Akin Ayodele will speak at CCC's graduation ceremony on May 11th.
Former CCC football standout and NFL player Akin Ayodele will address the 2019 graduates of Coffeyville Community College on Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m. in the Gilmer K. Nellis Hall.
Ayodele is a serial entrepreneur and investor, speaker, former NFL linebacker and Co-Founder and President of The Dream Builders Foundation & Eagle Rock Wealth Management. He leads the strategic implementation of his business investments which span several industries including film production, restaurants, event hosting, real estate, technology, distribution chain and private equity. As a motivational speaker, he speaks to corporations, educational organizations and youth groups about leadership, winning during adversity, teambuilding and how to create a championship mindset.
As a philanthropist, Ayodele's The Dream Builders Foundation matches athletes from various pro-sports leagues with organizations and projects to benefit "at risk," financially, or mentally-challenged youth. Dream Builders serves one-third of all NFL cities and is rapidly expanding nationally. His penchant for planning, skill in cultivating relationships and ability to see beyond the "right now" helps him balance it all.
In his nine year career in the NFL, Ayodele was known for his athleticism and work ethic, playing in 147 of 148 games and amassing 995 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, and nearly an interception per season (7). He was drafted as the 89th pick overall in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Through his career he also played for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
Prior to the NFL, Ayodele was a scholar-athlete, receiving his Liberal Arts degree from Purdue University, focusing on Psychology and Law in Society with a minor in Organizational Leadership. He shows up in Purdue’s all-time record book 10 times, is tied for second in career sacks, and was named second team All-Big Ten as a sophomore and junior, followed by first team All-Big Ten, and team MVP as a senior. Ayodele was also a two-year Team Captain while playing at Purdue. Before playing for Purdue, Ayodele played in the 1998 season for the Coffeyville Red Ravens under former head coach Skip Foster. Ayodele was named a second team NJCAA All-American as a defensive end, and was also selected first team All-Jayhawk Conference. Ayodele still ranks second on the Ravens all-time season tackles for loss list with 33. Ayodele was recruited by Purdue, but he was lacking a course he needed to enter the university. “He never should have been at a junior college,” said former Coffeyville Community College Head Football Coach Skip Foster. “He was an outstanding student with great grades.”
In 2007, through the NFL Business program, Ayodele took coursework at Harvard Business School. In 2014, he received his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from The George Washington University.