Nzeocha's trip to the Super Bowl a triumph of determination

San Francisco's 37-20 win over the Green Bay Packers in Sunday's NFC Championship game means that the 49ers' Mark Nzeocha is set to become just the third German to make it to the Super Bowl, following Uwe von Schamann (Miami Dolphins), and Sebastian Vollmer (New England Patriots). Another, Markus Koch of the Chicago Bears missed the 1992 Super Bowl due to injury, but still got his ring.

Now it's Nzeocha who's about to see his life change forever, on February 2 in Miami. The Super Bowl is not only the world's biggest one-day sporting event, but getting there is also the ultimate goal for each of the NFL's approximately 1,700 players.

'My father is the biggest soccer fan'

There is a good chance that Nzeocha's parents will make the trip to Miami Gardens to witness live the highlight of their son's career so far. But had father Chris had his way, his three sons would never have had anything to do with the American game in the first place.

"My father is the biggest soccer fan anywhere. He watches every Bundesliga game," the 29-year-old Mark Nzeocha told DW.

So it was only natural that Chris Nzeocha, a native of Nigeria, where soccer, as in most of the world (beyond North America) is by far the most popular sport, would have wanted his four sons to follow his passion. However, Eric, Paul, Steve and Mark had other ideas.

"I didn't want to do what everybody else does, but something else instead. I wanted to be a rebel," Mark said, also reflecting the views of his brothers. It was at the age of 13 that the native of Aschaffenburg in the southern German state of Bavaria took to the football field for the first time. He "immediately fell in love with the sport," Nzeocha said.

His first coach was Philipp Kimmelmann, and the game was flag football. Two years later, Nzeocha moved up to Erwin Rieger's team . His new coach saw right away that the kid had a lot of talent, but he could have never have foreseen how physically imposing he would grow up to be.

Of course talent alone will not get you to the NFL, but fortunately for him, Nzeocha had other qualities that set him apart from his teammates.

"He was way more motivated than the others, and this is what got him to where he is now. Rieger told DW. 

From safety to linebacker

Nzeocha tried placing in a number of positions at his youth club, the Franken Knights - from safety, to wide receiver, to quarterback.

"But his main role was always on the defensive side of the ball. He played as a safety on both the Bavaria selects and the national team, and it was as a safety that he earned a scholarship to the University of Wyoming," Rieger said.

But once he got there, Wyoming turned Nzeocha into a linebacker, and it was also there that he developed into a special-teams player, a role he retains at the 49ers.

"They like me on special teams. Sure, I'd like to play more often as a linebacker, but it's a team sport - and you have to accept your role," Nzeocha said.

From Texas to California

Nzeocha, who stands 1.9 meters (6 feet 3 inches) tall and weighs in at 110 kilograms (243 pounds)  broke into the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, but hampered by injuries, he only got into seven games in his two seasons in Texas.

By September 2017 he had been released by the Cowboys and placed on their practice squad, but that's when the 49ers moved in to sign him and bring him to California.  Nzeocha hasn't missed a single game over the past two seasons, and last March, the 49ers rewarded his performances with a three-year, $4.75 million (€4.29 million) contract.

A recruitment trump card

Given the success he has achieved in the NFL, it should come as no surprise that back home in Germany, the club of his youth, the Franken Knights are very proud of Nzeocha.  When the fourth-tier club play their home games, the officials hang up extra photos of him, as well as his jersey in the VIP tent. And it seems that his NFL fame has even helped the Knights recruit the odd American college player. Erwin Rieger remembers a particular player from Florida that they were interested in, but were having trouble convincing, then he played his trump card.

"I told him about Mark and he immediately said: 'Coach, I'm in.'"

Determination wins out

Rieger also once coached Mark's brothers Paul and Eric. Eric made the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad in 2017, but the general consensus is that Paul was actually the most talented of the three.

"But Mark simply was the most determined of all of them," Rieger said.

Looking back, the 55-year-old coach is grateful that he had the opportunity to shape four years of Nzeocha's early development as a football player.  One of the highlights from those years was when Rieger drove him to a tryout with the German national team in 2008.

"Mark has always known what he wants," Rieger said. "And the way he has always made it happen is impressive."

In the couple of weeks leading up to the Super Bowl Nzeocha can expect to field a lot more requests or interviews from German media outlets than he has been used to, because apart from fans of American football Mark Nzeocha is anything but a household name back in his homeland. All this is about to change.