Hall of Fame
Arguably the most celebrated athlete in Azusa Pacific history, Christian Okoye has equal justification for his Hall pass either through track & field or football. He came to Azusa Pacific from Nigeria in the fall of 1982 as an Olympic-hopeful discus thrower, and left in 1987 as an NFL second-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. In between, he became a 9-time NAIA champion in track & field and a 2-time NAIA All-American first team pick in football. On the track, Okoye was a 17-time NAIA All-American and led Azusa Pacific to 4 straight NAIA Outdoor Track & Field national championship titles (1983-86). He was the first person in NAIA history to win the discus 4 years, setting the NAIA record in the process with a heave of 208' 4" in 1985. In 1986, he was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the NAIA outdoor championship meet after winning the discus and the shot put. On the indoor circuit, he was a 2-time NAIA champion, winning the 35-pound weight throw twice, using an NAIA record throw of 66' 5 1/2" to take the 1987 title. When Okoye was not selected for the Nigerian Olympic team of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, he turned his attention for the first time ever to football. Though it took him some time to learn and understand the game, once he figured it out, he became one of greatest running backs in small college football history. On the gridiron, he set 14 school records, and in 1986 he led all of college football by averaging 186.7 rushing yards a game. In 1987 he was selected to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and was named Offensive MVP after scoring 4 TDs for the south squad. That game catapulted him onto the national scene which resulted in an NFL opportunity. He played 6 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, becoming their all-time leading rusher and twice being named to the Pro Bowl. In 1989, he led the NFL in rushing with 1,480 yards and was named the 1989 AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
