It all started with the Quist brothers, Pius and Alex. They began as students of St.Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos and by the 1940s, were playing for Nigeria. The Quist brothers were indeed Ghanaians whose parents settled in Nigeria. Apparently they opened the way for later day players like John Orlando, Loatis Boateng and John Benson.
The most prominent brothers who played for the Eagles at the same time were the Atuegbus, Andrew and Aloy.Their father, Richard, was a good player who moved up North to the Jos plateau to do business. His children: Mathew, Andrew, Aloysius, Fidelis and Nicholas followed and also played the game.
Aloy and Andrew became popular playing for Mighty Jets of Jos. They also took their game to the national team and were in Montreal for the 1976 Olympic Games before Nigeria withdrew in solidarity with African countries following New Zealand’s ties with apartheid South Africa.
Aloy joined Jets from Jos Youth team, Blackstars, in 1974. He was spotted by Jets Treasurer, Buba Ahmed. Brazilian coach, Sam Lopez, drafted him to the First team. That same year, Blockbuster, was invited to the Eagles camp and debuted against Cote D’Ivoire.
The year 1974 saw the Atuegbu brothers play in the Challenge Cup final against Enugu Rangers, a team from their state at the time, East Central State. Head-of -State, General Yakubu Gowon, from Benue Plateau State, paid a surprise visit to the Atuegbu family house in Jos with a promise to buy a car for the attacker. Jets lost 2-0.
Andrew flew to the United States for further studies late 1976 and bagged a degree from San Francisco University. Fidelis followed him and both would later assist other players like Godwin Odiye and Kenneth Boardman to obtain scholarship while they played for the school as well.
Aloy was an Eagle until 1981. He won Africa Nations Cup gold in 1980,was at the Moscow ’80 Olympics and was never given a red card all through his career. Once did he bag a yellow, against Tunisia in 1977 and only sat on the bench all through in Eagles’2-0 loss to Algeria in Lagos in an Espana ’82 qualifier in Lagos, 1981.
Emeka and Ifeanyi Onyedika played for Rangers before moving up to the Eagles. The former would always be remembered for his goal in Accra against Ghana at the Second Ghana/Nigeria Sports Festival in 1975.He operated from the right wing while Ogidi Ibeabuchi whose goal gave the Eagles a 2-1 win manned the left flank.
Ifeanyi was a luckier player, having won the Nations Cup with the Eagles in 1980. He also scored during the competition. Both brothers ended up as coaches. Again, Ifeanyi was more successful having worked with Enyimba to win the Challenge Cup in 2007.
Emmanuel and Patrick Okala were team mates at Enugu Rangers in the 1980s. From a family of goalkeepers, they also shone as Eagles players. Emma won All Africa Games gold in 1973, was voted Africa’s best footballer in 1978, bagged Nations Cup gold in 1980 but never played in a Nations Cup grand finale.
Patrick was in goal when Cameroun beat Nigeria to win the Africa Nations Cup at Cote D’Ivoire ’84. Silver was all he could get. His elder brother who won gold in 1980 was reserve to,Best Ogedegbe, his erstwhile understudy. Patrick died in 1991.
Segun and Wole Odegbami were two brothers but poles apart. Born in Jos, they moved down South to pursue their career. Segun left at 17 for Ibadan. From Ibadan Polytechnic where he would later graduate as an engineer, he joined Nigeria Tobacco Company. The little pay was good. He wanted more challenges and moved to WNTV/WNBS. In 1973, Odegbami played for Ibadan Rovers at the First National Sports Festival.
The senior Odegbami joined Housing Corporation, Ibadan before crossing over to Shooting Stars in 1976. In his first year, the Oluyole Warriors won the Africa Winners Cup. Segun lifted the Nations Cup in 1980 with Nigeria and also captained the Eagles between 1980 and 1981.
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Wole did not really make it with the Eagles, nor did he win international trophies with Leventis,Ibadan and Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri. The only difference was that he joined a club outside Nigeria, unlike his brother. Although he sojourned in Europe, Cyprus did not help his game .
Christian Nwokocha was not so popular at home having played for Vasco Da Gama of Enugu before he relocated to Portugal/Spain. From there he hit the Eagles camp and was part of the team that struggled to qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain. He scored against Tanzania at away.
Nnamdi Nwokocha was Rangers’ talisman in 1978. Captain of the Christ the King College squad that won the International Schools Sports Federation[ISSF] Cup in Dublin, 1977, he also played for Nigeria. His last outing was at the President’s Cup, South Korea in 1983.
Before Jay Jay Okocha, there was his elder brother, Emma, who played for Rangers and Iwuanyanwu and won Nations Cup silver with the Eagles at Algiers ’90. It is also interesting that their nephew, Alex Iwobi, has become part of the current national team.
We must not forget Fred and Godwin Achebe, Tunde and Tajudeen Disu, Christian and Ransome Madu, Femi and Segun Olukanmi, Monday and Austin Eguavoen, Moses and Terfa Kpakor, Sunday and Azubuike Oliseh, Nwankwo and Ogbonna Kanu, Emmanuel and Celestine Babayaro, Kalu and Ikechukwu Uche.
