Growing up, Chi Chi Ezekwe loved to play football. Like a lot of kids, he played in pee wee leagues, then in junior high and high school.

Somewhere along the way, he also found a knack for basketball. Ezekwe had enough talent to play Division I college ball and after a stellar career at Warren Central signed with the Virginia Military Institute.

That was just a quick side trip, though. A couple years after leaving Warren Central to head north, Ezekwe drifted back toward football and began another long, winding road. He played wide receiver. He played special teams. Finally, as a fifth-year senior, he’s playing safety and at long last has found a home.

“It was my idea,” Ezekwe said of switching from offense to defense. “I played on defense at Port Gibson and I think I was pretty good at it, so I wanted to get back to it. It’s been a good experience, playing a couple different positions.”

Ezekwe transferred from Port Gibson to Warren Central before his junior year in 2001. At the same time, he gave up football to concentrate on basketball — a move that proved to be wise.

Ezekwe earned All-County honors his junior and senior seasons, averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2002-03. He earned a basketball scholarship to VMI, but didn’t hold onto it for long.

He played in 25 games his freshman season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds, but a ruptured appendix limited him to just eight games as a sophomore in 2004-05. VMI changed coaches after a 9-18 campaign, and new coach Duggar Baucom put every roster spot up for grabs. Ezekwe didn’t make it.

“I had to sit out six weeks, and got a little out of shape. We had tryouts with the new coach, and he cut me,” Ezekwe said.

Ezekwe thought about transferring, but instead inquired about playing football. He got a spot on the team as a backup wide receiver.

“I knew I could help the football team. Help the coaches out and help the team out. And a degree from here will really help me out,” said Ezekwe, who is on track to graduate in May with a civil engineering degree.

Ezekwe appeared in 10 of 11 games in 2006, mostly on special teams. He made another move this spring, from offense to defense, and has finally found his niche. Playing strong safety in the Keydets’ dime package, he has 11 tackles in their first five games.

His goal is still to earn a starting spot before the end of the season. That would be yet another switch as his long and winding athletic career wraps up.

“I’ve been trying real hard. I’ve been trying to get this amount of playing time and I’m going to work a little more to get the starting spot,” Ezekwe said. “I just have to work a little harder on everything. Reading the offense, reading the line, and just making plays in general. I think I’m almost there, though.”