CANADIAN COWBOYS

COWBOY COUNTRY stretches across the United States, and in recent years, the reach of Oklahoma State has found its way up into the “GREAT WHITE NORTH.”

Specifically, two current Cowboy football stars — running back Chuba Hubbard and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga — have shown that the talented, hard-working student-athletes that OSU desires can be found all across the North American continent.

Ogbongbemiga and Hubbard officially joined the Oklahoma State family in 2016 and 2017, respectively. But the relationship that the Alberta natives have, and the similar experiences they shared on their journeys to Stillwater, date back much further than their first night under Oklahoma skies. Both Cowboys began competing in organized football when they were in sixth grade and quickly fell in love with the game that would take them to places far and wide.

Three Countries, One Amazing Journey

Amen Ogbongbemiga wasn’t always the Canadian football star that Cowboy fans know him as today.

Long before he was known for crunching tackles, earning a starring role on special teams and sacking former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray during last year’s Bedlam game, Ogbongbemiga was just a kid that found himself in three different homes during three different phases of his life.

Originally born in Lagos, Nigeria, he and his family moved to Houston in 2003, then to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 2011 when he was 13 years old.

“It was a different experience for me moving from country to country,” Ogbongbemiga said. “I don’t remember much of Nigeria, to be honest. Growing up in Houston, that’s what I really call home because that was the first place I remember. After that, it was a big change moving to Canada because of the weather, the different people and atmosphere and things like that.

“I always enjoyed being in different places though. It was good for me to experience that.”

Football was an anchor for the young Ogbongbemiga, as the game traveled with him from Texas to Canada, albeit with a slightly altered rule book.

“Football really helped me moving to Canada because it helped me with making new connections,” Ogbongbemiga said. “It made it very easy to find new people to socialize with. I socialized and bonded with people quickly because it’s a sport where you have to work with people, regardless of difference.”

Canadian football holds many of the same qualities that American football does, just with some slight tweaks to its setup and execution.

The biggest difference between the two is the most obvious — the size of the field.

Canadian football fields are 110 yards long and 65 yards wide (10 yards longer and 11.67 yards wider than the American footprint). The goal posts in the northern game are also placed at the front of the end zone instead of the back. There are 12 players on the field at once, instead of 11, and three downs for the offense instead of four.

There’s also the offensive motion rule in which a player can be moving toward the line of scrimmage at the snap, putting an extra strain on defenders like Ogbongbemiga.

The differences, along with adjusting to life in a new country, could be overwhelming for most, but Amen had a tremendous support system guiding him through it all, led by his brother, Alex Ogbongbemiga

“(Amen) has always been a wonderful kid. He was quiet but had passion and loved football,”

Alex said. “A lot of younger brothers are heavily influenced by their older siblings. With me being the oldest, I knew I wanted to set a good example for him. I stayed out of trouble, didn’t do drugs or anything like that. The older we got, the closer we became, and it got to the point where anything I did he would participate in, too. Eventually, we always ended up doing the same things.”

Alex played football at the University of Houston before playing three seasons at the University of Calgary, where he recorded 26.5 tackles and helped UC win back-to-back-toback Hardy Cups as Canada West champions from 2011-13. He has also played for three franchises in the Canadian Football League, most recently signing a free agent contract with the BC Lions in the summer of 2017.

His influence over his brother was a powerful one, and it was a key part in shaping Amen and his future.

“Amen was just a small kid that loved video games and was really smart in school growing up,” Alex said. “He loves his family, cares about them and has always been a good kid. We’ve always been very, very close. Funny enough, when he comes back to Calgary, he still sleeps in my room. He’s got his own room, but we’re just that close.”

The Ogbongbemiga brothers’ close relationship helped guide Amen throughout the various stages of his life as he always had a daily demonstration of how to be successful, thanks to his older brother. There is no better illustration of that than the classroom. Amen, an accounting major, is already a two-time academic all-Big 12 first team selection entering his junior season.

“You never know what the outcome of your life is going to be, but for Amen, he sort of had the answers to the test and got them before the test,” Alex said. “I passed along everything I knew about recruiting, what it took to get the next level. I shared that with him, and it helped him a lot I think.”

“(Alex) always taught me to never be complacent,” Amen said. “There’s always someone working harder than you, and you have to have that mentality to succeed. He ingrained little things into my routine, and that’s helped me be successful up to this point.”