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Oklahoma OL Febechi Nwaiwu Wins Shrine Bowl Pat Tillman Award

The Sooners' OL will be one of four Sooners playing in Tuesday night's East-West Shrine Bowl
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu (54)
Oklahoma offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu (54) | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

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Oklahoma offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu was named the recipient of the East-West Shrine Bowl Pat Tillman Award, it was announced Tuesday.

The award recognizes intelligence, sportsmanship and service.

“Febechi embodies everything this honor stands for and its connection to an incredible philanthropic cause such as Shriner’s Children’s,” Lunda Wells, Dallas Cowboys tight ends coach and coach of the West team, said in a release. “He approaches the game the right way, leads by example, and earns respect through his work ethic and humility. He is truly deserving of this recognition.”

The Shrine Bowl will be played at 6 p.m. Tuesday at The Star in Frisco, Texas and will be televised on the NFL Network.

Nwaiwu is one of four Sooners participating.

Nwaiwu started his career as a walk-on at North Texas after starring at Coppell (Texas) High School.

After three years with the Mean Green, he transferred to Oklahoma where he became a staple on the interior of the offensive line the last two seasons.

Nwaiwu started every game the last two seasons.

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His first 24 starts as a Sooner came at right guard before a late-season injury to Jake Maikkula forced Nwaiwu to shift to center for the final two games, including the College Football Playoff loss to Alabama.

He was the only Oklahoma offensive lineman to start every game last season, after being the only offensive player to start every game for the Sooners the year before.

Nwaiwu hadn’t played center since high school, but performed admirably filling in for Maikkula.

He earned second-team All-SEC honors and was a Burlsworth Trophy finalist. The Burlsworth award honors the top college player to begin his career as a walk-on.

Defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. will be playing for the East while tight end Jaren Kanak, safety Robert-Spears-Jennings and Nwaiwu will play for the West.

Tillman played in the 1998 East-West Shrine Bowl, going on to play in the NFL.

After four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Tillman enlisted in the Army eight months after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Tillman died in Afghanistan in a friendly fire incident in April 2004.

He was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2003 ESPYs and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal.

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Ryan Aber
RYAN ABER

Ryan Aber has been covering Oklahoma football for more than a decade continuously and since 1999 overall. Ryan was the OU beat writer for The Oklahoman from 2013-2025, covering the transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables. He covered OU men's basketball's run to the Final Four in 2016 and numerous national championships for the Sooners' women's gymnastics and softball programs. Prior to taking on the Sooners beat, Ryan covered high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Oklahoma City Barons for the newspaper from 2006-13. He spent two seasons covering Arkansas football for the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas before returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Ryan also worked at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Muskogee Phoenix. At the Phoenix, he covered OU's national championship run in 2000. Ryan is a graduate of Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

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