| Buckeye Football Ohio State football, moderated. Consider this the general community forum, but with a theme. Completely off-topic chatter should start at, or move to, the Open Discussion forum. |
04-25-2008, 07:24 PM
|
 |
Assistant Coach
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,734
Points: 416,608.78
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 416,608.78
|
|
Quote:
Palestinian Buckeye brings passion to gridiron
By Nick Meyer - The Arab American News
Friday, 04.25.2008
DEARBORN ? In the world of sports, a little motivation and determination often go a long way. With that in mind, it's easy to understand why Nader Abdallah has been such a success on the Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
After all, there might not be another football player in the country who has more fan support than Abdallah, who became a pioneer the first time he walked onto the football field as the only 100% Palestinian player to ever play Division-I college football.
As if the drive to represent his culture wasn't strong enough, Abdallah also plays for his family, not just those who root for him and watch every game he plays, but also for his two deceased brothers, who he lost at two separate points in his life.
The first brother, Husam, died in an accidental shooting when Abdallah was five. The second one, Shadi, died in a trucking accident just after the Ohio State spring game in 2005.
Finally, there's the drive Abdallah has to make a better life for him and the rest of his family. Growing up was anything but easy for the burly 6-foot-5, 297-pound defensive tackle, as his family lived in the infamously dangerous Magnolia projects of New Orleans.
|
Quote:
He came to Ohio State from Louisiana for the family atmosphere he felt the coaches had instilled there, and he was also surprised to find a respectable Arab population in and around Ohio.
While he's the only Arab on a team of mostly Caucasian and African-American players, he has carved out a niche as a leader and one of the most popular players on the team, even amongst guys who didn't know any Arabs before they met him.
"(My teammates) are like 'Wow, you know we never expected an Arab American to be like this.' Everybody tells me I'm one of the funniest people on the team. If you're having a bad day, come talk to me and I'll make you feel good," he said.
"I have a lot of common sense and street smarts and I've seen a lot of things happen in my life. I'm a real cool guy to get to know and I'm always trying to help people out. I feel like I'm a leader now heading into my senior season."
|
Quote:
He actually has a lot of friends in Dearborn and loves visiting the city because of its Arab culture.
"Guys in Columbus (Ohio), they're cool with some guys in Dearborn so I was able to network. I like to check out the nice little hookah bars and just chill out and mingle with fellow Arab Americans there," he said.
But while he enjoys heading up to Michigan to visit Dearborn, you won't find him talking up the city or the state to his teammates any time soon. He'd rather keep it a secret.
"I don't tell too many people about going to Dearborn, but I'm definitely not a Michigan fan. I'm an Ohio State fan all the way but I'm definitely not affiliated with Michigan."
|
The Arab American News - Palestinian Buckeye brings passion to gridiron
|
04-28-2008, 12:22 PM
|
 |
I'd rather be napping!!
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 6,528
Points: 896,132.43
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 896,132.43
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckskin86
|
Quote:
|
"I don't tell too many people about going to Dearborn, but I'm definitely not a Michigan fan. I'm an Ohio State fan all the way but I'm definitely not affiliated with Michigan."
|
Too late! |
05-19-2008, 05:09 PM
|
 |
Georgian' Buck
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 733
Points: 80,318.87
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 80,318.87
|
|
Great Nader highlight video out.... 9 minutes long!
__________________
60 National Team Titles
36 Varsity Sports
51,818 Students
1,507 All-Americans
1 Battle Cry to Unite Us All
GO BUCKS!
|
05-29-2008, 03:58 AM
|
 |
"Down in a hole........."
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,386
Points: 14,927.96
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 14,927.96
|
|
|
Nader occupied his man well last season. This season we need him to take that next step and play on the other side of the line of scrimmage. If he can do that consistently and stay healthy this defense will be a friggin monster. Shutting down the middle running lanes is key to being the best this defense can be and Nader will play a big role in that.
__________________
"The Quarterbacks avoided Malcolm Jenkins like they owed him three months rent!"
|
08-30-2008, 05:05 PM
|
 |
Beanie= Chuck Norris' Daddy
|
|
|
|
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 490
Points: 417.94
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 417.94
|
|
|
Thought he looked very good and played with a lot of positive emotion today. I'm glad to see him play well as sometimes he gets dogged as not being as talented as some of the other guys. But as we all know, sometimes heart matters more, and Nader played all out today.
__________________
[
|
09-03-2008, 05:54 AM
|
 |
Capo Regime
Administrator
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 36,643
Points: 13,357,828.72
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 13,357,828.73
|
|
Dispatch
Quote:
With Gustav, no deja vu
Defensive tackle Nader Abdallah's family long since moved away from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina three years ago wiped out the family business and home. But Abdallah still has close friends there, and in working his cell phone the past few days he found that they all learned a lesson from Katrina in the way they dealt with Hurricane Gustav.
In other words, they got out of town.
Cont...
|
__________________
Oderint dum metuant.
|
09-04-2008, 05:12 AM
|
|
Capo Regime
Administrator
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 36,643
Points: 13,357,828.72
Bank: 0.00
Total Points: 13,357,828.73
|
|
DDN
Quote:
OSU's Abdallah thankful Gustav not a Katrina
By Rusty Miller
the Associated Press
Thursday, September 04, 2008
What's brewing today with the Ohio State Buckeyes:
Buckeyes buzz
The winds have passed, the waters have diminished somewhat. Life is returning to normal in New Orleans, and that was something to be thankful for, defensive lineman Nader Abdallah said.
Abdallah, a native of New Orleans, was at Ohio State three years ago when Hurricane Katrina virtually washed parts of the city off the map. His family lost its quaint little restaurant-grocery. Friends and relatives lost their homes and had to relocate. Life changed, yet went on.
As Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast earlier this week, Abdallah held his breath.
Cont...
|
__________________
Oderint dum metuant.
| |
