Q&A With Auburn Senior Wide Receiver Ben Obomanu

Ben Obomanu

Q: You do a lot of speaking to youth groups and FCA. Can you talk a little bit about what you speak on?
A: “I really try to share my life experiences and share with them and share Christ with them so that they can have some kind of motivations and direction. I feel that in my short life, I have experienced some things like they have and that I can relate to what they are going through. I want to be able to leave a good example for other people. So when I leave Auburn and leave the ‘lime light’ so to speak, I want to be able to have had a positive impact on people.”

Q: Do you see a future working with kids?
A: I do. I really like working with kids, interacting with them and realizing how they think and what things they enjoy. It’s fun to be with them and let them know that even though I am older than they are I am not an adult yet. Maybe when I get older if I can keep that same mindset then I can continue to work with kids.”

Q: What was your favorite part about being on last year’s team?
A: “My favorite part was the team unity and being so confident before every game we were going to win. And it wasn’t confident like cocky, but confident knowing we could depend on each other. No matter what happened in the game, we were all going to go out there and give our best. Sometimes things didn’t go the way we wanted them to, but we just kept fighting as a team. There was no separation or individuals. Everything was literally a team aspect this year.”

Q: If you were stranded on an island, what three items would you need for survival?
A: “The Bible so that I might be able to keep my sanity a little. To have some release and hope. I would probably need my cell phone. I know everyone says they need their cell phone, but if I had my cell phone I probably would not be stuck on an island. I would also say a television so that I can at least know what is going on in the world that I am missing out on.”

Q: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
A: “Mostly everyone’s dream is to play in the NFL and I do see myself playing in the NFL being on a productive team and being a productive receiver. But at the same time, I would also like to be married and probably having two kids. I would also like to be in real estate and have some stocks. I would like to do a lot in Selma, where I am from. I definitely see myself in the Southeast to be close to my friends and family.”

Q: What was your mother’s influence like on your football career?
A: “Growing up in a single parent home with an older sister, my mom didn’t want me to just watch her and my sister do female things. She wanted me to have some toughness, so she wanted me to play football. I really didn’t want to. But it really helped me out a lot growing up as a young man. As I got older I ended up liking sports and I got into a lot of sports. She got frustrated because they all seemed to overlap; soccer, basketball, football, baseball and track. But it is something that I am glad she did because it really helped me out in life.”

Q: With a 3.6 GPA and dreams of graduate school, do you consider yourself a “book worm?”
A: “My friends say I am, but I say I just study when I need to. It is something I prided myself on when I was a kid. I wanted to make good grades and receive accolades from my parents. It is not something that was required of me; it was something I wanted to do. I kind of consider myself a book worm, but not the kind with the glasses and all that.”

Q: Between football, school, public speaking, community service and mentoring, what do you do to relax?
A: “That’s a good question. The main thing that I probably do is sleep. When I get free time I take a nap or on off days I sleep late. I always feel like there is something for me to do and if there’s not then I am looking for something to do. So a lot of times I don’t give myself a chance to relax.”

Q: What do you like most about playing football? What is the hardest part?
A: “Playing football is probably the best opportunity I have to touch peoples lives. With me being here in this position, it has given me the best opportunity to share my story and my experiences with other people. Being able to go all over the state of Alabama and for people to know who I am is probably the most thrilling part. Actually going out and meeting people that really admire me and what I do. The hardest thing is not being able to fulfill all of my obligations. My mom and my friends say that I take on too much sometimes, but knowing that I am in a position where so many people look up to me and want to see football players, I always want to be able to be there for those people.”

Q: You have said that the person you would most like to meet is Dr. Martin Luther King. What would you say to or ask him if you had that opportunity?
A: “I always wanted to know how he handled so many people looking up to him as their leader. Just having so many people depending on him, how did he handle that and keep himself on the ground?”

Q: What do you like most about Auburn?
A: “I like Auburn because it is a home place. Not too big and not too small. It is a place where I am close to home and I know a lot of people in surrounding areas. I guess a part of the connectivity that I have around here is what I like most.”

Q: As an Auburn graduate, what advice do you have for incoming freshman students and athletes?
A: “Enjoy your time here. One thing that I have realized is that for us to have to opportunity to be athletes is a special gift that God allowed us to have. You never know when that can be taken away.  In my four years here I have seen many teammates come out with injuries where they don’t ever get to play football again. I just tell people to take advantage of your opportunity to play a sport and to be in college because it is something that a lot of people will never get to have.”