A Legendary Demon Deacon Career Vaults Ike Opara into Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame
2/21/2025 10:21:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
Opara burst onto the scene as a freshman, leading Wake Forest men’s soccer to its first National Championship in 2007 and two more College Cup appearances.
After an injury caused Ike Opara to miss his junior season of high school soccer and his scholarship offer to Clemson was rescinded, he received a call of interest from then-Wake Forest men's soccer assistant coach Bobby Muuss.
Muuss visited with Opara, and went to watch him play at Jordan High School in Durham. Muuss came away impressed and advised then-head coach Jay Vidovich to offer Opara the opportunity to become a Demon Deacon.
The Demon Deacons won a National Championship in 2007, as the freshman earned All-American honors while setting a program record for most starts by a debuting Wake Forest player.
Born and raised in Durham Opara attended Jordan High School before piecing together a legendary three-year career at Wake Forest, taking the Demon Deacons to the College Cup all three seasons before moving on to an 11-year professional career in the MLS.
Opara will be inducted in late February as part of the 2025 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame class.
With a chip on his shoulder from having what he self-describes as an "unorthodox" playing style, Opara said he had a lot of uncertain interest from multiple big-name programs in the recruiting process.
"Back then, my athleticism was my standout trait, but it wasn't the typical soccer trait at the time," he said. "So I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder, especially when club teammates who I believed I was on par with or better than were getting recruited, and I wasn't. But then randomly, I would get interest from top programs. I was kind of a tweener for some. I actually settled on wanting to go to Clemson.
"I went on an unofficial visit, and it pretty much sold me on Clemson. However, that fall, I got injured and missed almost an entire year. I still thought I would go to Clemson. When I returned to health and communicated with Clemson's coaches, I learned that the scholarship offer had been given away, so it no longer existed. I even offered to walk on, but there wasn't even a spot for me. My injury completely threw things for a loop."
That all took place as Opara was entering his senior season at Jordan, well after most of his peers had already made college choices.
"I had missed a whole year, and when universities reached out, I often told them no because I was set on Clemson," he said. "I was a bit naive. Then, randomly, Bobby Muuss reached out. I don't know how he heard about me, but he put in a lot of time and effort, attending my games and even coming to a high school game, which was rare. Bobby played a big part in convincing Jay to take a chance on me, especially after my injury. That's why I'm grateful to Bobby.
"Even though I grew up in the backyard of Duke and UNC, I didn't get many opportunities from them. It was clear I wasn't a top choice for many of those universities. But Bobby prioritized seeing me, which made me feel valued. Wake Forest was a big-time program and close to home, so it made sense."
Because he'd missed a year of development during his junior season in high school, Opara felt like he arrived in Winston-Salem for summer school entering the 2007 season.
"I was a little behind, but I was still a confident kid," he said. "I believed in my ability, but I knew there'd be a learning curve. It wasn't until I got to school in the summer before freshman year, when I did summer school, that I realized, 'Oh, this is going to be a big learning curve.' The great thing about Wake, the teammates, and the coaches was that they let me be me. They let me be authentically myself. They didn't try to change who I was.
"They let me be myself, and I figured out how to fit in with the culture that was created there. I was just in my hometown for Thanksgiving, and my parents kept newspaper write-ups from games and such. There was a quote from Jay saying he didn't even know if I was going to make the team and thought I would redshirt. Now that I am on this side of things, I understand why he felt that way. I was a center back and probably sixth on the team at that position, so there was no way I was likely to see the field."
But as things tend to happen in college soccer, some injuries happened during the preseason, giving Opara a chance to contribute early.
"A couple of guys got hurt within two weeks," he recalled. "The captain got hurt in the first game, and one or maybe two center backs were injured. I happened to be on the bench for the game, and with no other options, Jay put me in, and I flourished. Rising to the occasion has always been my personality, and I tend to succeed through trial by fire.
"Playing that first game off the bench led to performing well, and from there, I played throughout the rest of the year. It's crazy; it took three or four injuries within a short span for me to play. Injuries happen, but in your position that quickly, that's rare. I was very lucky to get the opportunity, even though it was due to unfortunate injuries, but in sports, opportunities often come unexpectedly, and I was ready."
And what a magical first season of collegiate soccer it ended up being for Opara and his Demon Deacon teammates.
"That year, after a handful of games, we realized we were pretty good as a team," he said. "So how do you sustain being good? How do you challenge yourself every single day, every game? Especially in the ACC, the best soccer conference in the country, how do you ensure you're ready for each game? That was our biggest challenge.
"We had confidence that if we showed up ready, we could beat anybody. But it's easier said than done with midweek games, classes and the usual student-athlete juggling act. How could we, as a group and individually, ensure we were ready to play when the ball started rolling? One of our biggest challenges was not assuming merely showing up would get us the result."
After finishing the regular season 15-1-2, the Demon Deacons made it to the championship game of the ACC Tournament in Cary before falling 2-1 to Boston College. It was the second time the Eagles, who earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeated the Deacs, who became the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Wins over Furman, West Virginia and Notre Dame in front of the Spry Stadium faithful thrust the Demon Deacons into the College Cup in Cary, with the chance to battle three other teams for the national championship.
"You do realize it a bit in the moment when you're in the Final Four and look up to see the biggest supporting group because you're from down the road, and everyone else either flew in or bused in," Opara said. "It was definitely an advantage for us. The ACC tournament was always in Cary, even our spring games, so it became our home away from home. We were very comfortable there. I felt it then, and still see it now, as the ACC Tournament often is there, keeping the tradition alive."
The Deacs defeated Virginia Tech 2-0 in the semifinal matchup, then came from being to capture the title with a 2-1 victory over Ohio State.
"We went down 1-0 until probably 10 or 15 minutes into the second half when we scored our first goal, and then we quickly got another one," Opara said. "It was like a 'I don't know what's happening' moment. That was one of my first games with a storybook ending in a meaningful game. I've played sports all my life and have been part of some last-minute goals, but never in a game that truly mattered had I experienced a comeback like that in such a short time. It was the first rush of adrenaline I ever had in that way. You always remember your first, right?
"I remember that feeling, and that game, like it was yesterday, and I probably always will because it was the first time I felt that as an athlete."
The early success and accolades Opara earned meant his role changed rapidly, and his leadership would be needed for the Demon Deacons.
"I remember after my freshman fall, I started getting called into national team camps that spring," he said. "Maybe that was around the time when I realized the expectations had changed a little bit. I might have been a bit naive, and sometimes that naivety was positive; I just wanted to show up, play, and prove myself without knowing where any of this would lead.
"Going into my sophomore fall, I was feeling very good and definitely felt like I had arrived at some point. The whole season played out well again, and to Jay's credit, he did a fantastic job of shielding the players from distractions, such as agents sniffing around during the year. He protected us, allowing us to focus on being student-athletes and limiting distractions."
His sophomore campaign saw another trip to the College Cup, as Opara earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, along with first-team All-American honors from TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News.
Though he decided to return to Wake Forest for a third season, Opara was starting to realize he'd likely be able to parlay his talents toward a professional soccer career.
"Towards ACC tournament time, I learned that the MLS season and everything started to coincide and come to an end, I got wind that I was going to be a Generation Adidas product or on that short list," he said. "When I found out, it hit me; I knew it was a possibility, but even though I was playing well, it still didn't feel real that I could actually attain that. Truthfully, when I came to Wake, my biggest passion was to play at the ACC level—I grew up in Durham, ACC country. While going pro was a dream, I had never seen anyone model what that looked like.
"I had players I played with or against at Duke and UNC, so I could see what that might look like, but I had never witnessed the pro game or understood what it took to reach that level. So when the realization hit, it was like a ton of bricks."
Opara closed his Wake Forest career out on a high note, as the Demon Deacons once again advanced all the way to the College Cup. Individually, Opara claimed All-American honors by the United Soccer Coaches, Soccer America, College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer, and was also a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy for the top player in all of college soccer.
"I approached that last season knowing this would probably be it," he said. "I was in a different mindset and headspace. It was a challenging year because we had lost quite a few players, but we were still pretty good. It required a lot more work with the new guys and freshmen coming in. There were moments when I questioned whether I had made the right decision, but ultimately, everything works out in its own way, and I'm actually really glad that I stayed, to be honest."
After starting 62 matches for Wake Forest, Opara found himself being selected third overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes — but he continued to stay focused on completing his degree.
"I worked out a deal with MLS to stay for the spring semester of my junior year," he said. "I wanted to stay close to Wake Forest because, at the time, transferring credits was complicated. I had made it through two and a half years, and I didn't want to have to transfer elsewhere. I mean, that's partially why I came to Wake—I wanted to earn my Wake Forest degree. I didn't want to transfer, lose credits, and get a San Jose State degree after being drafted by San Jose.
"So I worked out a deal to stay for that spring semester. What ultimately ended up happening was I would travel to San Jose from Thursday to Sunday. I'd come back to Wake and attend classes Monday through Thursday. After class on Thursday, I would head back to San Jose. I ended up getting my Wake degree in 2014."
After an 11-year MLS career, Opara took advantage of an opportunity to stay close to the game he loves.
"I decided to get into coaching," he said. "I'm currently coaching with Sporting Kansas City's second team, their reserve team, and I've been doing that for the past three years."
He lives in Kansas City with his wife of six years Erin and their two-year old son Revan.
"Being a father and enjoying that side of life has given me a new perspective," he said. "I think my career and everything I went through have provided me with insights that have led me to this moment, and it's all been for something. It's played a big role in how I coach, how I parent, and how I am as a husband to my wife. As much as I didn't want to go through some of those challenges, I can now see them as positive experiences when I step back and look at it from a different angle. I can't complain; I'm in Kansas City, Missouri, and I'm happy.
"I think that's the biggest thing for a lot of guys. You have a great career in college and professionally, but you might feel like you need more or that you're missing something, and I get that can be a struggle. But for me, I'm just genuinely happy and grateful for what I was able to do and the way I was able to be part of the game."
Opara is looking forward to returning to Wake Forest to celebrate his enshrinement with his coaches, family and teammates.
"I just want to thank all the teammates and coaches I had," he said. "As much as this story is about me, I would be remissed not to mention them, as they were a huge factor in where I am today and in how I had the career I did. I wouldn't have been able to achieve all this at any other program. I owe them a lot for providing structure, guidance, and some banter as well. They played a significant role in helping me understand how to be a professional, especially in college."
Muuss visited with Opara, and went to watch him play at Jordan High School in Durham. Muuss came away impressed and advised then-head coach Jay Vidovich to offer Opara the opportunity to become a Demon Deacon.
The Demon Deacons won a National Championship in 2007, as the freshman earned All-American honors while setting a program record for most starts by a debuting Wake Forest player.
Born and raised in Durham Opara attended Jordan High School before piecing together a legendary three-year career at Wake Forest, taking the Demon Deacons to the College Cup all three seasons before moving on to an 11-year professional career in the MLS.
Opara will be inducted in late February as part of the 2025 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame class.
With a chip on his shoulder from having what he self-describes as an "unorthodox" playing style, Opara said he had a lot of uncertain interest from multiple big-name programs in the recruiting process.
"Back then, my athleticism was my standout trait, but it wasn't the typical soccer trait at the time," he said. "So I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder, especially when club teammates who I believed I was on par with or better than were getting recruited, and I wasn't. But then randomly, I would get interest from top programs. I was kind of a tweener for some. I actually settled on wanting to go to Clemson.
"I went on an unofficial visit, and it pretty much sold me on Clemson. However, that fall, I got injured and missed almost an entire year. I still thought I would go to Clemson. When I returned to health and communicated with Clemson's coaches, I learned that the scholarship offer had been given away, so it no longer existed. I even offered to walk on, but there wasn't even a spot for me. My injury completely threw things for a loop."
That all took place as Opara was entering his senior season at Jordan, well after most of his peers had already made college choices.
"I had missed a whole year, and when universities reached out, I often told them no because I was set on Clemson," he said. "I was a bit naive. Then, randomly, Bobby Muuss reached out. I don't know how he heard about me, but he put in a lot of time and effort, attending my games and even coming to a high school game, which was rare. Bobby played a big part in convincing Jay to take a chance on me, especially after my injury. That's why I'm grateful to Bobby.
"Even though I grew up in the backyard of Duke and UNC, I didn't get many opportunities from them. It was clear I wasn't a top choice for many of those universities. But Bobby prioritized seeing me, which made me feel valued. Wake Forest was a big-time program and close to home, so it made sense."
Because he'd missed a year of development during his junior season in high school, Opara felt like he arrived in Winston-Salem for summer school entering the 2007 season.
"I was a little behind, but I was still a confident kid," he said. "I believed in my ability, but I knew there'd be a learning curve. It wasn't until I got to school in the summer before freshman year, when I did summer school, that I realized, 'Oh, this is going to be a big learning curve.' The great thing about Wake, the teammates, and the coaches was that they let me be me. They let me be authentically myself. They didn't try to change who I was.
"They let me be myself, and I figured out how to fit in with the culture that was created there. I was just in my hometown for Thanksgiving, and my parents kept newspaper write-ups from games and such. There was a quote from Jay saying he didn't even know if I was going to make the team and thought I would redshirt. Now that I am on this side of things, I understand why he felt that way. I was a center back and probably sixth on the team at that position, so there was no way I was likely to see the field."
But as things tend to happen in college soccer, some injuries happened during the preseason, giving Opara a chance to contribute early.
"A couple of guys got hurt within two weeks," he recalled. "The captain got hurt in the first game, and one or maybe two center backs were injured. I happened to be on the bench for the game, and with no other options, Jay put me in, and I flourished. Rising to the occasion has always been my personality, and I tend to succeed through trial by fire.
"Playing that first game off the bench led to performing well, and from there, I played throughout the rest of the year. It's crazy; it took three or four injuries within a short span for me to play. Injuries happen, but in your position that quickly, that's rare. I was very lucky to get the opportunity, even though it was due to unfortunate injuries, but in sports, opportunities often come unexpectedly, and I was ready."
And what a magical first season of collegiate soccer it ended up being for Opara and his Demon Deacon teammates.
"That year, after a handful of games, we realized we were pretty good as a team," he said. "So how do you sustain being good? How do you challenge yourself every single day, every game? Especially in the ACC, the best soccer conference in the country, how do you ensure you're ready for each game? That was our biggest challenge.
"We had confidence that if we showed up ready, we could beat anybody. But it's easier said than done with midweek games, classes and the usual student-athlete juggling act. How could we, as a group and individually, ensure we were ready to play when the ball started rolling? One of our biggest challenges was not assuming merely showing up would get us the result."
After finishing the regular season 15-1-2, the Demon Deacons made it to the championship game of the ACC Tournament in Cary before falling 2-1 to Boston College. It was the second time the Eagles, who earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeated the Deacs, who became the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Wins over Furman, West Virginia and Notre Dame in front of the Spry Stadium faithful thrust the Demon Deacons into the College Cup in Cary, with the chance to battle three other teams for the national championship.
"You do realize it a bit in the moment when you're in the Final Four and look up to see the biggest supporting group because you're from down the road, and everyone else either flew in or bused in," Opara said. "It was definitely an advantage for us. The ACC tournament was always in Cary, even our spring games, so it became our home away from home. We were very comfortable there. I felt it then, and still see it now, as the ACC Tournament often is there, keeping the tradition alive."
The Deacs defeated Virginia Tech 2-0 in the semifinal matchup, then came from being to capture the title with a 2-1 victory over Ohio State.
"We went down 1-0 until probably 10 or 15 minutes into the second half when we scored our first goal, and then we quickly got another one," Opara said. "It was like a 'I don't know what's happening' moment. That was one of my first games with a storybook ending in a meaningful game. I've played sports all my life and have been part of some last-minute goals, but never in a game that truly mattered had I experienced a comeback like that in such a short time. It was the first rush of adrenaline I ever had in that way. You always remember your first, right?
"I remember that feeling, and that game, like it was yesterday, and I probably always will because it was the first time I felt that as an athlete."
The early success and accolades Opara earned meant his role changed rapidly, and his leadership would be needed for the Demon Deacons.
"I remember after my freshman fall, I started getting called into national team camps that spring," he said. "Maybe that was around the time when I realized the expectations had changed a little bit. I might have been a bit naive, and sometimes that naivety was positive; I just wanted to show up, play, and prove myself without knowing where any of this would lead.
"Going into my sophomore fall, I was feeling very good and definitely felt like I had arrived at some point. The whole season played out well again, and to Jay's credit, he did a fantastic job of shielding the players from distractions, such as agents sniffing around during the year. He protected us, allowing us to focus on being student-athletes and limiting distractions."
His sophomore campaign saw another trip to the College Cup, as Opara earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, along with first-team All-American honors from TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News.
Though he decided to return to Wake Forest for a third season, Opara was starting to realize he'd likely be able to parlay his talents toward a professional soccer career.
"Towards ACC tournament time, I learned that the MLS season and everything started to coincide and come to an end, I got wind that I was going to be a Generation Adidas product or on that short list," he said. "When I found out, it hit me; I knew it was a possibility, but even though I was playing well, it still didn't feel real that I could actually attain that. Truthfully, when I came to Wake, my biggest passion was to play at the ACC level—I grew up in Durham, ACC country. While going pro was a dream, I had never seen anyone model what that looked like.
"I had players I played with or against at Duke and UNC, so I could see what that might look like, but I had never witnessed the pro game or understood what it took to reach that level. So when the realization hit, it was like a ton of bricks."
Opara closed his Wake Forest career out on a high note, as the Demon Deacons once again advanced all the way to the College Cup. Individually, Opara claimed All-American honors by the United Soccer Coaches, Soccer America, College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer, and was also a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy for the top player in all of college soccer.
"I approached that last season knowing this would probably be it," he said. "I was in a different mindset and headspace. It was a challenging year because we had lost quite a few players, but we were still pretty good. It required a lot more work with the new guys and freshmen coming in. There were moments when I questioned whether I had made the right decision, but ultimately, everything works out in its own way, and I'm actually really glad that I stayed, to be honest."
After starting 62 matches for Wake Forest, Opara found himself being selected third overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes — but he continued to stay focused on completing his degree.
"I worked out a deal with MLS to stay for the spring semester of my junior year," he said. "I wanted to stay close to Wake Forest because, at the time, transferring credits was complicated. I had made it through two and a half years, and I didn't want to have to transfer elsewhere. I mean, that's partially why I came to Wake—I wanted to earn my Wake Forest degree. I didn't want to transfer, lose credits, and get a San Jose State degree after being drafted by San Jose.
"So I worked out a deal to stay for that spring semester. What ultimately ended up happening was I would travel to San Jose from Thursday to Sunday. I'd come back to Wake and attend classes Monday through Thursday. After class on Thursday, I would head back to San Jose. I ended up getting my Wake degree in 2014."
After an 11-year MLS career, Opara took advantage of an opportunity to stay close to the game he loves.
"I decided to get into coaching," he said. "I'm currently coaching with Sporting Kansas City's second team, their reserve team, and I've been doing that for the past three years."
He lives in Kansas City with his wife of six years Erin and their two-year old son Revan.
"Being a father and enjoying that side of life has given me a new perspective," he said. "I think my career and everything I went through have provided me with insights that have led me to this moment, and it's all been for something. It's played a big role in how I coach, how I parent, and how I am as a husband to my wife. As much as I didn't want to go through some of those challenges, I can now see them as positive experiences when I step back and look at it from a different angle. I can't complain; I'm in Kansas City, Missouri, and I'm happy.
"I think that's the biggest thing for a lot of guys. You have a great career in college and professionally, but you might feel like you need more or that you're missing something, and I get that can be a struggle. But for me, I'm just genuinely happy and grateful for what I was able to do and the way I was able to be part of the game."
Opara is looking forward to returning to Wake Forest to celebrate his enshrinement with his coaches, family and teammates.
"I just want to thank all the teammates and coaches I had," he said. "As much as this story is about me, I would be remissed not to mention them, as they were a huge factor in where I am today and in how I had the career I did. I wouldn't have been able to achieve all this at any other program. I owe them a lot for providing structure, guidance, and some banter as well. They played a significant role in helping me understand how to be a professional, especially in college."
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