‘I just want to keep working:’ Alford returning to form with Roughriders

Mario Alford is looking to add a hat trick to his resumé this season.

The 31-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders return man already has a field-goal return for a touchdown (112 yards against the Toronto Argonauts on July 24) and a kickoff return for a touchdown (98 yards against the Edmonton Elks last Saturday).

If he manages to return a punt for a touchdown this season, Alford will join Dominque Dorsey (Toronto, 2007), Bashir Levingston (Argos, 2004), Marcus Thigpen (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 2010) and Henry Williams (Edmonton, 1990) as the only CFL players to attain the feat.

“Punt return is my favourite out of all of them,” Alford said. “Hopefully that happens this game (Friday) so we will see.

“They call it a trifecta, so hopefully we get that done.”

His first opportunity to collect the holy grail for returners will come against the B.C. Lions on Friday.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 6 p.m.

While Alford could join a small group of players with the trifecta to their names, he was always in a large crowd growing up.

Alford is the youngest of the 14 children of Mildred and Wardell Alford.

“Hats off to my mom and rest in peace to my dad. They did a hell of a job with us,” Mario said. “We didn’t have much growing up, but they did what they could do to satisfy us and keep a roof over our head and pay the bills.

“When we have family events, it is very special and unique and I’m very blessed to be a part of it.”

As the baby of the family, Alford admits he was treated like a king growing up.

“I was my momma’s baby — still am — but was very blessed,” Alford said.

The size of the family led to a lot of big meals in the household.

“My mom cooked too so she cooked very good. I miss her food so much but it was beautiful, the meals and stuff. We didn’t have much but we did have enough to survive,” Alford said.

When it came to football, the product of Greenville, Ga., was always one of the more athletic players, which led to him playing quarterback for his high school team.

“Rest in peace to my head coach Jeremy Williams also, rest his soul. He made me play quarterback; I told him there was no way I was playing quarterback,” Alford said. “I came into summer workout and he gave me the football and said, ‘You’re playing quarterback.’

“I appreciate him to this day because that made me who I am today because it showed I could do anything I could put my mind to.”

After high school, Alford had to take the junior college route as an athlete, going to Georgia Military College before eventually winding up with the West Virginia University Mountaineers.

“Coming out of high school, you want to go straight to the big-boy schools — the Division 1 or Division 2s,” Alford said. “I had to go to a junior college but I came out on top and I am the person I am today because of it.”

In 2015, Alford was drafted in the seventh round (238th overall) of the NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, something he was glad his dad was able to see. His dad died in December of that year.

“That was special. I had just gotten drafted to the Bengals that spring and he was around and we celebrated. It was great having him and letting him know that ‘Your son made it,’ and it was very special to have him around,” Alford said.

Mario spent three years in the NFL with the Bengals (2015), New York Jets (2016), Cleveland Browns (2016) and Chicago Bears (2017).

“I took a lot from it because not a lot of people get that opportunity,” Alford said.

In 2018, with no more opportunities in the States, Alford made the decision to come to Canada and the CFL.

“I’m thinking, ‘I ain’t going to the CFL and I’m going to keep giving the NFL a shot,’ but nothing came along and time passed and I decided to give (the CFL) a shot,” Alford said. “Here we are now.”

Saskatchewan Roughriders returner Mario Alford. (File photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan Roughriders)

Since coming to the CFL and signing with the Argonauts, Alford has been an impact player in the return game.

In his career, Alford has returned three punts, a kickoff and a missed field goal for touchdowns in just 19 CFL games.

“I was just getting my feet wet in Toronto when I got there. I was still learning the game and I got released from there. I was there for half a season,” Alford said.

He found his stride with the Alouettes in 2019, returning two punts for a touchdown in just three games.

He re-signed with the Alouettes in 2020 but COVID cancelled the season.

In 2021, Alford suffered a broken ankle in Game 5 and missed the rest of the season. Alford was injured again in Week 1 of 2022 and lost his job to Chandler Worthy.

“Worthy came in and did his job as he should. It was all business — nothing funny, just business. He was a guy that was doing just as good as I was doing,” Alford said.

With Worthy earning the job, the Als traded Alford to Saskatchewan on July 3 for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick.

In just four games with the Riders, he’s proving to have been one of the team’s key pickups.

“I do have a chip on my shoulder. I’m healthy now and I can do some outstanding stuff,” Alford said.

“I just want to continue to work and praise God for everything He has done for me and blessed me with. It’s one of those things where I just want to keep working.”