Former Kenyan rugby star set for American football debut
Daniel Adongo goes from Super 15 to being a linebacker with the Indianapolis Colts
Former Kenyan rugby star Daniel Adongo is about to play his first American football game when Indianapolis face Cincinnati on Sunday in a showdown of division leaders.
Adongo has figured out the lingo and nuances of the sport, learned the proper way to put on pads and a helmet, and knows his place in the Colts’ locker room. There’s still more work to do, but the newly minted linebacker will get to show how far he’s come in four months.
“I’m excited,” Adongo said after being promoted from Indy’s practice squad to the active roster. “As I said before and I’ll reiterate it, my excitement is being subdued by the fact I have a task, an obligation and a duty to perform what’s being asked from me for the coaches and my teammates.”
It was late July when general manager Ryan Grigson decided to take the plunge after a year-long quest to find an overseas player who could help his team. Grigson gambled on Adongo, a Kenyan native and top rugby player who was big, fast and had a penchant for hitting.
The guy is a smart guy. We know from a physical standpoint he’s very, very athletic. He can run. He’s big. He’s strong
Adongo began his rugby career playing for the Kenya Harlequins junior team. Eventually, he wound up on the country’s under-18 and under-19 rugby squads. In 2006, scouts from the University of South Africa spotted Adongo during a tournament and a year later, he was attending the school. Then it was off to the prestigious Sharks Academy, and last year he competed in the Varsity Cup for the University of Pretoria.
This year, he was playing for the Southern Kings in Super 15 Rugby when the Colts got in touch.