Hall of Fame
Joshua Chidimma Obiajunwa, known to his teammates as 'Semi' (from the movie "Coming to America"), was born December 24th, 1981 in Jos, Nigeria. The youngest of seven children, he is an Igbo by tribe and a Christian by faith.
As a freshman student athlete at Benedict College, Obiajunwa, a 6-foot-6 power forward, led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds per game. In his three years at Benedict, he averaged 15.6 points and 9.7 rebounds. He helped propel the team to one SIAC regular season title, one conference tournament championship, and two NCAA regional appearances. The team was also recognized by the South Carolina State General Assembly during its 115th session for all its accomplishments. In addition to team accolades and recognition, he also received numerous individual awards from 2003-2006 which includes: Dean's Scholar three years in a row, All-Academic Team three years in a row, All Conference First Team three years in a row, Freshman of the Year, Most Valuable Player of the Year, Lucius Clark Award Recipient, NCAA Leadership Nominee, Connor Elite 12 Scholar-Athlete, and many more.
Obiajunwa graduated from Benedict College in 2006 as a Summa cum Laude honor student with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He finished with a 3.97 GPA, the highest GPA in his program.
Upon graduation, Obiajunwa gained admission to Savannah State University, where he pursued a Master's Degree in Public Administration. As a graduate student athlete, Joshua Obiajunwa helped turned the SSU men's basketball program around. During the 2006-2007 basketball season, the Savannah State men's basketball team won more games than the previous three seasons combined. Joshua Obiajunwa was named Division 1 Independent Conference player of the week five times and Savannah State Most Valuable Player of the Year. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Public Administration in 2008.
Prior to graduating from Savannah State University, Obiajunwa worked for the city of Savannah as a graduate intern for the Office of Budget and Management. He worked directly with the city manager, city council members, and the office of the Mayor in developing sister-city relationships with other cities around the world. His responsibilities included researching, analyzing, planning and preparing reports using statistics, charts, and graphs to illustrate studies in various areas, and making recommendations.
Upon graduation from Savannah State University, Obiajunwa was offered a job as Assistant Director of Intramural Sports. He was also an assistant women's basketball coach, responsible for individual player development and academic progression. He held that position until 2012.
In 2014, Obiajunwa was named interim Director of University Recreation and Wellness, and in 2015, he became the Director of University Recreation and Wellness. In 2017, he was also named the University System of Georgia (USG) well-being liaison for Savannah State. He is currently pursuing a Safety and Health Management certification program at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Obiajunwa is a father of two; a son, Joshua C. A. Obiajunwa Jr. (9) and a daughter, Michelle Ada Obiajunwa (2).
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