With rookie training camps underway in the Canadian Football League, former Eastern Washington University cornerback Victor Gamboa is among the nine Eagles on CFL rosters entering the 2018 season. He becomes the 87th EWU player to have either signed free agent contracts or have been drafted by National Football League (NFL) or Canadian Football League (CFL) teams since EWU moved to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 1984.
He recently signed a free agent contract with the Ottawa Redblacks after playing for the Eagles from 2014-17. Training camps begin May 20 for veterans, with preseason games beginning on May 27. Following the roster cut-down date of June 9, the CFL regular season begins on June 14.
The CFL Most Outstanding Player in 2016, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, headlines the list of former Eagles in the CFL. The others are quarterbacks Matt Nichols and Vernon Adams Jr., linebacker J.C. Sherritt, defensive backs T.J. Lee III and Tevin McDonald, and a pair of relative newcomers to the CFL, wide receiver Shaq Hill and offensive lineman Cassidy Curtis.
Players currently in the NFL include Cooper Kupp (wide receiver), Samson Ebukam (outside linebacker) and Aaron Neary (offensive lineman) with the Los Angeles Rams, as well as wide receiver Kendrick Bourne with the San Francisco 49ers, running back Taiwan Jones with the Buffalo Bills, offensive lineman Jake Rogers with the Pittsburgh Steelers and rookie Albert Havili with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Gamboa is from Tacoma, Wash., and graduated from Washington High School in 2013. He played in 42 games as an Eagle from 2014-17, including 27 as a starting cornerback. He concluded his career with 159 total tackles, seven interceptions and 16 passes broken up. He had two interceptions as a freshman in 2014 at Southern Utah, and a career-high eight tackles that same season versus Montana. This past season, he had an interception that helped seal EWU’s 31-19 home win over Montana State.
