Mike Emenalo
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Sport:
Soccer |
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Year
Graduated: 1989 |
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Year
Inducted: 1998 |
In a team sport, it is very difficult to single out one
individual as a person responsible for a team's emergence
as a national contender.
Mike Emenalo is as near an exception as you can make.
A native of Nigeria, Mike matriculated at Boston University
in the Fall of 1985. The previous year, the Terriers struggled
through a 4-14-2 record. Under first-year coach Neil Roberts,
Michael scored a team-leading 14 goals and 34 points as he
helped lead the Terriers to a 14-4-1 record. A First Team
All-New England selection, he scored the deciding goal in
the Terriers' 2-1 win over Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament.
During his four-year career, he scored 36 goals and 32 assists
for 104 points. He was First Team All-New England all four
years, and the conference's tournament MVP as a sophomore.
His senior year, he was team MVP, First Team All-Conference,
Third Team All-America, and the E. Ray Speare Award recipient
as the University's top senior student-athlete.
During this same span, the Terriers had an overall record
of 54-17-11. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three
of his four years, making it to the second round twice. In
addition, the team won the conference regular-season title
in his senior year.
Michael continued to excel in soccer after graduation. He
played in the First Division in Belgium and England, and the
Second Division in Spain. He also played professional soccer
in the U.S. for the Major League Soccer Team in San Jose,
CA. Finally, he played for the 1994 Nigerian national team,
making him the first foreign player to play for a U.S. college
and go on to play in the World Cup.
