Chris Mulumba

Chris Muana Mulumba (born 10 October 1992) is a Finnish professional gridiron football defensive lineman for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the European Football Alliance (EFA). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected eleventh overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2021 CFL global draft. He also played for the Stuttgart Surge of the European League of Football (ELF).

Mulumba was named the Finnish Player by the Year by the in 2017, 2018, and 2021.

Early life Mulumba was born on 10 October 1992 in Helsinki, Finland. His parents, Annina and Etienne, immigrated to the country to escape conflict in their native Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1991, and Chris grew up fluent in both Finnish and French as a result. His father worked as a teaching assistant at a Finnish school while his mother worked as a nurse.

Mulumba excelled in judo in his childhood, earning a black belt in the discipline. He also wrestled for his high school.

Mulumba was introduced to American football through a friend at the age of 17, joining the Helsinki Roosters youth team. He was promoted to the Roosters senior team in 2012 and helped them win the Maple Bowl that season. Soon afterwards Mulumba served his year of mandatory military service in the Finnish Army, training at the in Santahamina. He realized he could possibly earn a living by playing football, so he moved to the United States to pursue a career. One of his coaches in Finland, Sami Porkka, had played for the Bears in the early 1990s and helped Mulumba send his highlight tape to the school. He had a season-high 17 tackles in a game against College of the Siskiyous. However, Mulumba de-committed and essentially redshirted the 2016 season to focus on academics instead.

Heading into his first season at Colorado in 2017, Mulumba earned a starting role on the defensive line during preseason camp. He finished his junior year with 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, and half a sack in 12 games. He was also named to the Ted Hendricks Award preseason watchlist and was a preseason third-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection by Phil Steele College Football. From there, he was selected as one of nine participants in the 2020 International Player Pathway Program (IPPP). Mulumba trained for two months at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida before the campus was closed due the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of attending their planned in-person Pro Day, the players recorded their performances in the combine drills on video and sent the tapes to all 32 teams.

Mulumba was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the second round, with the 11th overall pick, of the 2021 CFL global draft. He officially signed with the team on 28 April. Mulumba made his team debut on 5 November during the Tiger-Cats' 26–18 win over the BC Lions, becoming the second Finnish player to play in a CFL regular-season game (after Kimi Linnainmaa). The Tiger-Cats reached the Grey Cup that year, losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Mulumba was released by the Tiger-Cats on 5 November 2023.

Stuttgart Surge In March 2024, Mulumba signed with the Stuttgart Surge of the European League of Football (ELF). He played two seasons with the Surge, helping them win the ELF championship in 2025 after starting all three playoff games.

Frankfurt Galaxy Mulumba signed with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the European Football Alliance (EFA) ahead of the 2026 EFA season.

National team career In October 2009, Mulumba was called up to the Finland national under-17 team and appeared in a friendly against Sweden in Stockholm, which they lost 34–7. He helped the national under-19 team win the silver medal at the 2010 Nordic U19 Championships before appearing in a European U19 Championship qualifier against Denmark the following year.

In October 2012, Mulumba debuted for the senior national team in a friendly against Sweden in Helsinki, which they lost 20–3.

Personal life Mulumba was born in Finland to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and much of his family still lives in Kinshasa. He has two sisters, both of whom played college basketball; Audrey played at Arizona Western College and Mount Mercy University while Gloria played at Arizona Western. Mulumba also has a younger brother named Etienne, Jr.