Roughrider Mike Edem will never forget his beloved dog

A dog and a brain surgeon have had a profound impact on the life of Mike Edem.

The 29-year-old defensive back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders is known for his hard hits on the football field. But he's not afraid to show a softer side off the field.

Edem recently spoke to CBC's Peter Mills about growing up in Nigeria, finding a role model on his family tree and the power of an unforgettable pet:

Get the name right

Everyone from TV broadcasters to teammates to Mike Edem himself have been pronouncing his last name wrong for years.

"It's ED-em. Don't worry, I still mess it up. My dad was the one that made the correction."

Turns out, his first name has a story as well.

"My birth name is Anie-Ebiet, which is Mike. Both names mean the same thing."

Growing up in Nigeria

Edem was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and he lived there for 13 years. 

"Oh man, it was tougher. We worried about having light on and the power goes out every so often. There's no clean water. If there's no water, you gotta go fetch the water from a well and then walk it over to your house, shower, then walk to school, then drop your sister off, and then walk another 30 minutes to your school. So life is great in Canada," he said, laughing. "We got light on all day.... The faucet in the house has water coming through it so I can't complain.

"It's made me appreciate the smaller things in life. I think sometimes everyone is so caught up in their opinions being heard and I think we kind of lose sight of what's really important in life."

Moving to Canada

"The school system [in Nigeria] was always going on strike and my sister was about to enter university, so my dad said the best chance to give us some opportunity to succeed would be to come to America. So he picked Canada instead of going to [the] States."

The family first moved to Rexdale, Ont., which is a district of Toronto. They eventually moved to Brampton, Ont., but Edem's days of moving around were far from over.

Living out of a suitcase, sleeping in cars

Prior to his CFL career, Edem made a name for himself at the University of Calgary. But before settling in there, he had quite the journey to his first university experience at McGill University in Montreal.

"My first year, when I drove out to McGill, my dad made me a promise that if I got into university, he'd buy me a new car.... I got an old BMW 525 and fixed it up and I drove it out there. But when I got out, the guy I had made an agreement with to get an apartment had given the apartment away to another guy who came with cash and obviously more money. So when I got there, he said there was no room. Me not speaking French, the process of finding another place was hard. So for a week straight I slept out of my car.

"I was that much more determined because ... there were just so many negatives on the road that the only positive was me being on that field and not worrying about those negatives."

Playing pro football is impressive, but it's not brain surgery

"My sister does brain surgery. She actually just finished her schooling this year. So congrats, sis. She is my role model. She's my confidant. She paid for my way pretty much when I was first-year university, because my parents couldn't really afford it. I owe a lot of what I've gotten so far in life because of her.

"I think one of the biggest things she's ever given me was actually me having a passion for something, and I realized that was football. I had to be good at school to be able to play football, so she kind of really opened my eyes up about life and little things like that.

"She still inspires me today because she has devoted her life to becoming the best she can be. When I got to the CFL, she was like, 'Well what's the career for a Canadian? And I was like, 'About a three-year span on average.' She said, 'If you love something you got to be able to beat that number.' And that was my goal to outplay that expectation. Now I'm going into my seventh year. 

"The thing I want to be able to do is be able to walk away from this game and know that I've given it my all and have no regrets when I leave.... I think that's the kind of passion she approaches her neuroscience program with and that's the kind of passion I'm approaching the game with."

Man's best friend

"My dog Nala, she passed away this off-season. It's interesting because we weren't planning to get her.... Me and my girlfriend were going out to dinner and then she saw an ad on Facebook for adoption. So we were in [downtown] Calgary and she said, 'Turn the car around and go back to Cochrane [Alta.]'... When my lady speaks, she speaks, so I turned the car around," he said, laughing. 

"When we got there I told her we could not bring a dog home. We could check it out, no bringing a dog home. Then this dog Nala — the one we got — she was by our foot, she would never leave us. When they opened the kennel, all those dogs ran away, but she stayed with us. So I tried to walk away from her and she kept following us ... so yeah we brought a dog home."

Learning how to love

"Over the course of having her, she [had] a lot of illnesses, taking her back and forth from the vet.... Thursdays is my time off with her in the mornings, but I felt guilty because I had exams the day before and I didn't get my workout in. So to make up for that workout, I wanted to go get the workout in the morning. 

"You can love someone more than you think.- Mike Edem

"I still feel guilty for leaving the house. Maybe I could have been there to see her or to rush her to the vet or even do something to try to help prolong her life, but I wasn't able to because I was at workouts.... By the time I got back she was passed in her kennel and that was probably one of the toughest things. 

"You don't realize how much effect these puppies have on you.... Sometimes I'm always like, 'Why is she so needy?' But she just wants to be under your arm. She's biting your shirt string or she's biting your shirt, she just wanted your attention. Then you realize there's nothing wrong with giving her a little more attention. [She's] a better dog with more attention. You can love someone more than you think."

Cookies and Dragon Ball Z

Edem also talked about some lighthearted topics, including late-night cookie dough cravings, why so many CFL players love Dragon Ball Z and much more. Listen here:

This interview has been edited and condensed.

The Roughriders (1-2) take on the Calgary Stampeders (1-1) at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Saturday, July 6. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. CST.

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