Dolphins' Samkon Gado takes unique journey to NFL
By Kevin Clark | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
November 7, 2007
DAVIE - Samkon Gado's NFL story begins where no other one has: It was in Kufai, a small, rural town between two mountains in northern Nigeria that an American missionary sat down to explain football to a young Gado.
"I thought it was strange," he admits.
The concept of the game was odd to him, but not as odd as where that game would take him. After leaving his homeland to come to the United States at 9 and dreaming of becoming a doctor, the running back who started two games in college is somehow now entrenched in the game. Late last month, when the 0-8 Dolphins claimed Gado off waivers, the team's unremarkable season crossed paths with the 24-year-old's improbable journey into the NFL, on the way to his real goal of helping his home country.
"Football is always a dream, but there are dreams and there is reality. I need to focus on what would happen if I didn't have football," Gado said. "I've always had an interest in the human body and how it works. It is a testament to existence of God, and I think the combination of that, and helping people is what makes me want to be a doctor."
Gado's ambition is not a stretch; he was pre-med at Liberty University and took the MCAT after graduation. His focus is on tropical medicine, so he can return to Nigeria and help his countrymen.
"The cities are somewhat well managed. But then you go in the rural areas, there is really no infrastructure there — a lot of nomadic tribes," Gado said. "It's difficult. There is a lot of corruption. The resources are there, they just aren't getting to the people."
Back when Gado, his mother and three sisters moved to Columbia, S.C., they weren't trying to get away from Nigeria, they were reuniting with Gado's father. Jeremiah Gado's studies at a Columbia seminary were taking longer than expected. It was only through a church's donation that the family could afford visas. The family chose to stay in America after Jeremiah Gado completed school because of the educational opportunities for the entire family. Samkon vowed he would return to Nigeria, a place he still calls home.
However, his plans were interrupted by his unlikely ascent on the football field.
At Ben Lippen High School, one of the smallest schools in the state, Gado was largely ignored by colleges. Big-time colleges rarely came for even the best players in Class A schools like Lippen, but Ken Karcher, then coach at Liberty, saw Gado and witnessed a man among boys.
"There are so many kids to choose from, and everything is done by numbers — even in the pros it is done that way," Karcher said of Gado's low profile. "What can you run? What can you do? But Sam Gado's greatest trait is what is inside him, not anything you can see."
Despite Karcher's good impressions of him, Gado entered Liberty an anonymous member of a recruiting class that featured five other running backs. Gado was funneled into special teams work and used on offense sparingly. His two starts over four years came only after injuries to others.
But Karcher saw flashes of brilliance in Gado and the physicality that NFL coaches drool over. Like his days playing Class A football, Gado again was overlooked, because of his small school and lack of playing time. But Karcher wouldn't let that happen. A former quarterback at Notre Dame and Tulane, Karcher called some of his best friends, then-Chiefs coach **** Vermeil and then-Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders. They agreed to bring Gado to training camp in 2005 and then signed him to the practice squad.
However, Gado got injured, and Kansas City's roster was tight. He was released and picked up by Green Bay's practice squad, where he eventually worked his way onto the active roster. Then, the improbable turned to unbelievable. He started more games in his first four weeks in Green Bay than he did in college. Over eight games late in the season, Gado became a phenomenon. He set Packer rookie records for rushing yards in a game with 171, most touchdowns in a season with seven, and he won two rookie of the week awards and one rookie of the month award for November. He became a cult hero in Green Bay, which was coming to grips with a dismal 4-12 season and embraced a rare bright spot. "In Gado We Trust" T-shirts appeared around Lambeau Field.
While in Green Bay, Gado stayed true to his dream, working at a local hospital to gain more experience for his real goal.
But a new regime came into Green Bay. After five starts and 582 rushing yards, the Packers sent Gado to Houston early last season, where again he didn't fit.
He finally landed on the Dolphins' roster last week, continuing his unlikely NFL career.
"Sam is in the NFL not just to play in a game, but he wants to be an influence on the sporting world," Karcher said. "How is he doing that? By being Sam Gado."
