Uchechukwu Nwaneri obit

Former Purdue, NFL player dies in West Lafayette home

 

 He was not on the list.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana — Former Purdue football offensive guard and former NFL player Uchechukwu Nwaneri died Friday in the West Lafayette home of his wife, according to West Lafayette police and Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello.

Nwaneri drove up from Georgia, police said, and he was at his wife's West Lafayette's house in the 2600 block of Willow Drive when he apparently collapsed, Costello said.

Nwaneri's wife found him unresponsive in a bedroom in her house about 1 a.m. Friday and called 911, Costello said.

An autopsy performed Monday indicated there were no signs of foul play, Costello said.

Preliminary results indicate a possible heart attack, pending toxicology results, Costello said.

A September 2006 Journal & Courier report written by now retired sports report and columnist Tom Kubat indicated Nwaneri started his final season as a offensive guard.

Nwaneri's parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 1973. His first name means "God's wish," according to Kubat's September 2006 report.

Nwaneri's time on the Purdue gridiron was marred by a July 14, 2005, fight during practice with teammate Ryan Noblet.

During the fight, Nwaneri threw a punch that broke Noblet's jaw.

Nwaneri, who claimed he was defending himself, was suspended from Purdue for the 2005 fall semester, according to Kubat's reports in the J&C.

Then Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Jerry Bean said he would not charge Nwaneri because of conflicting statements given to investigators, according to a Jan. 6, 2006, J&C report. Bean said he could not determine if Noblet and Nwaneri were mutual combatants or whether Nwaneri was defending himself.

The J&C reached Noblet, who said, "I am sorry to hear of his passing."

Nwaneri returned for the spring semester, and returned to the team in 2006 for his final season as a Boilermaker.

Several of Nwaneri's teammates offered insight into his time at Purdue and beyond.

“When you spend hours and hours together, you develop a bond that sticks with you through the years," said Brian Wang, Nwaneri's teammate between 2002 and 2004.

“Uche loved to make people laugh, loved to learn and was always looking ahead at what was next. A successful entrepreneur after football," Wang said.

"My brother, Uche, was a great soul to be around," said former Purdue teammate Josh Ferguson. "He kept us smiling with a high spirit that was full of energy.

"In light of his recent death, I want to make clear that his presence had a positive impact on everyone he came across," Ferguson wrote in a prepared comment.

We all had our moments in life that we had to learn from," Ferguson wrote. "One incident as a young adult doesn't change who he was to many. Uche was loved by everyone! A man of his character will surely be missed."

Chase Lecklider, a wide receiver on the Boilermakers' squad between 2002 and 2006, said "Uche was a great teammate.

"We all had our moments, Uche was no different, but he was just a great teammate and friend. He made us laugh for five seasons together," Lecklider said.

Nwaneri was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007, and he played seven seasons with the Jaguars, according to pro-football-reference.com.

"His career in the NFL was fitting reward for how good he was," Lecklider said. "The news of his passing hit hard. He's too young. My thoughts are with his family and I'll remember him well."

Nwaneri saw limited action as a rookie during the Jaguars' 2007 playoff run, playing in 9 games with 1 start. The next season, he was elevated to starter after an injury to starting guard Vince Manuwai. In all, he appeared in 15 games during the 2008 season, starting 15 of them. He allowed 4.5 sacks during the season.

In 2009, Nwaneri and fellow guard Maurice Williams competed for the starting guard position opposite the returning Vince Manuwai. Nwaneri won the job; Williams was deactivated for much of the season before being released on December 5, 2009. Nwaneri appeared in all 16 games, starting 13 of them. He was only credited with allowing one-half of a sack. Nwaneri was also not penalized during the 2009 season.