Olympic genes and hard work
The story of how rookie Igbinoghene came to be a Dolphins’ 1st-round pick
His dad did 2,000 sit-ups and trained three times a day chasing his track dream around the world. His mom ran her lungs out chasing hers and made national history.
So when their oldest son was 10, his parents delivered a message.
“We’re not paying for college for you,” they told Noah Igbinoghene, the Miami Dolphins’ first-round draft pick.
They gave something more valuable, if used properly.
“He got our genes,” his father, Festus, said. “And he got our work ethic.”
Just for the moment, let’s not talk about who a rookie can be or how he fits this franchise’s future. Let’s talk about how he got here. Because if you see how Igbinoghene arrived to the Dolphins, you can see where he might go.
The genes he inherited helped his parents to international track stardom in their native Nigeria. Faith won a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in a sprint relay — the first Olympic medals in Nigerian history. Festus, who also competed in the Olympics, won a bronze in the long jump at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
As for the work ethic: