Emmanuel "Manny" Rugamba (born March 10, 1998) is a Rwandan-American professional

gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Miami (OH) and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

after the

2021 NFL draft The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio from April 29 to May ...

, becoming the first Rwandan to be signed to an NFL team.

Early life

Rugamba is of Rwandan descent but was born in a refugee camp in Zambia after his family was displaced by the

Rwandan Civil War The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war arose ...

. After spending two years at the camp, his family moved to the U.S.

College career

Rugamba was ranked as a threestar recruit by 247Sports.com coming out of high school. He committed to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

on August 1, 2015 and converted from

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. After two seasons at Iowa, Rugamba decided to transfer from Iowa on May 13, 2018. He committed to Miami (OH) shortly thereafter.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Rugamba was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

on May 3, 2021. He was waived by the Browns on August 31, 2021.

BC Lions

On February 17, 2022, it was announced that Rugamba had signed with the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. He began the season on the practice roster, but made his regular season debut on August 13, 2022, against the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

where he had two defensive tackles. He was named a CFL West All-Star in 2023.

Edmonton Elks

Rugamba joined the

through free agency on February 11, 2025.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rugamba, Emmanuel 1998 births Living people American football cornerbacks BC Lions players Canadian football defensive backs Cleveland Browns players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Miami RedHawks football players Zambian players of American football Zambian players of Canadian football Rwandan players of American football Rwandan players of Canadian football Edmonton Elks players