Stony Brook, N.Y. - Nobody epitomizes the Stony Brook men’s soccer program more than Kofi Ramirez Osei-Tutu. The Norwegian, sophomore center back, who is of Ghanaian and Colombian decent, is one of 11 players born outside of the United States, making it the most international team on campus. Osei-Tutu is the most culturally-diverse of the bunch.

Kofi’s mother, Claudia, was born to Colombian parents but was adopted by a Norwegian family when she was a year old. His father, John, is a Ghanaian professor who moved to Norway at the age of 25. The two met in Norway and remained there to start a family. Osei-Tutu was born and raised in Norway but lived in Ghana for a year when he was an infant and also spent half of his fourth grade school year in Ghana to learn more about his father’s culture. The cultural diversity he was exposed to as a child is reflected in his name alone. Kofi means “born on Friday” in his father’s homeland. His Ghanaian heritage is also reflected in the Osei-Tutu. The Ramirez illustrates his Colombian background. 

“I am proud of all of my heritages,” Osei-Tutu said. “They have made me who I am today.”

Four years ago, Claudia reached out to her biological family to learn more about her culture, meeting and building a relationship with her brother in the process. Osei-Tutu hopes to do the same in the near future and fully embraces his Colombian heritage. Nonetheless, he made it very clear that his allegiance lies with the “Black Stars”, the name given to the Ghanaian men’s soccer national team.

“I am a Ghana supporter through and through,” said a grinning Osei-Tutu. “When Ghana lost to the USA in the World Cup my coaches and teammates gave me a hard time. It was cool seeing Colombia make it out of the group stage and I rooted for them too, but I am a Ghana fan before everybody else, even if they were to play Norway.”

Osei-Tutu has utilized his diverse upbringing to assimilate the different cultures (11 players from eight countries) into a cohesive unit. Heading into his sophomore year, he confirmed that he has stepped into a leadership role and is trying to use his background to bring everyone together.

“As a team, it can be challenging to develop chemistry early in the season,” Osei-Tutu admitted. “We have to match all these different styles and philosophies that guys developed in their home countries. The biggest thing for us is that the guys have to understand that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. They aren’t out there to represent the name on the back of the jersey but the Stony Brook on the front.”

There is nobody better on the roster to relay this message than the guy who speaks four different languages. 

“I am fluent in Norwegian, English and Twi (his father’s dialect) and I’pretty fluent in Spanish,” Osei-Tutu explained. “I can also understand bits and pieces of French, German and Italian.

Although his bilingual talents help him communicate off the pitch with teammates, he stresses that communication in between the lines is all English, another sign of him maturing as a team leader.

“When we are on the field it is critical that everybody speaks English because that is the only language that everybody understands. If people are communicating in different languages during a game it will lead to communication breakdowns, so we make it a point that everybody uses English.”

Improving his communication has been an area of focus for the second-year starting center back. He knows that the position requires a vocal presence to organize and stabilize the team; he is trying to be that rock. 

“As a center back you have to be that authoritative figure and you have to be strong knowing that people lean on you on and off the field,” Osei-Tutu said. “I want to be one of the leaders of this team. It is a responsibility that I have accepted and I will use it to set a high standard.”

Head men’s soccer coach Ryan Anatol has had a front row seat for Osei-Tutu’s development as a leader and is excited to watch as he continues to grow.

“Kofi has always been a guy that we don’t have to worry about,” Anatol said. “ He always does the right thing and does what is asked of him. Now he is trying to take on more responsibility, not only demanding a lot from himself, but also from his peers.” 

His cultural make-up makes him the perfect candidate to grab the team by the horns.

“He has an innate ability to integrate people from different backgrounds, which is what our team is about,” Anatol explained. “His diversity makes him empathetic and understanding of others, which is why he gets along with every single person on the team.”

Osei-Tutu was first contacted by the Stony Brook coaching staff after they saw his highlight tape posted to a recruiting service. Assistant coach Dannie Merida flew to Norway to visit Kofi and his family and impressed them enough to convince Kofi to commit to Stony Brook even though he had only been to the U.S. once, when he was 14, to visit his uncle in Virginia. Now into his third semester at Stony Brook, he knows he made the right decision.

“I think Stony Brook is the perfect fit for me,” Osei-Tutu explained. “It is such a diverse campus and I have met so many different people from different backgrounds. I love interacting with the student-body and seeing how different people from different cultures act. I think it is important to learn from other people because it allows you to appreciate everything that you have. That is something I will take with me after I graduate.”

Anatol has observed how involved Kofi has been since stepping on campus and echoes his sentiments about Stony Brook being an ideal fit.

“Kofi is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and also volunteered in the ‘Midnight Breakfast’ and ‘Stuff-A-Bus’ charity events,” Anatol beamed. “Not only is he committed to being successful on the field, but also in the classroom and the community. He always puts the team and others before himself, which is why he always jumps at the chance to get involved and give back.”

Kofi admits there have been challenges in coming to the United States. He says the thing he misses most about Norway is his family, particularly his two half-sisters, Abena (19) and Akosua (3). Although the distance is challenging, his family and friends back home still follow the Seawolves regularly, bearing the six hour time difference to watch him play whenever there is live streaming footage of his games. He hopes before his four years are up that his family can make it to the United States for a game.

Osei-Tutu hopes to springboard his playing days at Stony Brook into a professional soccer contract. Go figure, he says the country he most desires to play in is not Norway, Ghana, Colombia or the United States, but England because he is a big fan of the Barclays Premier League, particularly his favorite club, Arsenal. However, he made it clear he will take anything he can get. 

“I would love to go pro but a lot of it comes down to luck and being in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I am working hard, and in the end, the most important thing is to do what you can with what you have. Since I came to Stony Brook, I have developed into a better player. I am much more polished and composed on the ball. If you have a dream, anything is possible.”

For now his professional aspirations are on the back burner and his sole focus is on helping his team mesh so that the program can reach new heights.

“It is very important to me that everybody on the team gets along and is accepted, acknowledged and respected,” said Osei-Tutu. “I think those are the different cultures in me speaking. In Africa, respect is at the top of the list and my father made sure it was instilled in me from a very early age. The caring aspect comes from my mother.” 

It’s these qualities that have convinced Anatol that he will be successful in his future endeavors.

“Kofi is going to make the most out of his experiences here,” Anatol remarked. “Whatever his future holds, whether it’s soccer or something else, he will be an upstanding citizen and impact people in a positive way.”