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Ed Wang: First Chinese player in the NFL?

Thursday, 22nd April 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (2)

Ed Wang at the 2010 NFL Combine
Ed Wang at the 2010 NFL Combine
The NFL, despite rumbles you may have heard about that canceled Patriots game in Beijing and visits by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to the capital, has virtually no presence in China. And while Ed Wang can't change that on his own, the left tackle from Virginia Tech can help the league turn a few heads in the Middle Kingdom. After impressing at the NFL Combine and Virginia Tech's Pro Day, his prospects of going somewhere in the third round or beyond look good.

Wang is 6'5" and 315 pounds. He grew up in Virginia and moved from tight end to the offensive line at VT. He graduated with a business degree before the 2009 season. And he's just one generation removed from China—his parents were track and field athletes on the country's Olympic team in 1984.

This report from Northwest Asian Weekly has some great background on Wang. He speaks Mandarin, and his teammates call him Godzilla (wrong East Asian country, guys...). While he says he experienced racism on the field as a very young player, things apparently smoothed out by the time he reached high school. It probably helped that he pushes guys around like he does in these videos at CBSports.com and YouTube.

In this NFL video, Wang talks about the draft his Chinese heritage. Follow his pursuit of his pro football dream at his NFL Players blog.

Like Yao Ming, Wang is really tackling a stereotype by excelling at a big man's position. Unlike Yao, he's chosen a sport that almost no one in China plays.

Ed Wang NFL Combine image: NFLPlayers.com

Tags: American football, Ed Wang, NFL, Virginia Tech

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