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 41) 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 amazing American athlete who played volleyball at the highest level. She was a key player on the U.S. National and Olympic teams. After her incredible sports career, she became a doctor!

In 2004, Ogonna won the Honda-Broderick Cup. This award goes to the best female college athlete in the entire country across all sports. Many people think she is one of the greatest players in Stanford University's history. She scored an amazing 2,450 kills during her time there. Because of her achievements, she was added to the Stanford Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ogonna played in two Olympic Games, in 2004 and 2008. In 2004, she made the U.S. Olympic team while still in college, which was a rare achievement. At the 2008 Olympics, her team won a silver medal in indoor volleyball. She also led Stanford University to three national championship matches, winning the title in 2001 and 2004. In her professional career, she helped her teams win national league titles in Switzerland (2007) and the Czech Republic (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. She helped her high school volleyball team win two state championships in a row, in 1999 and 2000.

Ogonna has a younger sister named Nji, who also played volleyball at Stanford University. She also has two younger brothers, Nnaemeka and Ikechi. Nnaemeka was a track and field athlete, competing in long and triple jump. Ikechi was a high jump champion in high school and competed in college. Ogonna's parents speak the Igbo language. Her last name, Nnamani, means "one who knows the land" in Igbo.

Ogonna was a top high school athlete. Almost every major university in the U.S. wanted her to play for them. She also 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 to get a good education. Her father was a professor and director at Illinois State University. Her mother is an artist and a teacher.

Life After Volleyball

On August 25, 2012, Ogonna married Mike Silva, who played football at Stanford. Mike also has advanced degrees in engineering and business. He now works as a venture capitalist.

Ogonna went on to earn her medical degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine in 2020. She was a special scholar there and graduated with high honors. She and Mike have a daughter named Anya. They lived in San Francisco for ten years. Now, they live in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Ogonna is currently training to become a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Harvard Medical School. She is also known for being a great speaker. She gives motivational speeches for big organizations like Nike and Gatorade.

College Volleyball Career at Stanford

Ogonna Nnamani had an amazing career playing volleyball at Stanford University. She helped her team win two national championships.

Freshman Year (2001)

As a freshman, Ogonna helped Stanford win the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. She played incredibly well in the championship match, scoring 19 kills. She was named the Freshman of the Year by several groups, including Pac-10 and AVCA.

Sophomore Year (2002)

In her second year, Ogonna continued to shine. She was named an AVCA All-American. She helped Stanford reach the NCAA championship final again, where they finished as runner-up. She averaged 4.10 kills per game that season.

Junior Year (2003)

Ogonna was named a First Team All-American. She set a new Stanford record for kills in a single season with 627. She was also named the MVP of a major tournament.

Senior Year (2004)

In her senior year, Ogonna led Stanford to another unexpected NCAA championship win. Stanford was not expected to win, but Ogonna set a new NCAA tournament record for kills. She was named the AVCA National co-Player of the Year. She also won the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation's top female college athlete. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology.

International and Olympic Volleyball Career

Ogonna Nnamani is a 6-foot-1-inch (186 cm) outside hitter. She joined the U.S. national team in 2002. She played in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. She was one of the youngest players on both Olympic teams.

In 2005, Ogonna became well-known for a quote about teamwork. 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 showed how much she valued teamwork.

Ogonna started her professional career playing in Puerto Rico for the Pinkin club. She helped them reach the national league finals for the first time in many years.

After playing in Italy, Ogonna joined Voléro Zürich in Switzerland in 2007. She helped her team win the Swiss Cup Final and the Championship League. Later, she returned to Italy to play for Asystel Novara. Her team won a bronze medal in the European Championship. In 2008, fans voted her to play in an "All-Star" game against the Italian National Team.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Ogonna played in different attacking positions. She had a great game against Poland, scoring 17 points to help her team win. The United States team won a silver medal at these Olympics. This was the first time the U.S. women's volleyball team reached the gold medal match since 1984.

For the 2008–09 season, Ogonna played for Galatasaray, a famous Turkish volleyball club. She was the top scorer for her team. She led Galatasaray to a big upset win in the playoffs. She scored 322 points during the regular season, making her one of the top scorers in the Turkish Professional League.

Awards and Honors

Ogonna Nnamani received many awards during her college career:

• Four-time AVCA All-American (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
• Four-time First Team All-Pac-10 (2001–04)
• Three-time NCAA final four all-tournament team (2001, 2002, 2004)
• 2004 – Honda-Broderick Cup winner (best female college athlete)
• 2004 – Honda Sports Award volleyball winner
• 2004 – NCAA Top Eight Award
• 2004 – NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship Most Outstanding Player
• 2004 – AVCA National co-Player of the Year
• 2001 – ASICS/Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year
• 2001 – Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
• 2001 – AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year