Mario Alford facts for kids
Alford with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2024
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| No. 2 – Saskatchewan Roughriders | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 25, 1992 Greenville, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 177 lb (80 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Greenville | ||||||||
| College: |
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| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 7 / Pick: 238 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| CFL status: | American | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||
Mario Alford (born February 25, 1992) is an American professional football player. He is known for being a fast wide receiver and an exciting return specialist. He currently plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Before turning professional, Mario played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was so good that he earned a special honor called first-team All-American in 2014.
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Professional Football Career
Mario Alford started his professional football journey after being picked in the 2015 NFL draft. He has played for several teams in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Early NFL Teams
The Cincinnati Bengals chose Mario in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played in one game during his first year with the Bengals, catching one pass for 15 yards. He was later released by the team in September 2016.
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After leaving the Bengals, Mario spent time with a few other NFL teams. In November 2016, he joined the practice squad of the New York Jets. A practice squad is where players train with the team but are not on the main roster. He was released by the Jets in December 2016.
Later that month, Mario signed with the Cleveland Browns' practice squad. He was then moved to their main team roster. In September 2017, the Browns released him. He then briefly joined the Chicago Bears' practice squad in September 2017.
Playing in the CFL
Mario Alford then moved to the Canadian Football League (CFL), where he found more opportunities to play.
Toronto Argonauts
In June 2018, Mario signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. During his time in Toronto, he played in six games. He caught seven passes for 57 yards. He also returned eight kick-offs for 170 yards and five punt returns for seven yards. He was released by the Argonauts in May 2019.
Montreal Alouettes
In September 2019, Mario joined the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. He played for parts of three seasons with the Alouettes. During this time, he had 24 kickoff returns for 477 yards. He also had 26 punt returns for 486 yards, scoring three touchdowns. He even returned two missed field goals for 45 yards.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On July 3, 2022, Mario Alford was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. This trade was in exchange for a future draft pick. He quickly became a key player for the Roughriders.
In 2022, he played in 13 regular season games. He had 38 kickoff returns for 990 yards, scoring two touchdowns. He also had 44 punt returns for 530 yards, scoring one touchdown. Additionally, he returned three missed field goals for 129 yards, scoring another touchdown. Because of his amazing performance, he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2022.
On November 15, 2022, the Roughriders announced that Mario had signed a new contract to stay with the team. In 2023, he continued to shine, gaining a total of 2,266 combined yards from punt returns, kickoff returns, and missed field goal returns. He scored three touchdowns on punt returns that year, including two in one game against the Calgary Stampeders on July 15.
On January 4, 2024, the Roughriders announced that Mario Alford had signed another one-year contract extension, showing how valuable he is to the team.
