| No. 44 Ottawa Redblacks | |
 Basambombo with the Redblacks in 2022 | |
| Born: | May 26, 1997 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | 6-Game Injured |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| University | Laval |
| High school | Franco Cite (ON) |
| CFL Draft | 2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 19 |
| Drafted by | Ottawa Redblacks |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2021–present | Ottawa Redblacks |
| Career stats | |
| Games | 23 |
| Def. tackles | 0 |
| ST tackles | 6 |
| |
Dan Basambombo (born May 26, 1997) is a Congolese-born Canadian football linebacker for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played U Sports football at Laval and was selected by the Redblacks in the second round of the 2020 CFL Draft.
Early life
Basambombo was born on May 26, 1997, in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] He grew up playing soccer before moving with his parents to Canada after he turned 9.[2] Afterwards, he began playing badminton and lived in Ottawa, Ontario.[2][3] He attended Franco Cite High School and was convinced to try out football by his friends after a time there.[2] Basambombo was a member of his first team, the Canterbury Mustangs, starting at the age of 14 in 2011.[4] He played for the Cumberland Panthers of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) in 2015, averaging five tackles per game.[4]
University career
Basambombo began attending Université Laval in 2016.[2] He was the youngest player on their football team and was designated a "project."[2] After seeing very limited playing time in his first two seasons, Basambombo became the starter at linebacker after an injury to Marc-Antoine Verin early in the 2018 season.[2] In his second collegiate start, he posted 11 tackles and two quarterback sacks.[2] Basambombo helped the team compile an undefeated 12–0 record while playing in eight games, as they won 34–20 in the 54th Vanier Cup.[5][2][6] He finished the season with a total of 31.5 tackles and two sacks.[7] In 2019, he sat out due to academic reasons.[8]
Professional career
Basambombo was selected in the second round of the 2020 CFL Draft with the 19th pick by the Ottawa Redblacks, being a territorial selection from the area given to the Redblacks for being a last place team in the prior season.[3][9] His rookie season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] He signed a contract with the team in February 2021.[5][10] That year, he saw limited action as a special teams player and appeared in five games.[1][7] Basambombo's role increased in 2022, as he played in all 18 games and posted six special teams tackles.[11] During 2023 training camp, he was placed on the six-game injured list with an undisclosed injury.[12]
References
- 1 2 "Dan Basambombo Stats". Pro Football Archives.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Piedboeuf, Guillaume (November 2, 2018). "Dan Basambombo, le diamant brut de Kinshasa" [Dan Basambombo, the rough diamond of Kinshasa] (in French). Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
- 1 2 Zlomislic, Jordan (June 6, 2020). ""I've got passion." Ottawa Redblacks draft pick Dan Basambombo is more than excited to play for his hometown team". JZMedia.ca.
- 1 2 Karchut, Elizabeth (August 15, 2015). "Helmets off: Linebacker Dan Basambombo of the OVFL Cumberland Panthers". The Youth Sports Network.
- 1 2 "Redblacks ink pair of 2020 draft picks". 3DownNation.com. February 18, 2021.
- ↑ Black, Peter (November 24, 2018). "Laval Rouge et Or down Western Mustangs 34-20 for 10th Vanier Cup title". Global News. The Canadian Press.
- 1 2 3 Maki, Brandon (July 12, 2022). "Redblacks Come Together From Far And Wide". Ottawa Redblacks.
- ↑ "Redblacks sign pair of draft picks". The Ottawa Citizen. February 20, 2021. p. BS20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Baines, Tim (May 2, 2020). "Redblacks Happy With Draft Haul". The Ottawa Citizen. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "RedBlacks Sign Basambombo and Szott". OurSportsCentral.com. February 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Dan Basambombo". Canadian Football League.
- ↑ 3Down Staff (2023-05-17). "Ottawa Redblacks release eight, including QB Charlie Brewer". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
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