' talented team leader on defense and Team Captain who led the Pirates to the Staten Island PSAL Championship in 1994. Ogunleye was a Staten Island Advance All Star and Fugazzi Bowl participant in his Senior year. A Coach's player, Ogunleye was Coach Jim Munson's first Pirate alum to play NCAA Division I football. After his Tottenville High School graduation in '95, Ogunleye attended Indiana University on a full athletic scholarship. Redshirted as a freshman, Ogunleye was able to focus on his academic studies, the practice fields & weight room. The redshirt year paid off! Academically, in 1999 Ogunleye received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in only 3 1/2 years. Athletically, Ogunleye went on to become a 4-year starter at DE and Team Captain. From 1996-1999, the Pirate Alum recorded 34.5 sacks and 64 tackles, both all time IU football records. His college career sacks rank 6th and TFL's rank 7th in the Big Ten Conference's all time record books. Ogunleye was a 3 time All-Big Ten selection. In 1999, he was named to the prestigious Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. Ogunleye was recognized as a preseason All-American by numerous publications including Playboy Magazine. Mel Kiper Jr, a well-respected draft guru, rated Ogunleye as the #1 NFL draft prospect prior to his senior year at IU. However, fate bit Ogunkleye during his senior season, suffering a season ending left knee ACL injury.
The injury resulted in Ogunleye going undrafted in the 2000 NFL draft. Undeterred, Ogunleye signed as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphinss and spent the 2000 season on the Dolphins IR. In the 2001 NFL preseason, Ogunleye led the Doplphins in sacks and earned a spot on the Dolphins' 53-man roster. During the 2003-2004 NFL season, Ogunleye led the AFC with 15 sacks and was voted a Starter in the 2004 NFL Pro Bowl, as well as being awarded the Dan Marino Most Valuable Player of the year by the Miami Dolphins.
In 2004, Ogunleye continued his professional career with the Chicago Bears after signing a record-breaking 6 year contract. During the next 6 seasons, Ogunleye became a mainstay on the Bears top ranked defense, During the 2005 NFL season, Ogunleye spearheaded the Bears' defensive line by recording ten sacks. For the 2006 season, Ogunleye was named Team Captain and helped the Bears reach Super Bowl XLI in Miami. After the 2011 season, Ogunleye ended his professional playing career. He finished with NFL seasons under his belt and career totals of 389 tackles, 67.5 sacks, 17 forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries, 2 safeties and 1 interception,.
Throughout his professionally playing carerr and at present, Ogunleye contributes his volunteer time and financially to serveral charities that have a global impact. His current project is Goal Power which aspires to improve inner city high school academics. He has been a major supporter of Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Club, Read America and C.A.R.E. Africa. Ogunleyye is currently attending the George Washington University in Washington DC in pursuit of his Masters of Business Adminstration degree in July 2014. He lives in Pembroke Pines, FL and maintains close ties to his Staten Island and Tottenville roots.