MIAMI — Former Tottenville High School standout Adewale Ogunleye was Indiana’s honorary captain for the coin toss in Monday night’s National Championship game.
The unbeaten Hoosiers, who are gunning for their first national crown, are playing the Miami Hurricanes.
Ogunleye, a defensive lineman, played for Indiana from 1996-99 before signing with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent in 2000. He played 14 seasons in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003, when he led the NFL with 15 sacks. He also played for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. He played in Super Bowl XLI with the Chicago Bears in 2006.
During his college career, Ogunleye set school records for sacks (34.5) and tackles for loss (64).
At Tottenville, he played for legendary head coach Jim Munson from 1994-95, when he dominated opposing offenses in being named an Advance All Star.
Ogunleye grew up in the Park Hill projects and attended PS 57, where he returned after his playing days to hand out turkeys to the school’s students just before Thanksgiving Day.
As for Monday’s coin flip, Indiana won the toss but deferred to Miami.