Men’s Football News

Ted Kubongo, a product of Calgary, Alberta, was a big part of the Saskatchewan Huskies' second Vanier Cup appearance in two years. Kubongo was a Canada West Special Teams All-Star for his stellar kick returns, racking up 450 yards and a kickoff return touchdown. On the offensive side, Kubongo had 357 yards on the ground and another 176 in the air, adding four touchdowns for the Huskies this season.

Huskie Athletics sat down with Kubongo to hear his story during Black History Month. It was important to Kubongo to share his story during Black History Month because of what has happened in the Black community in the last few years. "I am just glad we are prioritizing our Black community. A lot has happened in the last few years, not just in the Black community, but the minority community, and I am glad we are spreading awareness."
 
Kubongo got his start in football when he was younger and still feels like a kid when he steps out on the field. "Football was that one contact sport I was allowed to play and just be a kid. Every time I step on the field life just feels like it is paused and that I am just a kid again, even though I am 24 years old. I was always a multi-sport athlete but there was just something about the game of football that made it feel special."
 
When he talked about playing high school football in Ottawa, it was then when he realized he would run into some barriers because of his race. "I definitely have had some experiences that have made me realize that my race is something people think about when I play. When I was in Ottawa, I had a coach named Jean Guillaume. He was my high school coach there and he was the only Black head coach I've had in my life. Just to see the challenges he had in his life and watching him coach our team with all the discrimination he has faced was really inspiring."
 
Equality can make sports a better place in Kubongo's mind. "Just equality. When people think of communities, they think of groups of people in their own separate areas, but I realized that sports is a special community. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what race you are or where you are from or how many people are in your family. It's just nice to be part of a greater community working towards something."
 
Kubongo came to the Huskies via transfer from the University of British Columbia. "I've made a lot of decisions in my life to make other people happy and I really wanted to make a decision that fit for me. Once I had fully decided what I wanted to do, I made that call to Coach Flory and the rest is history. It's definitely the best decision I have made in my life."
 
When thinking about his most memorable moment during his time in Canada West, Kubongo couldn't pick just one. "Honestly the whole season, I can't really pick one. This past season we faced a lot of success, a lot of tribulation, a lot of internal things that were happening. But we stood together, and the people I met here have become a band of brothers."
 
Kubongo has the following advice for young Black athletes. "Just be yourself, trust the process. Social media has played a big role in making people think they have to do stuff in a certain time or a certain way, but everyone has their own journey." 
 
The theme of Black History Month this year is resilience and Kubongo was asked what being resilient meant to him. "For me personally, I am just going back to last year and my knee surgery. It was my second one in three years and a lot of people were telling me to stop. I think being resilient is just blocking out everybody and just looking in the mirror and asking what you want."