Chigozie Atubi feature for Rutgers-Newark website
By Jim Hague
It’s very rare for a person of Nigerian descent to have a nickname of Hispanic origin.
But that’s the case with Rutgers-Newark senior soccer standout Chigozie Atubi, who would much rather be known by his nickname of “Chico.”
The birth of “Chico” Atubi took place sometime when Atubi was attending grade school in his hometown of North Plainfield, N.J.
Atubi was born in Nigeria, but came to the United States for the first time on his first birthday.
“We went back to Nigeria for a little while, but came back when I was four,” Atubi said. “It was crazy for a while.”
The family resided in Irvington for two years, then moved to North Plainfield. It was in those early days that young Atubi obtained his familiar moniker.
“I don’t even remember how it started,” Atubi said. “It was back in elementary school somewhere. It just kind of started and it stuck. I actually like it. After a while, I would tell people my full name and then I just say, ‘Just call me Chico.’”
Chico Atubi was a standout at North Plainfield High School, but almost didn’t play soccer in college.
“I was thinking about going to Rutgers in New Brunswick, but not to play soccer,” Atubi said.
But Rutgers-Newark head men’s soccer coach Kevin East was persistent and wanted Atubi to compliment his burgeoning program.
“I saw him play a lot during his senior year,” East said. “We also had a player, Rafael Arujo, who is from North Plainfield and he said Chico was a good player. I noticed right away that he had incredible speed.”
“Growing up, that’s something I always had,” Atubi said. “I always had the speed that stood out. I don’t think a lot of people have that speed.”
East’s recruiting diligence paid off in the eyes of Atubi.
“He definitely was one of the reasons why I came here,” Atubi said of East. “From the beginning, he showed me that he wanted me to come here. He would call me all the time and ask me how I was doing. I felt 100 percent comfortable with Rutgers-Newark, especially with Coach East. I knew I wanted to come here.”
Atubi said that he had a cousin who attended Rutgers-Newark, so that made the decision easier.
“I liked the diversity here,” Atubi said. “I liked the accounting program. I liked the people here.
The soccer team was really good. I figured it would be a good way to make friends.”
When Atubi arrived at R-N, the soccer program was already in good shape.
“The team was good, so I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to play,” Atubi said. “I wasn’t expecting much. I thought if I worked hard, my chance would eventually come.”
Atubi got his chance to play quite a bit as a freshman. He played in 16 games and was once named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week. He registered four goals and added three assists, showing great promise for the future.
“My chance to play came and I guess I did a pretty good job,” Atubi said.
Atubi just continued to improve, scoring six goals and adding three assists as a sophomore.
“He turned into a good player for us, a good offensive weapon,” East said. “He’s gotten better every year. He learned how to refine his game. Instead of going 100 miles per hour all the time, Chico learned how to use his speed at the right time and play more composed. He used to just get the ball and go. Now, he sees the game better and sees his teammates around him. He’s learned how to exploit teams and get behind the defense. He has a really good shot.”
Last year, as a junior, Atubi was the team’s leading scorer in the NCAA Division III tournament, scoring the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over New England College and tallying twice against Oneonta State to propel the Scarlet Raiders into the Sweet 16. They won another round as well, making it to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Atubi had six goals in the regular season and the three scores in the postseason.
Atubi said that he worked hard to prepare for his senior season.
“My brother (Chiemezue, who is two years older and is a student at Rowan, but doesn’t play soccer) works out all the time, so I worked out with him,” Atubi said. “I got stronger, so I’ve been able to get off the ball with defenders. We have a lot of scoring power up front (especially 2016 All-America honoree Fabio DeSousa), so that makes things much easier for me. If I don’t get the job done, I have guys like Fabio and Hubert (Dul) to score. It takes so much pressure off my shoulders, having three of us up there.”
“A lot of teams focus on Fabio,” East said of his All-American, who leads the team with 18 goals this season. “But when they do, Chico can tear them apart. It’s great watching them play together.”
This year, Atubi has scored eight goals and has added four assists as the Scarlet Raiders have had yet another successful campaign with hopes of going far in the upcoming NCAA Division III tourney.
“I think we can go pretty far,” Atubi said. “It’s been so much fun. I never would have expected this happening to me. I’m pretty happy. The only thing that has happened to me has been the injuries.”
In the past, Atubi has battled injuries to his ankles, his knee and groin, but he’s been injury-free this season and he’s still going strong.
“Knock on wood, I feel pretty good and so much better than I have in the past,” Atubi said. “I’ve had no injuries this year, none at all.”
Atubi is in the five-year accounting program at R-N. He hopes to get a working internship in the summer of 2018. Although this is his final season of playing soccer for the Scarlet Raiders, he still has another year left to complete his schooling. He’s also an excellent student, maintaining a 3.5 grade point average at R-N.
“He’s the ideal kid that we look for,” East said. “He’s a good player and a very good student. He’s the coach’s ideal. He has everything that you want.”
Needless to say, the Nigerian kid with the Hispanic nickname has done pretty well for himself at Rutgers-Newark.
“I made the right choice,” Atubi said. “I’m very happy here.”
