September 30, 2016, Iowa City — It’s the night before game day. Over half the Northwestern football team is gathered in the hotel auditorium, preparing for their weekly chapel. The team is 1-3 on the season, preparing to face an Iowa team that blew the visitors out last year and is a double-digit favorite heading into this year’s matchup.
Standing before the team, ready to speak is Ifeadi Odenigbo.
This is not a normal routine for the fifth-year senior. In fact, public speaking is one of his biggest pet peeves. His teammates had asked him a while back to give chapel for the team’s first road game and Odenigbo reluctantly accepted, but as the days drew closer to the speech he struggled to find a topic.