Enugu a winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007, was born in Enugu in 1977 and grew up in Nsukka. The Enugu Rangers, a first-division professional league association football team, is Enugu's home team that plays in the Nigerian Premier League and are based in the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. Former Rangers players include Jay-Jay Okocha and Taribo West. Enugu's main sports centre is the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, named after Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Nigeria. The stadium remained the centre of sports for the whole of the Eastern Region until the Nigerian Civil War broke out. At the
Enugu Rangers set up one of the greatest ties in Nigerian football history as Enugu were drawn against Shooting Stars. Rangers would go on to defeat Canon Yaounde 5-2 on aggregate in the final, including a 4-1 win on Nigerian soil. During this time period, Rangers boasted a number of Nigerian national team players such as Christian Chukwu, goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala and Aloysius Atuegbu. Led by coach Christian Chukwu, Enugu won the 1983 Nigerian Cup, defeating DIC Bees of Kaduna 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Rangers won their sixth title in 1984 with a number of players who had led