Ali Mohamed's path to Bemidji State forged through tragedy, resilience
Nov. 17—Not a lot of people have a story like Ali Mohamed.
Before getting carries out of the backfield as a Bemidji State running back, Mohamed was raised in Arizona. He is the son of Sudanese refugees who, amid the Second Sudanese Civil War, immigrated to the Southwest under challenging circumstances.
His parents didn't speak English when they came to the United States. They were escaping brutal, violent conflict in their home country, and the adversity didn't end in America. It's been a backdrop of Mohamed's life, one that forced him to grow up much sooner than the other kids his age.
"My freshman year of high school, my father passed away," Mohamed said. "I lived in a household with six other siblings. And it was pretty hard. My parents came here as refugees from Sudan. They came here to America (in the 1990s) because there was a lot of war that was happening. They brought two of my brothers up here with them, and then they had five other children born in America."
Mohamed was raised with a hard-nosed mentality born out of his parents' upbringing in Africa. It's one he's leaned on through the years to weather the different forms of adversity that come his way.
"Thanks to my dad, I grew up," Mohamed said. "He taught me how to grow up. And I grew up fast. He always taught (that) in Africa, it's a different outlook in life. There's 4-year-olds that take care of their 3-month-old brother or sister, and that's what my mom was doing when she was living in Africa. When she was like a 4-year-old, she would take care of her 3-month old brother or sister while her parents went away to go do whatever they were doing. They taught us their cultural beliefs, and we live by them in our household."
As he progressed through grade school in the face of those challenges, Mohamed began to blossom on the Apollo High School football field in Glendale. It opened up doors for him to pursue a college education and explore new parts of the states.
"They say the strong go up north, so that's where I (went)," he said. "Minot (State) was the only school to actually offer me a college scholarship, like a true college scholarship. I had a preferred walk-on (offer) at Utah, and I had some quote-unquote 'scholarships,' but they weren't really scholarships. Minot was really the only school to actually bet their marbles on me. It wasn't really a true full scholarship, but it was financially the most responsible route to take."
That paid off handsomely in Mohamed's first three seasons with the other NSIC Beavers, as he rushed for 2,567 total yards. He was a Harlon Hill semifinalist in 2021, running for 1,159 yards on 251 carries.
Mohamed opted to transfer to Bemidji State for his senior season after a coaching change at Minot State. This season, he has run for 454 yards while splitting carries with fellow senior Sage Booker. Both veteran running backs have the same exact number of rushing yards, and both were named to the All-NSIC Second Team.
Adjusting to another new city has required some adaptation, but Mohamed feels more settled after spending the better part of a year in northern Minnesota. He's also happy to be going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time, an experience he never even sniffed in Minot.
"I've won more college games this season than I had my last three college years," he noted.
Both in Minot and Bemidji, he's continued to make sacrifices. Mohamed is far away from most of his family, many of whom still live in the Phoenix metropolitan area. His girlfriend resides in Minot, where they still share an apartment.
Additionally, Mohamed is a practicing Muslim in a city without a mosque. He fasted for Ramadan earlier this year, which meant he could neither eat nor drink during daylight hours for most of the Beavers' spring practice. The only mosques he can attend are hours away from Bemidji.
"It's kind of hard to attend a mosque, because I think the closest one is either (in) Fargo or you've got to drive down to the Cities to actually go to a mosque," Mohamed said. "So during Eid (al-Fitr), you have to travel to go down there. You can pray without going to a mosque. But you feel that connection. That environment's different when you're actually praying in the mosque (from) when you're praying at home."
As he has throughout his life, Mohamed makes it work. With everything he's been through, he's developed a robust playbook to deal with difficulties.
"I've definitely grown as a person, as a brother, as a role model," he said. "I've grown up. I was unfortunately put in some circumstances where I had to grow up at an early age. And ever since that day, I've grown as a man."
Nowadays, Mohamed's younger brothers are also thriving in college athletics. His brother Ahamed is entering his second season playing basketball at Texas Western and was named to the Lone Star Conference All-Freshman Team for 2022-23. Adam, who is two years younger than Ahamed, recently committed to play football at Arizona.
The brotherly love exhibited within Mohamed's family continues even as the siblings go their separate ways. Wherever they are, the Mohameds know their familial bonds will remain strong.
"It's family first," Mohamed said. "(We) help each other out. (It falls) back more on (helping) your brother and sister, which is an Islamic belief. Help thy neighbor. That's also in the Bible as well. Help people out who need help."
