Being a first-generation Nigerian American has shaped Okereke’s life. His parents, Kingsley and Sandra Okereke, immigrated to California, where Bobby and his three sisters grew up. They were instilled with discipline and an emphasis on education, which Bobby took all the way to Stanford and where he is today.
“They embody that American dream, understanding that it doesn’t matter where you came from,” Okereke said of his parents. “It doesn’t matter what your humble beginnings were or are. This is the land of opportunity, and in the United States, you can work hard and create a great life for yourself. It’s been amazing to see that come to fruition through my parents and through my siblings and my family.”
In 2024, Okereke was introduced to the power and potential of NFL Africa, as he and fellow teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux left directly from minicamp to fly to Lagos, Nigeria, at the invitation of Giants legend Osi Umenyiora.
They hosted a three-day football talent identification camp in addition to NFL Flag Football activities across five days, sharing the league’s commitment to developing more ways to serve athletes and fans in the country. Twenty-one prospects from 10 countries across Africa took part in the NFL Combine-style football camp to showcase their skills, as they competed for invites to join the NFL Academy or the International Player Pathway Program.
This year, Okereke took on a leadership position as general manager of Team Nigeria’s Men’s and Women’s National Flag Football Teams. In this role, Okereke’s goal is to build a sustainable pipeline of athletic and leadership talent, one that will ultimately culminate in the nation’s participation in the 2028 Olympic Flag Football Games.
The initiative reflects Okereke’s deep belief in the unifying and transformative power of sports, not only as competition but as a vehicle for education, opportunity, and social change. In order to raise funds and strengthen Nigeria’s presence on the global flag football stage, Okereke recently created the Nigerian American Football Foundation.
Okereke is also committed locally.
He took his contributions in the community to unprecedented levels in 2025, making it his goal to visit every single one of the 16 Boys and Girls Clubs of New Jersey.
“I was a Boy Scout growing up, so these youth development organizations are very near and dear to my heart,” said Okereke, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2013. “Then the work I’ve done through my marketing agent, Theresa Reed, her husband Andre Reed, the Bills Hall of Famer, they’ve done a lot of great work with the Boys and Girls Club. Andre Reed was a Boys and Girls Club kid himself. The more I could do to support and immerse myself in this New Jersey community, I just felt called to do so.”
Each year, nominees are recognized beginning in Week 14 with a Man of the Year trophy silhouette helmet decal applied through the end of the season. In addition, all current players who have received this esteemed award are honored with a patch on the front of their jerseys.
It is a tradition that began in 2017 and one that Giants quarterback Russell Wilson wears proudly to this day.
“Such a blessing, that’s forever on your jersey,” said Wilson, who won the award in 2020 with the Seahawks. “It’s one of my greatest honors. My dad loved Walter Payton, so that’s always meant the world to me because he meant the world to my dad. Just to be able to do that, it’s pretty significant. I remember my dad telling me, ‘Maybe one day you could win this.’ Sure enough, it’s pretty cool.”