On April 24, Clemson lost arguably the greatest soccer player to ever grace the Tigers’ campus.

Nnamdi Nwokocha, a decorated player and record-holder, died of meningitis at the young age of 46 in his native country of Nigeria.

Soccer SID Sam Blackman, who’s been a part of the program for nearly 30 years, remembers Nwokocha with wonder.

“I saw him do things that I’ll probably never see again,” Blackman said. “He once scored seven goals in one half (against Belmont Abby on September 9, 1979)! He was just a phenomenal presence who could dominate with his ability.”

Nwokocha, of Onitsha, Nigeria, had recently been working in eastern Nigeria as an advisor to a governor of the state for sports affairs. But long before he made his impact in the US over three unreal seasons at Clemson.

Breaking on to the scene in 1979, Nwokocha led his team to the NCAA National Championship match while leading the ACC in goal scoring and assists en route to being named Player of the Year.

Nwokocha was a two-time All-American and still holds the school record for points – he’s second on the ACC list. He finished his exemplary career with 19 game-winning goals and a 1.17 goals per game average and was named to the ACC’s 50th year Anniversary team.

More importantly, was the legacy he left off the field and the impact he made on those that knew him.

“I remember he was always in the library, and a very polite guy. He was a good person and a great citizen,” Blackman said. We lost one of our great heroes.”