Ebenezer Ekuban

He moved from Ghana to the United States when he was 7. Ebenezer Ekuban didn’t know anything about football and had no aspirations of playing the game because he was focused on academics. When his father told him he needed to do something outside of school, Ebenezer decided to try football his junior year of high school. He became a quick learner on both sides of the ball, playing tight end and defensive end and after just two years of high school ball, he turned some heads and had a number of offers to play in college.

He opted for the University of North Carolina where he played tight end sparingly for two years, then was switched to defensive end and thrived. So much so, the Dallas Cowboys moved up to draft him in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. At that point, Ebenezer became the first Ghana born player in the NFL.

Injuries crept in during his 5 years in Dallas and he dealt with three different head coaches, including Bill Parcells. It didn’t take long for Eb to realize he wasn’t a “Parcells Guy.” He signed with the Browns as a free agent and then the next season was traded to the Broncos where he fell in love with Denver. After 10 years in the NFL, Ebenezer and his wife Karen made their home in the Mile High City where they are raising four children.