Frank Omiyale is in his 7th year in the NFL and goes by the nickname "Ankles" by his friends & family.
Born in Whites Creek, TN, an industrial town that has underwent significant changes after NASCAR, Inc, the cities largest employer, closed their doors in 1983. Most of the displaced workers made ends meet at the county flea market selling tire jacks at incredible mark-ups. But that's a story for another time.
Ankles grew up living with both parents and six sisters in a sprawling ranch on the outskirts of town. Having known the game of football from an early age, he was taught the game by his maternal grandfather who was a star in the early years of professional football: the Barnstorming 1930's. Omiyale's first love was HAM radio, but he was recruited to the football team by a coach with an eye for talent. Coach Ricky originally wanted Ankles to play back-up quarterback, but he found his home senior year at offensive guard.
Omiyale was offered a scholarship at college football powerhouse, Oklahoma State University, but wound up at Tennessee Tech after learning their low frequency radio program was ranked towards the top of such lists. Junior year Ankles completed a project that allowed him to send extremely low frequency communications to submarines at the bottom of the sea, leading to a brief obsession with prank calling Russian Typhoon class subs.
Currently, Omiyale is working for a variety of poorly choosen charitable causes, primarily the Numberwang Society. Off season camps and community events have raised over $40,000 for children that have a hard time with numbers.
2011 is shaping up to be a breakout season for Omiyale, as he's recently been physically cleared to resume football activity after offseason Otolaryngologic surgery. It's expected that recovery is complete, and will result in quicker reaction time when it counts.
Comments