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Henoc Muamba (born February 23, 1989) is a Congolese-Canadian former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
who played in both 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) and
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He was a two-time CFL All-Star, three-time CFL Divisional All-Star, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2017. In
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, he won the
Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
with the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) and Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian, becoming the second player in history to earn both awards. He was also a member of the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...
,
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
,
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
,
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
, and
Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...
. He was selected first overall by the Blue Bombers in the 2011 CFL draft, becoming the first player from the
St. Francis Xavier X-Men The St. Francis Xavier X-Men and X-Women are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary home turf is Oland Stadium located at the University's campus. Hist ...
to be chosen first overall in the draft.


Professional career


Winnipeg Blue Bombers

In 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 ...
’s Amateur Scouting Bureau final rankings, he was ranked as the third-best player for players eligible in the 2011 CFL draft, and first by players in
Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
. On May 6, 2011, a
Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...
source leaked the Blue Bombers' intentions to select Muamba with the first overall pick in the 2011 CFL draft. To no surprise, Muamba was indeed selected first overall by Winnipeg in the draft and was signed to his first professional contract on May 30, 2011. He played in his first professional game on August 26, 2011, against the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...
. He played mostly on special teams in his first year in the league and scored his first touchdown on a blocked punt return which he brought back 52 yards for the score on September 30, 2011, against the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
. Muamba played in 11 regular season games in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
where he totalled 15 special teams tackles, one forced fumble, and one touchdown. He played in both post-season games, including his first
Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
appearance in the 2011 championship game, but the Blue Bombers lost to 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 ...
. Muamba became a very significant part of the Bombers defence in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
as he recorded 65 tackles and three sacks while adding another 20 tackles on special teams. Muamba built upon the strong 2012 season he had with an even better 2013 season. He set a new career high with 106 defensive tackles (second most in the league), while also adding one quarterback sack and one interception. His outstanding 2013 campaign was recognized by the Blue Bombers as he was unanimously voted as the team's Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Canadian. He won the Lew Hayman Trophy as the East Division's Most Outstanding Canadian. On February 5, 2014, Muamba was released by the Blue Bombers to pursue an NFL contract.


Indianapolis Colts

On February 6, 2014, Muamba signed with the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
. He played in 13 regular season games with the Colts and recorded three solo tackles and two assisted tackles. He was waived on September 5, 2015.


Montreal Alouettes (first stint)

On September 30, 2015, Muamba signed with the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
nearing the end of the
2015 CFL season The 2015 CFL season was the 62nd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 58th Canadian Football League season. The Edmonton Eskimos won the 103rd Grey Cup on November 29, defeating the Ottawa Redblacks 26–20 in Winni ...
. Muamba played in four games for the Alouettes, contributing 14 tackles and one interception. On February 16, 2016, Muamba was released by the Alouettes to once again pursue his NFL interest.


Dallas Cowboys

Muamba signed with the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
of the NFL on July 30, 2016. He was released by the Cowboys on the final 53-man cut down day September 2, 2016.


Saskatchewan Roughriders

On October 5, 2016, Muamba and the
Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...
agreed to terms on a contract bringing him back to the CFL for the third time. In a partial season with the Riders, Muamba contributed 18 tackles on defence, nine on specials teams, with two sacks and two forced fumbles. In his second season in Saskatchewan, Muamba played in 17 regular season games, amassing 82 defensive tackles, 11 tackles on special teams, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Muamba was released by the Riders at the start of free agency, to avoid paying him an offseason bonus of $35,000 Canadian.


Montreal Alouettes (second stint)

On April 12, 2018, Muamba agreed to a three-year contract with the Alouettes with whom he had played during the 2015 CFL season. Muamba earned a career high in tackles with 108, a career high in sacks with five, as well as one interception and one forced fumble. This standout season earned Muamba award nominations by the Alouettes for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, Defensive Player, and Canadian Player. Muamba was also named to the CFL-East All-Star team. Muamba had another strong season in
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
as he played in 17 regular season games and recorded 93 defensive tackles, one sack, and two forced fumbles. He again received the team nomination for Most Outstanding Canadian and this time won the league award for the first time in his career. He was also named a CFL All-Star for the second time in his career for the
2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...
. The Alouettes also returned to the playoffs in 2019 after a four-year absence and Muamba played in two post-season games where he recorded a total of 15 defensive tackles.


Toronto Argonauts

On March 16, 2021, Muamba signed with the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
. In his first season in Toronto Muamba played in 10 games contributing with 49 tackles, two quarterbacks sacks and one interception. He re-signed with the Argos on January 25, 2022. In his second season with the Argos Muamba played in 17 regular season games and recorded 75 defensive tackles, three quarterback sacks, two interceptions and one tackle on special teams. He won the
109th Grey Cup The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 CFL season, 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regin ...
against the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...
, winning both the Grey Cup MVP and Most Valuable Canadian in the process. Following the 2022 season, in late January 2023, Muamba revealed he was considering retirement after 11 seasons of professional football. With his playing future uncertain he became a free agent on February 14, 2023. In the days following the start of free agency the Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said the team was in correspondence with Muamba about his future. However, it was announced on February 21, 2023, that he had re-signed with the Argonauts. Muamba missed the entire 2023 season due to injury. He became a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
upon the expiry of his contract on February 13, 2024. He retired on February 26, 2024.


Personal life

Muamba was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
), but grew up in
Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...
. He played university football for
St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Fran ...
in
Antigonish, Nova Scotia Antigonish ( ; ) is a town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland. It is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of Halif ...
, and is the school's all-time leader in tackles, with 149.5. His brother,
Cauchy Muamba Cauchy Muamba (born May 8, 1987) is a Congolese-born former Canadian football player who played defensive back. He most recently played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 34th overall by the BC Lion ...
, is a
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 ...
who also plays professionally and played with Hénoc and the Alouettes in 2019. In 2023, he was nominated and was one of the recipients of the 2023 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards.


References


External links


Toronto Argonauts bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Muamba, Henoc 1989 births Living people St. Francis Xavier X-Men football players Sportspeople from Kinshasa Sportspeople from Mississauga Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Indianapolis Colts players American football linebackers Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Canada Canadian football linebackers Democratic Republic of the Congo players of Canadian football Democratic Republic of the Congo players of American football Black Canadian players of American football Canadian players of American football Players of Canadian football from Ontario Montreal Alouettes players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners Toronto Argonauts players First overall CFL draft picks Dallas Cowboys players