Alberta’s professional football teams have had a tough 2023.
The Edmonton Elks – how long will it take before we don’t think Eskimos – are in last place, having won only four games, losing 13, including the previous three.
Calgary’s Stampeders are only slightly better, with five wins and 11 losses.
While our teams suck this year, some local players are making names for themselves down south in the National Football League (NFL).
Edmonton’s Chuba Hubbard
Edmonton’s Chuba Hubbard starred at Oklahoma State University and has been one of the more successful Canadian players in the NFL this season.
Hubbard starts as running back for the Carolina Panthers and, in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, gained 88 yards on 19 carries and scored a touchdown.
Hubbard grew up in Edmonton before moving to Sherwood Parkas as a teen. He attended Bev Facey Community High School, where he set records, rushing for 6,880 yards on 458 attempts with 82 touchdowns. He was also a standout track athlete, winning provincials in the 100m and 200m and placing at Junior Nationals.
In his three years in the NFL, Hubbard has gained over 1,000 yards and has been a dependable back on a struggling team. Over six games this year, the third-year running back is averaging a healthy 4.4 yards per carry. Hubbard’s carries have been limited as the winless Panthers are usually playing catch-up, requiring them to limit runs and prioritize passing.
In 2019, while at Oklahoma State, Hubbard won the Jon Cornish Trophy and was a consensus All-American after rushing for 2,094 yards on 328 carries and scoring 21 touchdowns.
He was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round (126th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Calgary Stampeders also picked him in the fifth round (43rd overall) in the CFL Draft that year. But Hubbard chose to sign a four-year contract worth $4.2 million with the Panthers.
Red Deer’s Carter O’Donnell
The 24-year-old Red Deer native plays offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. He played college football for the Alberta Golden Bears from 2016 to 2019. He was one of two U Sports football players to be invited to the 2020 East–West Shrine Bowl, which features the top college football players each year.
O’Donnell was drafted in the third round, 22nd overall, by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2020 CFL draft. He was not selected in the 2020 NFL Draft but signed as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent time on the practice squad.
The 6′ 5″, 313 lbs lineman was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals this summer and made the team, though he has been inactive for most games, including the recent game against the LA Rams.
Calgary’s Deane Leonard
Leonard plays cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.
The Alberta native played high school football at Notre Dame in Calgary and college football at the University of Calgary, where he helped the Dinos win the Vanier Cup in 2019. He transferred to Ole Miss and completed his college career there.
Leonard was drafted in the seventh round (236th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. He was also drafted in the second round (18th overall) in the previous year’s CFL Draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Since joining the Chargers, Leonard hasn’t logged many snaps.
Calgary’s Amen Ogbongbemiga
Stampede City also produced linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga who also attended Notre Dame High School. Born in Nigeria, Amen spent his teen years in Calgary before playing college ball at Chuba Hubbard’s alma mater Oklahoma State University.
Amen is now Leonard’s teammate on Los Angeles Chargers who signed him as a free agent after he went unselected in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was selected with the 8th overall pick in the 2021 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders. He made the Chargers final roster as a rookie and appeared in 15 games, recording 26 tackles. His brother, Alex, played for the BC Lions in the CFL.
While our CFL teams have disappointed us, local football fans still have local players to cheer for and make us proud.
