PROUD

by himself, but the coaches reassured us that it was like a family and that OSU would take care of him. That was important to us.”

It was a legitimate concern as Stillwater is 1,720 miles away from Calgary.

Amen Ogbongbemiga’s residence in Stillwater at the time was also a key part of the Cowboys landing their second Canadian recruit in as many years as the relationship between the two helped solidify Hubbard’s decision.

“Amen was a big part of it for me because it was program insider I already knew,” Hubbard said. “He told me what OSU was all about and kept it straight with me. I liked what he was saying and knew that it was the school for me.

He and I are like brothers now, and I’m glad that I ended up here.”

For Ogbongbemiga, recruiting was a bit different, as he was the first of the current Canadian Cowboys to find his way into the Lower 48.

“I started going to camps after I made my highlight tape and some schools started calling wanting to see me in person,” Ogbongbemiga said. “I got my first offer from Nevada. After that, I came down to Stillwater for a camp, performed well and got the offer from our coaches. Schools still recruited me hard, but I wanted to go to OSU and I made the decision a couple of days after camp.”

The former first-team all-district star at Notre Dame High School knew Stillwater was the right fit for him and his goals in life.

Ogbongbemiga embraced the challenge of moving back to the states, but it also provided him a chance to still be within reach of family due to his ties that remained in the city of Houston.

“Moving around showed me to never be afraid of change and coming to Oklahoma State was obviously a big change,” Ogbongbemiga said. “I was ready for it though because I had already done it. It has been beneficial (to be at OSU) because people I know in Houston are able to come to my games when we’re playing in conference or in Texas.”

Awesome for Alberta

Both Cowboys have embraced the warmer weather and other aspects of life in the United States, with Ogbongbemiga finding it much easier to drive to classes when there’s not a foot of snow covering the roads early in the morning. The transition to life in Stillwater didn’t come without its challenges for all parties, however. And those changes are things that still impact their respective lives.

For the Hubbards, it is something they deal with daily.

“I know for sure the number one thing I miss is my mom’s cooking,” Chuba said. “I don’t miss the cold at all, but I miss my family, my friends, the mountains and all that stuff. I like it here though, and this is my life now.”

“The biggest thing for me has been adjusting to life with him gone,” Candace said. “I’m still adjusting. It’s still strange to not have him around all the time, but we’re so proud of the young man that he is and how he continues to work so hard for his dreams while staying true to himself.”

While the Ogbongbemiga and Hubbard families continue to miss their star student-athletes, they, along with the province of Alberta, continue to proudly watch as both Cowboys chase the highest levels of success in the sport they love.

“Coming from Calgary, they both impact a lot of kids in Calgary and Alberta as a whole,” Alex said. “Amen was the first kid ever from his high school to go Division I. There’s a lot of kids who know who he is because when you’re the first to do something that’s not normal, people always want to know. There’s all these kids that look up to both of them now.

“They have a heavy impact on the sports community in Alberta.”

The impact that both Amen Ogbongbemiga and Chuba Hubbard have had on their respective home, the OSU football family and beyond has been immense. They have been strong representatives of their families in the classroom, on the field and in the world. Their work ethic, determination and continuous effort to succeed has helped them reach a level only a select few ever do, and it will serve them well as they continue to chase success at the highest levels of football and life when their time in Stillwater is done.

“I want to make it as far as I possibly can,” Ogbongbemiga said of his goals. “I don’t want to set limitations on myself. You’ve got to reach for the highest goal, and where life takes me I’m going to put in the work to chase those goals.”

“I really just want to succeed at the very best level I can,” said Hubbard, a sports management major. “I want to compete in the Olympics, and I’ve got a bunch of other dreams and goals, outside of sports. I want to own my own business someday, have a successful life and a good family. Right now though, I’m just trying to work my butt off for this program and my family.

“I just want to make my family proud in everything that I do."