Ogonna Nnamani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ogonna Nnamani
Nnamani in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Ogonna Nneka Nnamani
Nationality	American
Born	(1983-07-29) July 29, 1983 (age 42) Bloomington, Illinois, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
College(s)	Stanford
Volleyball information
Position	Outside hitter
Current club	USA Women's National Volleyball Team
Number	1
Career
Years Teams 2006 2006 2007 2007–08 2008–09 2009–2010 Pinkin de Corozal Rebecchi Piacenza Voléro Zürich Asystel Novara Galatasaray VK Prostějov Voléro Zürich Asystel Novara Galatasaray VK Prostějov
National team
2002–2011 United States
Medal record Women's volleyball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing Team World Cup Bronze 2007 Japan Team World Grand Prix Gold 2010 Ningbo Team Bronze 2004 Reggio Calabria Team Montreux Volley Masters Silver 2004 Montreux Silver 2010 Montreux Pan American Games Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Team Pan American Cup Silver 2004 Mexicali & Tijuana Bronze 2010 Rosarito & Tijuana NORCECA Championship Silver 2007 Winnipeg

Ogonna Nneka Nnamani (born July 29, 1983) is an American physician and a retired indoor volleyball player. She was a key member of the U.S. National and Olympic teams. In 2004, she won the Honda-Broderick Cup. This award goes to the top female college athlete in all NCAA sports. Many consider her one of the best players in Stanford University's history. She made 2,450 kills during her college career. In 2015, she was inducted into the Stanford Hall of Fame.

Nnamani played in two Olympic Games, in 2004 and 2008. In 2004, she was only the second woman to join the U.S. national team for the Olympics while still in college. At the 2008 Olympics, her team reached the finals. They earned a silver medal in indoor volleyball. She led Stanford University to three NCAA championship matches. They won the national title in 2001 and 2004. She also helped her professional teams win national league titles. These include the Swiss Volleyball League in 2007 and the Czech Extraliga in 2010.

Early Life and Family

Ogonna Nnamani was born in Bloomington, Illinois. She went to University High School in Normal, Illinois. There, she played both volleyball and basketball. Her high school volleyball team won state championships in 1999 and 2000.

Ogonna has a younger sister, Nji. Nji also played volleyball at Stanford University. She is married to professional track athlete Russell Wolf Brown. Ogonna also has two younger brothers, Nnaemeka and Ikechi Nnamani. Nnaemeka competed in track and field at Illinois State University. Ikechi was a high jump champion in 2009. He competed at Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania. Ogonna's parents speak the Igbo language.

Nnamani was a top high school recruit. Universities from 49 U.S. states wanted her to play for them. She won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award in her senior year.

Her parents, Uzo and Chika Nnamani, came to the United States from Nigeria. They wanted better education opportunities. Both of them are alumni of Illinois State University. Her father, Chika Nnamani, teaches Politics and Government. He was also a director at Illinois State University. Her mother, Uzo, is an artist and a teacher. Ogonna's last name means one who knows the land in the Igbo language.

In 2009, Nnamani signed a contract to play with VK Prostějov. This was for her 2010 professional season. She also signed a contract extension with Nike that same year.

On August 25, 2012, she married Mike Silva. He was a former Stanford football player. Mike Silva studied Economics and Engineering at Stanford. He also earned a master's degree in business. He works as a venture capitalist. Ogonna Nnamani earned her medical degree in 2020. She studied at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. She was a Regent Scholar and graduated with honors. Mike and Ogonna have a daughter named Anya. They lived in San Francisco for 10 years. Now, they live in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Ogonna is training to be a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Harvard Medical School. She is also a motivational speaker for groups like Nike and Gatorade.

College Volleyball Career at Stanford

Freshman Year (2001)

As a freshman at Stanford, Ogonna helped her team win an NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. She was named to the NCAA Final Four all-tournament team. She had 19 kills in the championship match against undefeated Long Beach State. She was also named Freshman of the Year by Pac-10, Volleyball Magazine, and AVCA.

Sophomore Year (2002)

In her second year, she was named an AVCA second team All-American. She helped Stanford reach the NCAA runner-up spot. They lost to USC in the final. She averaged 4.10 kills per game.

Junior Year (2003)

Nnamani was named a First Team All-American. She was also nominated for the Honda Sports Award for volleyball. She set a new Stanford record with 627 kills in one season. She was named the MVP at the University Park Holiday Inn Classic tournament.

Senior Year (2004)

As a senior, Nnamani led Stanford to another NCAA championship. This win was a surprise because Stanford was not expected to win. They were the 11th seed in the tournament. Nnamani set an NCAA tournament record for kills. They beat Minnesota in the final. She was named the AVCA National co-Player of the Year. She also won the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Academic All-American of the Year award. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology.

International and Olympic Volleyball

Nnamani is a 6-foot-1-inch outside hitter. She joined the U.S. national team in 2002. She played in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. She was the youngest player on the 2004 Olympic Team. She was the second youngest on the 2008 Olympic Team.

In 2005, Nnamani was interviewed by USA Today. She said, "I know you can run a 100-yard dash by yourself or throw a really good pitch on your own. But in volleyball you rely on your team for every skill you perform." This quote became very popular.

Nnamani started her professional career in Puerto Rico. She played for the Pinkin club of Corozal. She helped the Pinkin team reach the national league finals in 2006. They finished second.

After playing in Italy, Nnamani joined Voléro Zürich in Switzerland in 2007. She played with fellow USA Olympian Robyn Ah Mow-Santos. She helped Voléro Zürich win the Swiss Cup Final and the Championship League. They also placed fourth in the European Championship.

After playing in the World Cup in Japan, Nnamani returned to Italy. She joined Asystel Novara with fellow USA Olympian Lindsey Berg. Novara won the bronze medal in the European Championship. In January 2008, fans voted her to play in an "All-Star" game.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Nnamani played both outside hitter and opposite positions. She scored 17 points in a win against Poland. The United States team won a silver medal. They lost to Brazil in the final. This was the first time the U.S. team reached the gold medal match since 1984.

For the 2008–09 season, Nnamani played for Galatasaray. This is a Turkish volleyball club. Nnamani was the top scorer for her team. She helped Galatasaray upset the top-seeded team in the quarterfinals. She scored 322 points during the regular season. This placed her fourth among all players in the Turkish Professional League.

Awards and Honors