Photo: mulumba16/Instagram
The signing window for the 2024 season of the European League of Football is slowly coming to an end. Towards the end of the signing phase, the Stuttgart Surge announced another highlight for the defense: the Finnish NCAA Div. 1 player, CFL player and NFL Pathway Program participant Chris Mulumba is signed by the Surge and will be a defensive lineman for the defense in 2024.
The 31-year-old defensive tackle Chris Mulumba was born in Finland and already has an amazing sporting resume behind him: After practicing judo in his youth and obtaining a black belt in it, he began to get to know American football with the Helsinki Roosters . He played for the Roosters from 2009 to 2012.
American football scouts quickly became aware of him, so in 2014 he went to Chabot College in Hayward, California, where he played for the Gladiators. In the season he completed there, he recorded 35 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss and one sack. For the 2015 to 2016 seasons he transferred to Diablo Valley College and achieved a total of 63 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in 10 games. With these statistics, it’s no surprise that higher-tier colleges took notice of him.
The University of Colorado Boulder, which plays with the Buffaloes in the Pac-12 and therefore in the NCAA Div. I (FBS) plays, became aware of him and brought him in. At the highest college level in 2017 to 2018, Mulumba had 57 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 24 games. Because of these outstanding performances, the Finn was named Finnish Football Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and was named to the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award Watchlist as one of the best defensive ends in college football. In addition, Mulumba received the Ron Scott Award in 2018 as Most Improved Defensive Lineman and was named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team.
After his college career, the 1.90 meter tall and 127 kilogram Finnish defensive tackle remained in the focus of scouts, so he was accepted into the NFL International Player Pathway Program in 2020. He was part of the same IPP generation as the German David Bada and the two Austrians Sandro Platzgummer and Bernhard Seikovits.
In 2021, Mulumba was drafted in the Canadian Football League Global Draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, for whom he played from 2021 to 2023.
With this top-class resume and diverse football experience at a very high level, Chris Mulumba represents a significant reinforcement for the Surge’s defense.
„I’m really excited to sign with Surge and play at the highest level in Europe. My goal is to help the Surge win the championship!” – Chris Mulumba
College and CFL veteran Chris Mulumba to play defense for the Surge!
The signing window for the 2024 season of the European League of Football is coming to an end. The Stuttgart Surge announce another defensive highlight as the signing period comes to a close: Finnish NCAA Div. 1 player, CFL player and NFL Pathway Program participant Chris Mulumba has signed with the Surge and will be a defensive lineman for the Surge in 2024.
Born in Finland, 31-year-old defensive tackle Chris Mulumba already has an impressive athletic resume: After practicing judo in his youth and earning a black belt in the sport, he was introduced to American football with the Helsinki Roosters. He played for the Roosters from 2009 to 2012.
He quickly caught the attention of American football scouts, and in 2014 he went to Chabot College in Hayward, California, where he played for the Gladiators. In the season he played there, he recorded 35 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss and a sack. He transferred to Diablo Valley College for the 2015 to 2016 seasons, where he recorded 63 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in 10 games. With those stats, it’s no surprise that higher-level colleges took notice of him.
The Buffaloes of the University of Colorado Boulder are members of the Pac-12 and play in the NCAA Div. I FBS division. At the highest collegiate level, Mulumba recorded 57 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 24 games from 2017 to 2018. Due to these outstanding performances, Mulumba was named the Finnish Football Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and was named to the 2018 Ted Hendricks Award Watch List as one of the best defensive ends in college football. Additionally, Mulumba received the Ron Scott Award as the Most Improved Defensive Lineman in 2018 and was named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team.
Following his collegiate career, the 1,90 m, 127 kg Finnish defensive tackle continued to draw the attention of scouts and was accepted into the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program in 2020. He was part of the same IPP generation as Germany’s David Bada and Austria’s Sandro Platzgummer and Bernhard Seikovits.
Mulumba was selected in the 2021 Canadian Football League Global Draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, with whom he played from 2021 to 2023.
With this elite resume and his diverse high-level football experience, Chris Mulumba is a significant addition to the Surge’s defense.
“I’m very excited to sign with Surge and to be playing at the highest level in Europe. My goal is to help Surge win the championship!” – Chris Mulumba
Author: Sascha Müller
2024-03-24 16:55:26
#College #CFL #veteran #Chris #Mulumba #defends #Surge
