April 02--The Dallas Cowboys are "America's team" but they've gone international in search of talent.
The Cowboys announced Wednesday the team had signed Efe Obada, a London warehouse worker with exactly five games of American football experience, to come in and compete for an NFL job.
"This is a dream," Obada, 22, told NFLUK.com. "It's amazing and life-changing. It's a major turning point in my life and feels like a movie."
Obada, who played tight end and defensive end for the London Warriors last season when they won the British American Football Assn. national championship, signed a three-year deal with Dallas for the league minimum, starting at $435,000, according to the Cowboys' website.
The Cowboys played the Jacksonville Jaguars last season at Wembley Stadium, but their connection to the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder runs direct through Warriors defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who served as an intern coach with the Cowboys last summer.
Durde has been Obada's mentor on the Warriors.
"I didn't really know anything about American football but I was told I had the physique and that I should try it," Obada said. "I fell in love with the sport. When I went to the first practice, I was just trying to get my frustration out and release some energy. I was congratulated for hitting somebody and I liked it."
Obada will get his first taste of the NFL in May when he reports to the Cowboys' rookie minicamp.
"I just want to make the team," Obada said. "And then I want to get my first Super Bowl ring."
