Story & Photos by McKenna Johnson
A six-year-old boy in what used to be known as Zaire is standing at the bottom of an escalator in an airport amazed by the slowly rising stairs. Boseko Lokombo is about to fly on an airplane – his first flight – that will take him from the dusty city of Kinshasa to what his parents say will be a “better life in Montreal.”
Going up and down on the escalator as a game was one of the memories that Lokombo clearly remembers from those final moments in the Congo before his mother, father, four brothers, and two sisters left for Canada. The better life in Montreal would also start a life of football: of learning, practicing, training, tackling, to becoming a rising linebacker and the only international player on the number two ranked college football team in the United States – the Oregon Ducks.
According to the CIA World Factbook, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or what used to be known as Zaire, began its second civil war in 1997. The conflict included nine African countries and killed over five million in the Congo. Although the war technically ended in 2003, the conflict continues to this day. In 2008, the village of Kiwanja experienced a massacre of 150 people, and in October 2010 an estimated 200 women living in Luvungi were gang raped by rebels. In 1996, Lokombo and his family left behind the destruction and death that has plagued the Congo for nearly two decades. That was the first decision that set him on the path of football.
Lokombo has an extremely good handle on the game although he grew up outside of the U.S.’s football culture; he grew up in a small apartment in the heart of Africa. Lokombo walked to school every day with his neighborhood friend on the bustling dry city streets of Kinshasa even though a civil war was about to break out and devastate the country for over twelve years. The Congo was given the title and reputation as one of the most chaotic and dangerous countries in the world. Now, fourteen years later, Lokombo is lucky to play football instead of fight for his life every day in his home country.
Lokombo’s height was a sure sign of athleticism. Seventh-grader Lokombo towered over other middle-schoolers and he originally played basketball at Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford, B.C. It all changed when he saw his oldest brother playing football, and especially when he put on the six- to eight-pound football helmet. Unlike his brother, who was claustrophobic of the structure encompassing his head, the helmet suited Lokombo.
Just three years later, Lokombo attended a football camp at Oregon State University (OSU) where he was one of the best players. Later, OSU offered Lokombo a spot to play for the Beavers. After that initial offer, which came sealed in a white envelope, universities across the United States were curious and reviewed Lokombo as a potential player for their teams as well. More letters started flying through Lokombo’s door: Washington State, University of Washington, Boise State, University of California … all just three years after picking up his first football.
Lokombo began making headlines during his senior year of high school in Canada. He made twenty-two touchdowns, caught thirty-seven passes, ran 1556 yards on 107 carries, and was named the Provincial AAA Eastern Conference All-Star Offensive Most Valuable Player. The Northwest Hot 100 by Scout.com named him the number ten middle linebacker prospect in the nation and the number five player overall, and Superprep.com named him the top Canadian recruit.
“I didn’t even know I wanted to play for the Ducks,” the now number twenty-five linebacker laughs. Lokombo, standing six-foot-three and weighing two-hundred and twenty-three pounds, looked at all the PAC-10 teams as possible universities to play football for, even considering OSU, but eventually settled on Eugene.
“It was good for me to be here and really see what I would be surrounded with and that’s why I committed,” he says. “I was surrounded by the right guys.”
Number thirty-five and starting linebacker Spencer Paysinger says that Lokombo, who is known by his teammates as “Bo,” will be a big factor on the defense in the upcoming years.
“He’s the most naturally athletic person,” Paysinger says, “He’s fast, good at ball handling, and it’s almost unheard of for someone so young splitting equal playing time with Josh Kaddu.” Lokombo, who is academically only a sophomore, plays half the game by splitting the time with Kaddu, who is another starting linebacker. Paysinger says that Lokombo – unlike some freshmen – knows how to play the game.
“Usually they hope to make good plays, but at such a young age he [Lokombo] knows how to sack people, tackle and block,” Paysigner says.
Lokombo was named a special teams player for the Oregon win against the University of Southern California, ORE 53 – USC 32, on October 30, 2010. Lokombo also played in the South Eastern Conference National Championship this past week in Glendale, Arizona against Auburn University. Although the Ducks’ lost in a close game, AUB 22 – ORE 19, Lokombo says that he’s ready to start practicing, and chasing the title again.
Paysinger says that there is a difference between Lokombo and the rest of the players: “He carries [his past] with him. You don’t forget where you came from.”
Like clockwork before each game, Lokombo listens to the African song called “Kipe Ya Yo” to get into game-time mindset. The eleven-minute Congolese beat hits his eardrums to help him visualize the opponent, the plays, and the tasks he must do as a linebacker that will combine into one of the greatest team efforts in Oregon football history.
“It’s a privilege, I feel like it’s really amazing,” he says, “Coming in as a freshman and having the opportunity to play early is really fun, I really enjoy it.”
Although daily two-hour practices, nightly meetings, hotel stays, and games take up the majority of his time, Lokombo says that he doesn’t feel like he has missed out on any social aspects of college life just because he is part of a football team.
“It’s like a fraternity. All your guys, all your brothers,” Lokombo says. “You practice, you bleed, you sweat all together.”
Lokombo is focused from the beginning of the game to the very last play. He doesn’t get nervous when stadiums can fill up to 50,000 over-zealous, screaming fans. The minute he walks into a stadium, the drone of the stadium’s roar fades into ambient noise as he tackles and blocks the opposing team’s players.
Paysinger says that Lokombo comes across as this serious guy as a football player, but really he is quite the opposite. Lokombo often speaks his native French, making jokes while his teammates call him a pretty loveable guy.
On the field, Lokombo says, “During timeouts a lot of the guys just talk to each other, like ‘nice cleats!’” Lokombo laughs. “You’re talking to me? I’m supposed to tackle you.’”
“I’ve always had fun goofing around with my friends,” Lokombo says. “I don’t like to take things seriously because the moment doesn’t last forever.”
Lokombo’s positive outlook goes beyond the practice and the games; his dream is to play for the NFL someday. He has three more years to play for the Ducks and moment by moment, step by step, he might just get there.
On the academic side, Lokombo is majoring in journalism and he kept a blog about his experiences before game day over his stay in Glendale, including practices and meeting Kobe Bryant during the basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the L.A. Lakers.
