Photo by: Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics
Bright Ugwoegbu: From Texas To Oregon State
November 09, 2017 | Football
Ugwoegbu came to Oregon State from Katy, Texas in the Houston area
By Rebecca Barrett
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Bright Ugwoegbu was 9-years-old when his dad first told him he was the man of the house.
It was 2005, and the family had just relocated to Houston from Nigeria, where his dad was a former diplomat and still helped run the family business.
Ugwoegbu was the oldest child, and his dad's instructions meant that he was supposed to listen to his mom and help keep his brother and sister in line. He made them breakfast and packed lunches in the morning, and he cleaned the whole house each week.
Nine years later, on a trip home to see family, father and son went out one night for another talk. Ugwoegbu was now an all-district football honoree and a top-100 Houston Chronicle prospect after his senior season at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. He had just signed to play football for Oregon State.
Ugwoegbu had been getting into trouble at school. He was butting heads with his mom at home. A father reminded his son about the important role he played in the family.
He scolded him for acting up, but also reminded him how much he was loved.
"He just wanted me to be the best man that I could be," Ugwoegbu said.
After that, they ate and cracked jokes. Before leaving, the conversation turned serious again.
"You are the man of the house," his dad said. "Do you have this family?"
"Yes sir. With my life," Ugwoegbu said.
It was the last time he saw his dad.
A week before graduation, Ugwoegbu woke up like on any other school day. He got dressed, ate breakfast. His mom had been on the phone.
"She was acting strange," Ugwoegbu said.
But he was in a hurry and didn't want to be late.
"I've got to go," he said as he left the house.
Later that day, he received a message to come straight home after school. When he arrived, cars belonging to his family members surrounded the house. It hit him as he stood in the driveway. He didn't want to go inside. He knew something terrible had happened to his dad.
"I didn't want it to be true," Ugwoegbu said.
Bright Ugwoegbu Sr. had been riding in a car with his brother when the vehicle came under attack by gunmen. It was an assignation attempt by political enemies who were targeting Bright Ugwoegbu's uncle, but the bullets hit his dad instead. He died before medical help arrived.
For Ugwoegbu, it felt like his life had stopped, too.
"Nothing made sense to me anymore," he said. "I basically went numb."
At graduation, the family did their best to make the day a celebration of his accomplishment. As he sat in front of the crowd, all Ugwoegbu wanted was for his dad to be there.
He heard his named being called, the name he shares with his dad. He choked back tears as he walked to the stage and received his diploma.
It should have been one of the happiest moments in his life.
All he could think was, how will I take care of my family?
His first thought was that he shouldn't leave for college.
"I was gonna stay at home and find a way to provide for them and protect them because they needed me," he said. "I promised my dad I would."
But his extended family came together. They convinced Ugwoegbu that the best way to keep his promise was to keep playing football so he could attend college. Â
"The opportunity I had here was the best thing I could've done for them," he said.
Leaving home was hard, but he found new brothers in his teammates at Oregon State. Ugwoegbu possesses the attributes of a college athlete – strength, quickness, physical toughness, competitiveness. But he's more than a prototypical linebacker. He played three sports in high school – football, basketball and track. He speaks three languages – English, German and Spanish. He plays three instruments – the drums, piano and guitar. When he answers questions, he uses terms of respect, like "Yes, ma'am." With friends, he sings and cracks jokes to stay positive and make the people around him laugh and feel at ease.
During the 2016 season, Ugwoegbu emerged as a defensive playmaker and seized a starting spot as outside linebacker. Then a serious injury to a ligament in his foot caused him to miss the final three games of the season. While he recovered from surgery, Ugwoegbu studied his position on film, and showed up to practice on a mobility scooter. He offered encouragement to the players who filled in for him.
The coaches have to watch the whole team, he explained. He could focus on just his position and help his teammates get better. He did it because he knew the confidence he could give them would be returned.
"We believe in each other," he said.
Ugwoegbu credits the team's strength and conditioning staff for helping him to make a full recovery after a second surgery in the spring. As the Beavers opened the 2017 season at Colorado State on Aug. 26, Hurricane Harvey was bearing down on his home state of Texas. The storm's unprecedented rainfall caused extensive flooding. The following day, water had reached the Ugwoegbu's home. Around midnight, it had filled the living room. In the tense hours that followed, Ugwoegbu wasn't able to reach his mom. He began to fear the worst. His teammates stayed with him to keep him calm.
"When you've already lost one parent, you can't imagine what goes through your head," Ugwoegbu said.
When he finally got through, he cried with relief, "Mom, it's you."
His mom, Grace, and brother, David, were rescued by canoe. They carried only the clothes and belongings that would fit on an air mattress when they were evacuated to a nearby elementary school.
Beavers football hosts a child at each home game for the Unitus Community Credit Union Dream Come True experience. For the Sept. 9 game against Minnesota, Hayden Shenk, of McMinnville, was picked. Hayden was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that affects children. As part of the game day experience, children get to choose a player to escort them on the Beaver Walk into Reser Stadium. The football coaches suggested Ugwoebu. When Hayden and her family heard about what he and his family were going through with Hurricane Harvey, they agreed.
Ugwoegbu, who is 6'2" and 225 pounds, walked side by side 9-year-old Hayden. A little girl fighting cancer and a young man doing his best to help his family made each other's troubles seem a little smaller that day. Ugwoegbu had four tackles in the game and a key fumble recovery that set up an Oregon State touchdown.
A few weeks later, during a bye week, Ugwoegbu returned home to help his family clean up from the storm. They had taken another hit, the linebacker said, but they would push to recover. Material things can be replaced. People cannot.
Ugwoegbu still thinks of his dad each day. In remembrance, he has several tattoos on his chest, arm and side.
"I dedicated a lot of time to design them myself," Ugwoegbu said. "I wake up every day and see them and he is brought to mind."
He does not know if the people responsible for the attack that killed his dad were ever caught. He is not sure he wants to know the outcome.
"He was trying to make a change in a society that was full of corruption," Ugwoegbu said. "He was trying to provide a safe environment for his family and others to live in for
generations to come."
These days, being the man of the house means getting his degree so that he can be successful in life. A junior, he is studying sociology and is on track to graduate after his final season in 2018.
School hasn't been easy, but he's improved his grades, earning a 3.0 for two semesters. He's trying to honor his dad and make his mom proud.
"They both preached that at the end of the day, that is what is really important," Ugwoegbu said. "I do my best to give my all on the field and in school."
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Bright Ugwoegbu was 9-years-old when his dad first told him he was the man of the house.
It was 2005, and the family had just relocated to Houston from Nigeria, where his dad was a former diplomat and still helped run the family business.
Ugwoegbu was the oldest child, and his dad's instructions meant that he was supposed to listen to his mom and help keep his brother and sister in line. He made them breakfast and packed lunches in the morning, and he cleaned the whole house each week.
Nine years later, on a trip home to see family, father and son went out one night for another talk. Ugwoegbu was now an all-district football honoree and a top-100 Houston Chronicle prospect after his senior season at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. He had just signed to play football for Oregon State.
Ugwoegbu had been getting into trouble at school. He was butting heads with his mom at home. A father reminded his son about the important role he played in the family.
He scolded him for acting up, but also reminded him how much he was loved.
"He just wanted me to be the best man that I could be," Ugwoegbu said.
After that, they ate and cracked jokes. Before leaving, the conversation turned serious again.
"You are the man of the house," his dad said. "Do you have this family?"
"Yes sir. With my life," Ugwoegbu said.
It was the last time he saw his dad.
A week before graduation, Ugwoegbu woke up like on any other school day. He got dressed, ate breakfast. His mom had been on the phone.
"She was acting strange," Ugwoegbu said.
But he was in a hurry and didn't want to be late.
"I've got to go," he said as he left the house.
Later that day, he received a message to come straight home after school. When he arrived, cars belonging to his family members surrounded the house. It hit him as he stood in the driveway. He didn't want to go inside. He knew something terrible had happened to his dad.
"I didn't want it to be true," Ugwoegbu said.
Bright Ugwoegbu Sr. had been riding in a car with his brother when the vehicle came under attack by gunmen. It was an assignation attempt by political enemies who were targeting Bright Ugwoegbu's uncle, but the bullets hit his dad instead. He died before medical help arrived.
For Ugwoegbu, it felt like his life had stopped, too.
"Nothing made sense to me anymore," he said. "I basically went numb."
At graduation, the family did their best to make the day a celebration of his accomplishment. As he sat in front of the crowd, all Ugwoegbu wanted was for his dad to be there.
He heard his named being called, the name he shares with his dad. He choked back tears as he walked to the stage and received his diploma.
It should have been one of the happiest moments in his life.
All he could think was, how will I take care of my family?
His first thought was that he shouldn't leave for college.
"I was gonna stay at home and find a way to provide for them and protect them because they needed me," he said. "I promised my dad I would."
But his extended family came together. They convinced Ugwoegbu that the best way to keep his promise was to keep playing football so he could attend college. Â
"The opportunity I had here was the best thing I could've done for them," he said.
Leaving home was hard, but he found new brothers in his teammates at Oregon State. Ugwoegbu possesses the attributes of a college athlete – strength, quickness, physical toughness, competitiveness. But he's more than a prototypical linebacker. He played three sports in high school – football, basketball and track. He speaks three languages – English, German and Spanish. He plays three instruments – the drums, piano and guitar. When he answers questions, he uses terms of respect, like "Yes, ma'am." With friends, he sings and cracks jokes to stay positive and make the people around him laugh and feel at ease.
During the 2016 season, Ugwoegbu emerged as a defensive playmaker and seized a starting spot as outside linebacker. Then a serious injury to a ligament in his foot caused him to miss the final three games of the season. While he recovered from surgery, Ugwoegbu studied his position on film, and showed up to practice on a mobility scooter. He offered encouragement to the players who filled in for him.
The coaches have to watch the whole team, he explained. He could focus on just his position and help his teammates get better. He did it because he knew the confidence he could give them would be returned.
"We believe in each other," he said.
Ugwoegbu credits the team's strength and conditioning staff for helping him to make a full recovery after a second surgery in the spring. As the Beavers opened the 2017 season at Colorado State on Aug. 26, Hurricane Harvey was bearing down on his home state of Texas. The storm's unprecedented rainfall caused extensive flooding. The following day, water had reached the Ugwoegbu's home. Around midnight, it had filled the living room. In the tense hours that followed, Ugwoegbu wasn't able to reach his mom. He began to fear the worst. His teammates stayed with him to keep him calm.
"When you've already lost one parent, you can't imagine what goes through your head," Ugwoegbu said.
When he finally got through, he cried with relief, "Mom, it's you."
His mom, Grace, and brother, David, were rescued by canoe. They carried only the clothes and belongings that would fit on an air mattress when they were evacuated to a nearby elementary school.
Beavers football hosts a child at each home game for the Unitus Community Credit Union Dream Come True experience. For the Sept. 9 game against Minnesota, Hayden Shenk, of McMinnville, was picked. Hayden was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that affects children. As part of the game day experience, children get to choose a player to escort them on the Beaver Walk into Reser Stadium. The football coaches suggested Ugwoebu. When Hayden and her family heard about what he and his family were going through with Hurricane Harvey, they agreed.
Ugwoegbu, who is 6'2" and 225 pounds, walked side by side 9-year-old Hayden. A little girl fighting cancer and a young man doing his best to help his family made each other's troubles seem a little smaller that day. Ugwoegbu had four tackles in the game and a key fumble recovery that set up an Oregon State touchdown.
A few weeks later, during a bye week, Ugwoegbu returned home to help his family clean up from the storm. They had taken another hit, the linebacker said, but they would push to recover. Material things can be replaced. People cannot.
Ugwoegbu still thinks of his dad each day. In remembrance, he has several tattoos on his chest, arm and side.
"I dedicated a lot of time to design them myself," Ugwoegbu said. "I wake up every day and see them and he is brought to mind."
He does not know if the people responsible for the attack that killed his dad were ever caught. He is not sure he wants to know the outcome.
"He was trying to make a change in a society that was full of corruption," Ugwoegbu said. "He was trying to provide a safe environment for his family and others to live in for
generations to come."
These days, being the man of the house means getting his degree so that he can be successful in life. A junior, he is studying sociology and is on track to graduate after his final season in 2018.
School hasn't been easy, but he's improved his grades, earning a 3.0 for two semesters. He's trying to honor his dad and make his mom proud.
"They both preached that at the end of the day, that is what is really important," Ugwoegbu said. "I do my best to give my all on the field and in school."
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