Impact of a Scholarship: Eric & Vicky Ogbogu

Eric Ogbogu’s path to becoming a scholarship Maryland football player was steered by his family’s ties to the Terrapins. 

Ogbogu’s sister, Vicky, was a standout student-athlete on the track and field team and their older brother, Ben, was previously a student at the University of Maryland.

Ogbogu visited Vicky at Maryland well before he was being recruited for football, as he would take a Greyhound or Peter Pan bus down from Westchester, New York, to College Park.

“I just felt like there was probably no place like Maryland in the world,” Eric said, “It was just a great experience to see that at such a young age and then go through four years of high school while being connected to my sister on campus.”

Ogbogu grew up in a home in Irvington, New York, just north of New York City, with seven siblings and his two parents, but both he and Vicky always enjoyed having that many brothers and sisters around.

“It was interesting growing up in a house with that many kids and your parents, but having your brothers and sisters around, whether it’s to play with, push you, or even beat you up at times that was always part of the process,” Eric said.

Vicky got her first glimpse at what a team was really like in her childhood home.

“I think fundamentally from a team perspective, that’s sort of my first introduction to a team is through my family,” Vicky said. “Chaos in the house, five boys and three girls and my dad was an athlete himself, so in terms of instilling athleticism in us, pushing us to do our best and do better than him whether it was athletically or academically, that influence from my dad was always there.”

Eric went on to accept an athletic scholarship from the University of Maryland to play football, a sport that he did not even start playing until his freshman year at Archbishop Stepinac High School because he suffered from Blount’s disease as a child.

“I kind of always wanted to play football, but I never really got the chance to play football until I got older,” Eric said. “The Blount’s disease made me have surgery on my legs so I wasn’t really allowed to play contact sports.”

During his freshman year in College Park in 1994, he played in five games as a tight end. As a sophomore, he almost dropped out of school after his father was tragically killed in Nigeria, but his family convinced him to continue with his career. 

He moved to defensive end in 1995 and recorded 45 tackles, leading the team with six sacks. He had 64 tackles and led the team with seven sacks as a junior. As a senior, despite being limited with a sprained ankle, catching the eye of NFL scouts by recording 43 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

He finished his career as the Terp with the fifth-most sacks in school history (18.5) en route to the NFL. Eric was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by his hometown New York Jets.

“Being able to do well enough from an athletic standpoint at Maryland, to go to the NFL Combine, get drafted, and play in the NFL was huge,” Eric said.

Eric recalled several benefits that his scholarship gave him, beyond just playing football in the Atlantic Coast Conference and getting a chance at the NFL. He studied business at Maryland, which has now become a significant aspect of his life, especially after his NFL career.

“The benefits of being on scholarship are endless,” Eric said. “I got the opportunity to get a great education. I majored in business, and I was part of the Robert E. Smith Business School, one of the best in the country. It allowed me to find myself from an academic standpoint and what I wanted to get into, which was marketing and advertising. It really put me in a good position to get me to where I am working now at Under Armour.

“From an academic and sports perspective, going to Maryland was one of the best things for me to put my mind in this place for later after school.”

Although Vicky was not on an athletic scholarship, Maryland Athletics also gave her the opportunities she needed for the rest of her life.

“I think from an athletic perspective, being at the University of Maryland, and really balancing being a student and being an athlete, all of that sort of teaches you and prepares you for life and sort of this reality of how do I balance work and being a mom,” she said. “I think the other big driver is that you're surrounded by people who are also committed to success and they really push you towards success … There are tremendous benefits and I can’t point to one thing, but all of it has collectively helped thrust me to where I am today.”

Having Vicky nearby in Maryland after she graduated helped Eric while he was in school. Whenever he needed a meal or someone to lean on, he would go to his older sister.

“I always had somewhere I could go for some food, somebody to lend me money, somewhere to get laundry done, and I always had somebody around, which I felt like from a family atmosphere and perspective, it was pretty cool,” Eric said.

Vicky always felt like she was a sense of reassurance for Eric whenever he needed her, and being so close by, to this day, has helped them in their relationship as siblings.

“I had to look out for him,” she said. “Being here as his older sister, just being able to watch out for him, I think there was a comfort to my mom and knowing that I was here and that we were close by. Just being able to look out for him, to share in the successes, to encourage him, to introduce him to people, and really the ability to see him and connect with him at any time… I think that was important.”

Eric went on to play 90 games during his seven-year NFL career, playing for the Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. Even while he was still suiting up in the NFL, he went on to be one of the foremost marketers for Under Armour, founded by his former Maryland teammate Kevin Plank.

Eric’s career with Under Armour began as a favor for Plank when he was in the NFL. Plank sent him Under Armour products that Eric would wear and try to get other guys around the league to try. Plank eventually asked him to take some pictures and videos in the clothing products to help market them.

“That’s how it started,” said Eric, who has worked for Under Armour since 2007. “One favor led to another, and the next thing you know, we were shooting a video that he was using for buyers, just kind of depicting what Under Armour was about for athletes, team sports, and making athletes better. I remember going through the video, and we turned it into a commercial.”

Eric’s connection to his former teammate opened up this new world for him during football and later on as well. He believed in Plank’s products, focusing on spreading the Under Armour brand and getting to test out the items. 

“It was just something that was better than everything that they had out there, and it was just hopefully trying to help get the word out,” he said.

Eric pointed back to the fact that the connections at Maryland have helped him after graduation and that was one of the major benefits he received from his scholarship.

“You never really know who you meet,” he said. “I would have never thought about it back then that the walk-on Kevin Plank, a really cool guy who got along with everyone, would turn into a multi-billionaire, CEO, and founder of Under Armour. The ability to meet different people and the engagement was huge. The relationship with Kevin as a teammate made it easier to be transitioned into this opportunity to try to help drive and grow Under Armour.”

The sense of pride that Eric felt to have had the opportunity to play with Plank and then test his products, later on, is immeasurable. Today, he is a Director at Under Armour and has been there for over a decade after his NFL stint. 

He points to his scholarship as the reason for much of his life after college.

“Without an opportunity, you don’t have a chance to get there and without an opportunity to get a scholarship to Maryland, maybe my experience would have been different,” Eric said. “It’s great that we have donors that support the school and athletics in helping to give kids an opportunity to further their athletic careers and an opportunity to get a great education. Every kid needs an opportunity to continue to shape and mold their life and my time at Maryland did just that.”