“FEELS LIKE HOME.” Anyone familiar with Southern Arkansas University knows that statement has been adopted as the slogan of one of the state’s fastest growing universities. But for a former Mulerider Football standout, that phrase can be linked to the latest chapter of his professional football journey; a voyage that has taken Don Unamba north of the border to the Canadian Football League (CFL).
A native of Hurst, Texas, Unamba was a consensus All-American as well as a first-team All-GAC and All-Central Region performer in his final year playing for SAU in 2012. Unamba’s collegiate career saw the defensive back set the program’s career record for passes broken up (39) as well as the single-season record in the category (17), while also drawing the attention of pro scouts during his final year in Magnolia.
Unamba went undrafted in 2013 and spent time with the St. Louis Rams and Buffalo Bills before becoming a free agent in August of the same year.
Following stints in which he played in 29 combined games with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2014) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2015) of the CFL,
Unamba came back to the states and enjoyed a successful season with the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles of the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2017.
Later in 2017, the journeyman found himself in Canada once more and played in a combined 14 games with the Montreal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and recorded 49 defensive tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. That success in the final 11 games with Hamilton set Unamba up for even more success in 2018 and after taking an opportunity to fill a void for the Tiger-Cats at the SAM Linebacker position rather than his natural position at cornerback.
Following a 2018 campaign in which he registered career-highs with 59 defensive tackles, including 4.5 for loss, four sacks, and three forced fumbles, while also knocking down seven passes, recording one interception and a fumble recovery. Unamba was named a 2018 Canadian Football League East Division All-Star, a first for the former Mulerider.
