Veteran Rugamba welcomes opportunity to help Elks return to CFL playoffs

B.C. Lions' Emmanuel Rugamba (33) leaps over T.J. Lee (6) to avoid colliding with him as he tackles Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Nic Demski, bottom, during the first half of CFL football game in Vancouver, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. Rugamba embraces the challenge of helping return the Edmonton Elks to the CFL playoffs.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Emmanuel Rugamba embraces the challenge of helping the Edmonton Elks return to the CFL playoffs.

The veteran linebacker/defensive back was part of Edmonton general manager Ed Hervey’s deep dive into CFL free agency earlier this month.

Rugamba was among several veterans Hervey, in his second tenure with the Elks, added to his roster, including: defensive backs Royce Metchie and Tyrell Ford, defensive linemen Robbie Smith, Jake Ceresna, Jared Brinkman and Brandon Barlow, punter Cody Grace and receiver Steven Dunbar.

This followed Canadian quarterback Tre Ford -- Tyrell’s twin brother -- and linebacker Nyles Morgan being among those who signed extensions. Edmonton (7-11) was fourth in the West Division this season and last made the playoffs in 2019.

“Pressure is a privilege,” said Rugamba, who spent the last three seasons with the B.C. Lions. “Being a part of the Edmonton Elks is a privilege and that includes whatever pressure that might come with it.

“That fan base is electric and I want to go out there and give them my best. The pressure is something I look forward to.”

The five-foot-11, 194-pound Rugamba registered 73 tackles, one special-teams tackle, one sack and an interception in 16 regular-season games last year with B.C. The ’23 West Division all-star appeared in 44 regular-season contests with the Lions, recording 169 tackles, 10 special-teams tackles, four sacks and two interceptions.

“Emmanuel is a highly motivated, intelligent and well-rounded person,” said Kenny Kim of Summit Athletes, Rugamba’s Florida-based agent. “He got to experience free agency for the first time this off-season and made a business decision to sign with the team that will best showcase his skillset.

“I have full confidence he’ll again be one of the top defensive players in the league.”

Rugamba, 26, joined B.C. after making NFL history in 2021. He signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, becoming the first player of Rwandan descent to join a league team.

“I definitely think about that,” Rugamba said. “It just goes to show you’ve got to be grateful for every opportunity you get.

“Just the feedback I got from that and continue to get to this day, it’s something I take tremendous pride in. I’m definitely playing for more than myself every time I put the pads on.”

An opportunity that came from very humble beginnings.

Rugamba was born in a refugee camp in Zambia to Rwandan parents. His family had been displaced by the Rwandan civil war and spent two years in the camp before emigrating to Chicago.

Rugamba is the youngest of 11 children (brothers, sisters and cousins) his mother, Daniella Umutanguha, raised on her own in the United States. She worked to support the family while also putting herself through school to be a nurse.

“My mom really is incredible,” Rugamba said. “She could barely speak English when she was going to school.

“It’s definitely something I always think about in regards to what I’m doing for a living now, being able to live out my dream. It’s something I try to grasp every chance I get.”

Rugamba began playing football at age nine, eventually earning a scholarship to Iowa. He later transferred to Miami (Ohio).

“It wasn’t until I got to high school that I understood you could go to college for free just playing sports,” he said. “I remember being very grateful getting my first scholarship when I was 16 and seeing the smile on my mom’s face knowing she didn’t have to pay for school.”

Rugamba admits his memories of the family’s time in the refugee camp are limited, given his age at the time.

“There are definitely pictures from that time and we’ve talked as a family and shared experiences about what life was like there,” Rugamba said. “But everything I remember and we speak about, even though it was definitely a traumatic time we only saw it in a positive light regarding just how strong family can be.

“Even when you look at the pictures from back then, people are smiling and those smiles are still the same smiles we see today. I’ll never, ever forget the opportunity I have here now.”

And includes trying to win a first Grey Cup as a player and earn Edmonton’s its first championship since 2015.

“Man, it’s the pinnacle of this league,” Rugamba said. “It doesn’t matter what you do out there, what your stats are, at the end of the year you want to be the team holding that trophy over your head.

“I guarantee you’d substitute whatever stat you have to in order to get a ring in return. Like I say, pressure is a privilege and I’m going to continue to run towards that in every aspect of my career.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press