The Saskatchewan Roughriders are happy to announce that American receiver and returner Mario Alford has capped off his record-breaking season by being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
Alford came over to the Saskatchewan Roughriders via trade in Week 5.
In total this season, he recorded 43 punt returns for 524 yards (12.2 avg) and one touchdown, 37 kickoff returns for 937 yards (25.3 avg) and two touchdowns, and three missed field goal returns for 129 yards (43 avg) and another major. This is the first CFL Award of Alford’s career.
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Saskatchewan Roughriders centre Dan Clark has been named the recipient of this year’s Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award. The Regina native is the 12th player to be recognized with the Canadian Football League (CFL)’s annual award since its inception in 2010.
“Dan represents the wealth of character and strength found among the tremendous players in our league,” said the CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
Created in honour of Jake Gaudaur – a distinguished Second World War veteran and the longest-serving Commissioner in CFL history – the award recognizes a Canadian player who embodies the attributes of Canada’s veterans and the ones held by its namesake: strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contribution to Canadian communities.
The 34-year-old Clark suffered a broken fibula and a shifted ankle bone in Week 2. While injured, he remained on the sidelines for every game, supporting his teammates through a difficult season, in addition to attending all team meetings to continue sharing his insight and knowledge. It was his second major injury since 2019, when he was ejected from his car following an offseason community appearance.
