Devin Aromashodu

Devin Aromashodu

Devin Aromashodu during the 2009 NFL season.
No. 19     Minnesota Vikings
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: May 23, 1984 (1984-05-23) (age 27)
Place of birth: Miami, Florida
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 201 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College: Auburn
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 7 / Pick: 233
Debuted in 2007 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
Miami Dolphins (2006)* Indianapolis Colts (2006)* Houston Texans (2007)* Indianapolis Colts (2007) Washington Redskins (2008)* Chicago Bears (2008–2010) Minnesota Vikings (2011–Present) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
None
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2011
Receptions	48
Receiving Yards	696
Touchdowns	5
Stats at NFL.com

Gbolahan Devin Aromashodu (born May 23, 1984) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft.^[1] He played college football at Auburn.^[2] Aromashodu has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears.

Early years

Aromashodu during his college years at Auburn.

Aromashodu was born and raised in Miami, Florida. His father, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria, was deeply fond of football, but was reluctant to let his son play. Aromashodu eventually convinced his father to let him join a youth football team, where he surprised his father by becoming one of the team's best players. Aromashodu attended Miami Springs High School, where he frequently played against future teammate Devin Hester.^[3]

Aromashodu expressed interest in attending North Carolina State, Auburn University, and Florida. After much deliberation, he choose to play for Auburn.^[4] Devin played a critical role in Auburn's offense during three of the four years he spent there, logging 71 catches for 1333 yards and 9 TD's in 51 games with the Tigers.^[5]

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

After being drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Aromashodu failed to make the team's opening day roster.

Indianapolis Colts

After being cut from the Dolphins, Aromashodu would begin his early career as a practice squad member for a number of NFL teams. A member of the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans's practice teams in 2007, Devin was signed to the active roster of the Colts on November 14, 2007. He would make appearances in six regular season games that season, amassing 96 yards on seven receptions.^[6]

Washington Redskins

He was later waived by the Colts on August 7, 2008 and soon thereafter signed to Washington Redskins practice squad.^[7]

Chicago Bears

After remaining on the inactive list during his first year with the Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler lobbied to the team's offensive coordinator, Ron Turner, to give Aromashodu playing time.^[8]

He caught his first pass as a Bear on November 12, 2009 against the San Francisco 49ers. Aromashodu began to play a larger role in the team's offense after wide receiver Devin Hester was sidelined with a calf injury. He caught his first NFL career touchdown from Cutler on December 13, against the Green Bay Packers. Aromashodu played an integral part in the Bears Monday Night Football upset victory over the Minnesota Vikings, catching seven passes for 150 yards, including the game winning touchdown in overtime.^[9] During the 2009 season finale, Aromashodu caught two touchdowns and amassed 46 yards on five receptions in a 37–23 win over the Detroit Lions.^[10] He finished the season with 24 catches, 298 yards, and four receiving touchdowns.^[11]

His remarkable finish sparked criticism of the Bears' front office regarding why it took until Week 14 for Aromashodu to see significant playing time. Former Bears Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner responded, "[Aromashodu] got hurt in the last preseason game. He hurt his hamstring, and he was out a couple weeks. When he came back, he wasn't back 100 percent. When he got back to the point that he was practicing at full speed and playing, we started to get him in the lineup. Could we have done it a couple weeks earlier? Possibly. But once he got healthy and started playing well in practice, we started getting him in the mix."^[12]

Minnesota Vikings

On July 26, 2011 Aromashodu and the Vikings came to agreement on a one year contract^[13].

References

1. ^ "2006 NFL Draft Tracker". NFL.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-04-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20060420203910/http://www.nfl.com/draft/drafttracker. Retrieved 2006-05-01. 
2. ^ "2005 Tigers (pp. 35-71)". 2005 Auburn Football Media Guide. Auburn University. 2005. http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/fbmg_players_072805.pdf. Retrieved 2006-05-01. 
3. ^ LeGere, Bob (2010-01-01). "Devin on Devin: Hester likes what he sees in Aromashodu". Daily Herald. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=348011. Retrieved 2010-01-02. 
4. ^ Hayes, Neil. "Aromashodu goes from small bawl to big time on 'MNF'". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/1968346,CST-SPT-bear01.article. Retrieved 2010-01-02. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2005-2006/histcarr.html#1
6. ^ http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=bio&player_id=442 Indianapolis Colts Bio and Statistics
7. ^ chicagobears.com, 19 Devin Aromashodu, Retrieved on 2009-12-29.
8. ^ Farrar, Doug (2010-01-02). "CoachWatch 2010: Black Monday Edition". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/CoachWatch-2010-Black-Monday-Edition;_ylt=AudMdCkYPUqHdU9uFHehoUlDubYF?urn=nfl,211471. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
9. ^ Seligman, Andrew (2009-12-29). "Cutler leads Bears over Vikings, 36–30 in OT". Associated Press (Yahoo! Sports). http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20091228003. Retrieved 2009-12-29. 
10. ^ Lage, Larry (2010-01-03). "Bears beat Lions 37-23 to finish disappointing 7-9". Associated Press (Yahoo! Sports). http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20100103008. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
11. ^ "Devin Aromashodu - Chicago Bears - NFL - Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo! Sports. 2010-01-03. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7982. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
12. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=4801586
13. ^ http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Vikings_agree_to_1year_deal_with_former_Bears_WR_Devin_Aromashodu072611

External links

• Auburn Tigers bio
• Chicago Bears bio
• Indianapolis Colts bio

Persondata
Name	Aromashodu, Devin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 23, 1984
Place of birth	Miami, Florida
Date of death
Place of death