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Obafemi Devin and Oladele Brendon Ayanbadejo are Irish-Nigerian brothers who have made names for themselves playing NFL football .  Obafemi, or “Femi”, has chosen to be known by his Nigerian name and Brendon is known by his Irish name.  Older than his brother by eighteen months, “Femi” plays running back for the Arizona Cardinals and younger brother Brendon is a linebacker for the Chicago Bears.  Both brothers were undrafted free agents when they finally were picked up by NFL coaches with an eye for talent.  The brothers were given a brief opportunity to be teammates for the Miami Dolphins in 2003 but since that has changed they have been faced off against one another in their NFL careers three times.  Femi and Brendon say that it is not a big deal for them because once the time starts running on the board their eye is on the prize of winning the game.

There are over 300 sets of brothers who have played football in the NFL.  Now there is an interesting topic for the nature vs. nurture debaters.  It leaves one considering just what a little athletic skill and a committed love for the game can do in the heart of a small boy as he’s growing into a man.  There is even one pair brothers who made newspaper headlines back in 2005 as NFL officiates.  Mike and Don Carey became the first brothers to referee an NFL game together.  Seven pairs of brothers have had the chance to play together as teammates in the NFL Pro Bowl game that is held in Hawaii every year.  Tiki and Ronde Barber are the only set of twins to have had that honor.  The thought of brothers being given the chance to play one of the most fiercely competitive sports jointly is genuinely an awesome opportunity to families whose lives are tied up with athletics.

Tiki and Ronde Barber, one of the three hundred or so pairs of football players who are brothers, are special in that they are twins who have had the opportunity to face one another in games in the past.  Ronde plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tiki is a teammate to Eli Manning with the New York Giants.  When in college, college bowl games used to be the Barber brothers motivation, but they have graduated to bigger and better things.  In February of 2005 the brothers got the opportunity to be on the same team at the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  Tiki is retiring after this season and has plans to move into a career in broadcasting.  Ronde has recently signed a five year contract extension and says he plans to keep on to play pro football for leastwise the foreseeable future.  The Barber brothers will both be in the public eye for several years to come.

Brendan Ayanbadejo is quite an example of determination.  Even with all of his talent, he was forgotten by college football recruiters after high school and then by the NFL after college.  So he kept on giving it his all.  Three NFL football teams cut him and so he played for the Canadian League, the European League, and now finally has some recognition and stability with the Chicago Bears after being traded by the Dolphins in 2005.  The Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl both made for an exciting year for Brendan and his brother Femi is rooting for him the whole way.  Big brother Femi was recognized and picked up by an NFL team more rapidly than Brendan but is as thrilled for his brother as if it were happening for him.  And in a way it is when you are as close to your brother and these two are.  Now Femi is playing for the Cardinals but that doesn’t seem to make any difference to these two.  Your success is my success seems to be the catch phrase that these two brothers live by. 

Eli and Peyton Manning faced off in the only NFL game to feature two brothers as starting quarterbacks on opposite teams.  And of course, drawing from their family heritage and the fact that they both are quarterbacks, there have been tons of comparisons made between the two.  Both brothers have built reputations for themselves on their college football teams and behave themselves well on the field and off the field and are well thought of by all.  Even Though Peyton is older and certainly more mature in his game, Eli is well known for his 4^th quarter grit and stamina to the end.  Peyton has been well known for his leadership and star quality for a while now but Eli is also coming into his own in this area.  The Manning brothers are classy that many pro football players could learn from.

Tiki Barber has had somewhat of a challenge to make his way in the world of football.  Although college football recruiting were aware of his talent, after playing NCAA football for the University of Virginia, he was at first told that he was too small to make a splash in the NFL.  Though he is only five foot ten inches, in Tiki’s ninth season with the NFL he was the leader for total yards gained.  He has won his case to the world that ability, hard work, and grit have more to do with the outcome than stature does.  Twins, Tiki and Ronde were born too early and were small and weak.  This proved to only feed the brothers’ resolve to make it to the pros and now has supplied material for their newest venture jointly.  The Barber brothers have co-authored several children’s books that focus on encouraging kids to work for their aspirations and reach for the stars. 

Peyton and Eli Manning have one advantage over other brother duos in the NFL.  Their father, Archie Manning, was a football virtuoso in his own right and obviously handed down his athletic talent and respect for the game to his sons.  Archie was nominated for the Heisman Trophy twice and became the 1971 second pick overall in the NFL draft .  Archie is still revered at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi, despite a less than fantastic career in the NFL.  The speed limit on campus is still eighteen miles per hour in honor of Archie, whose jersey number was eighteen.  He had what it took to be a leader and star footballer and evidently what it took to raise sons in their father’s footsteps.