Bright Dike

College and amateur

Born in Edmond, Oklahoma, Dike attended Edmond North High School, and played college soccer at the University of Notre Dame from 2005 to 2009, redshirting his junior season in 2007. As a senior, he started all 21 games for the Irish, led the team in goals (12) and total points (29), and was named to the all-Big East Championship team. During his college years Dike also played one season with the Indiana Invaders in the USL Premier Development League.

Professional

Dike was drafted in the first round (12th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew. However, after training with the club all preseason, he did not make the squad and was released. On 7 April 2010, Dike signed a one-year contract with Portland Timbers. He made his professional debut on 22 April 2010 in a game against AC St. Louis. Dike recorded his first professional hat trick by scoring three goals in a 22 June 2010 US Open Cup match vs. the Kitsap Pumas. During the 2010 USSF D2 Pro League season Dike appeared in 23 matches for Portland in which he scored 10 goals. On 19 October 2010 Dike was named as one of the first four players to be signed by the Portland Timbers ahead of their expansion into Major League Soccer in 2011, along with Steve Cronin, Ryan Pore and Eddie Johnson. Dike was loaned to USL Pro club Los Angeles Blues on 8 May 2012 and recalled to Portland on 10 July 2012. After returning to the Portland, Dike scored 5 goals in the remaining 11 games of…

On 11 November 2012, Dike received a call up to the Nigerian national team for a friendly against Venezuela in Miami. On 14 November 2012 he made his international debut for the Super Eagles in a 3–1 victory over Venezuela in a friendly at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. He started the match and played 68 minutes. Dike earned his second call up with the national team as part of the provisional 32-man roster in December 2012 as Nigeria prepared for friendlies against Catalonia and Cape Verde in preparation for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. On 2 January 2013 Dike scored his first goal for Nigeria in a 1–1 draw in the unofficial friendly against Catalonia, a side that featured Carles Puyol, Xavi, and Gerard Pique. Despite being called a "new sensation", Dike was left off of the roster for the match against Cape Verde and was not selected for Nigeria's final 23-man roster for the African Cup of Nations tournament. In November 2013, Dike was called back into the Nigerian squad as a replacement for the injured Uche Nwofor of SC Heerenveen for the second leg of Nigeria's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification playoff match against Ethiopia and a friendly against Italy. About bringing Dike back into the squad, Nigeria head coach Stephen Keshi said, "We are bringing (Dike) into the squad because we know what he is capable of doing and we believe he is fully fit to deliver". Dike dressed and was on the bench for the Ethiopia match but did not play. Two days later, Dike started in the…

His sister Courtney is also a soccer player, who played for the Nigeria women's national under-20 football team the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada. She scored the fastest goal in the History of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, after 18 seconds against Korea on 10 June 2014. His brother Daryl is also a soccer player, having represented the UVA Cavaliers in college before being signed in the MLS Superdraft by Orlando City SC. He is the cousin of Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike.