Adimchinobi Echemandu Adimchinobi Echemandu ( born November 21 , 1980 ) is a former Nigerian - American running back of American football . He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft . He played college football at California . Early years . He played football at Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne , California . He ran for 608 yards and 6 touchdowns as a junior , and in track , he had a best of 21 . 57 in the 200 meters and 48 . 65 in the 400 . As a senior , he ran for 1 , 525 yards on 165 carries sporting a 9 . 2 average and 27 touchdowns . He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns , and was named his conference ' s back of the year in 1998 . As a defensive player , he had 42 tackles and an interception as a senior . He was also a member of the Super Prep All - Far West team as the No . 60 overall prospect and the Prep Star All - America team as the No . 10 running back prospect in the West . College career . A member of an Ibo family from Nigeria , he played for a time under the simplified name Joe Echema until deciding to revert to his Ibo name . Echemandu returned to the gridiron with a flourish in 2003 after spending the previous two years on the sidelines partially due to a knee injury . He saw his banner final campaign end on a sour note after it was discovered that he fractured his fibula late in the year . A two - sport star , he also excelled in track for the Golden Bears . He was a versatile athlete who was recruited as a tailback , but moved to wide receiver midway through his freshman season when injuries depleted their unit , then shifted back to tailback the following year . He sat out the 2002 season to recover from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee , and finished his career with 306 carries for 1 , 434 yards and 16 touchdowns . As well as 33 receptions for 264 yards and a pair of scores , 22 kickoff returns for 5 , 016 yards and two punt returns for 5 yards while starting 19 of 33 games . Professional career . He was selected with pick No . 208 by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft . In his time spent with the Browns , he carried the ball just 8 times for 25 yards , and caught the ball 3 times for 25 yards . On September 2 , 2005 , he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings and spent time on the practice squad for most of the season . On September 5 , 2006 , he was signed to the practice squad of the Oakland Raiders . The best action he had was only in preseason of the 2007 season . On October 10 , 2007 , he was signed to the Houston Texans ' practice squad after being released by the Raiders . In an October 28 game against the San Diego Chargers , he rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries and caught two passes for 11 yards . He finished his 2007 season with 20 attempts for 85 yards , 2 receptions for 11 yards and 1 fumble . He has only fumbled 2 times in his career . Echemandu was released on December 26 , 2007 by the Texans . In 2008 , he signed with the Oakland Raiders again , only to be released on August 30 . Personal . Echemandu received his bachelor ' s degree in Sociology in May , 2003 at California . He is the son of Charity and Joe Echema Sr . , as well as the cousin of former California and current Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha .