Sophomore wide receiver Nnamdi Gwacham is no stranger to adversity. At age nine the Nigerian native was packed off to boarding school for three years. Parents were restricted to one visit per month during the school year, and it was legal for teachers to strike their students. But at least they had more resources and were well-versed in more subjects than their counterparts in public education.

During the first week of practice for this season, Gwacham took a blow to the mid-section, which barely registered until he awakened in the middle of the night in horrible pain, the worst pain he has experienced in his entire life. By that afternoon the physician at the emergency room was showing him the cat scan with his lacerated liver.

Would the injury endanger his full-ride football scholarship to USU? After two days in the hospital and a week on pain medication, Gwacham gradually and carefully began exercising again, protecting his body from further blows, as his doctor advised. A month after the accident, he was back in action, filling in occasionally for the first-string wide receiver in the Homecoming game against Fresno State.
Gwacham says that adversity has been good for him. Unlike his American teammates, he takes nothing for granted. In Nigeria a college education is a privilege extended to the elite few. Friends five and 10 years older than he and just as gifted are still waitlisted for admission.

Gwacham’s parents emigrated to the United States in 1999 so their children could enjoy better opportunities. In high school in Chino Hills, California, Gwacham was named male scholar-athlete of the year his senior year. He had competed successfully in track and football. He didn’t start playing football until the summer between his sophomore and junior years. His cousin won a football scholarship to University of Nevada-Reno, and Gwacham set his sight on a similar course. He has five siblings, and the less money spent on his college education, the more available for the three siblings still at home. His father’s income from his import-export business isn’t enough to support everyone’s aspirations.

Gwacham is doing as well in his classes at USU as he did in high school. His first semester he took 18 hours, including the infamous Math 1050. No problem. Spring semester, when football can slide into the background, he’s going to take biology, chemistry and physics. He is contemplating chiropractice for a profession—the perfect blend of his two greatest interests, physical conditioning and medicine. “I’d like to see a doctor’s title before my name without having to spend a decade in school,” he says.

In August Gwacham became an American citizen. He had to miss a day of practice so he could fly home for the test and swearing-in ceremony. His parents wanted a longer visit. Surely this occasion was worthy of celebration. But Gwacham had made a commitment to the team, just like he did to his classwork, and those obligations came first.

He got to celebrate after the Homecoming game. The Aggies, 27-point underdogs after losing five consecutive games, fought to the bitter end, trailing until the final 55 seconds when a 30-yard touchdown pass snatched victory by one point. The fourth-quarter adversity that had dogged Gwacham and his teammates throughout September reversed itself in an 80-yard offensive drive that maintained its momentum even after the penalty that negated the first touchdown. Coach Brent Guy kept reminding his players at the sidelines, “We are all like one heartbeat,” and the high-fiving fingers after the winning pass seemed to wave as one. Then the victors hoisted their freshman quarterback to their shoulders.

A week later, they were on the road again, taking on the fierce and highly seasoned competition in the long-coveted WAC, Gwacham’s optimism undiminished by the unfavorable odds. Even if the team is dealt another string of losses, that won’t nullify the value of his experience. “Adversity makes you strong. That’s why corporations like to hire college athletes who have gone through bad times.” -Jane Koerner