Richard Alston (gridiron football)
Born: | Edmonton Eskimos | November 20, 1980
---|---|
2007 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
2008 | Cleveland Gladiators* |
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only |
Richard Alston (born November 20, 1980) is a former professional
Alston played
College career
Alston played high school football at Warren County High School in Warrenton, North Carolina as a quarterback.[2][3] He later attended college at East Carolina University, where he played for the Pirates from 1999 to 2002. As a freshman, Alston was used by the Pirates coaching staff in tandem with sophomore teammate David Garrard as a quarterback.[4] As Garrard's usage increased going into his junior and senior years, the Pirates coaching staff tried out Alston at several different positions. After starting the 2001 season as a running back, Alston was converted mid-season to a wide receiver, the position in which he would play out the rest of his college and professional careers.[5][6] In his final year with the Pirates, Alston led the team with 702 receiving yards on 36 catches, adding six touchdowns.[7]
Professional career
Alston went undrafted in the
In 2004, Alston returned to the Browns.[9] While he was not valuable to the Browns at wide receiver, the team used him as a return specialist. In a November game against the Baltimore Ravens, Alston scored his first NFL touchdown after returning the opening kickoff 93 yards.[10] He played in nine regular season games in 2004 returning kickoffs.[11] Alston returned to the Browns' training camp in 2005, where he competed with André Davis and Josh Cribbs to remain a kick returner.[12] The Browns released Alston in their final round of cuts.[13]
The Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL signed Alston in 2006. In training camp, he competed with several other import receivers for a roster spot, including former Denver Broncos player Chris Cole.[14] The coaching staff also evaluated him along with Tony Tompkins and Toby Zeigler to return kicks.[15] Alston solidified his spot on the roster by leading the team in preseason catches.[16] Alston remained on the roster into the regular season. After Eskimos wide receiver Trevor Gaylor dropped a pass near the Eskimos sideline during Week 1, the Eskimos coaching staff removed Gaylor from the starting lineup.[17] Alston started his first game in the CFL the following week against the Calgary Stampeders.[17] He suffered an ankle injury during his first start, but he quickly recovered to catch three passes for 76 yards two weeks later against the BC Lions.[18][19] In August, Gaylor reclaimed his starting position from Alston after Alston dropped a long pass in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[1][20] Alston finished the regular season with seven games played, recording 23 catches for 261 yards and a single two-point conversion. Although the Eskimos had considered him as a potential kick returner in training camp, he returned only one kickoff along with three punts.[2]
In February 2007, the Eskimos traded Alston to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The deal also sent Nicolas Bisaillon, Timmy Chang, and a draft pick to the Tiger-Cats in exchange for defensive back Jason Goss.[21] The Tiger-Cats receiver corps were considered a weakness going into the 2007 season, and the team tried out at least fourteen receivers in training camp.[22] In mid-June, The Hamilton Spectator reported that Alston was showing potential in training camp and had a "leg up" to make the team.[23] Alston made the active roster for the regular season and played in one game for the Tiger-Cats, but he was released in early July.[2][24] He briefly signed with the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League in November 2007, but the Gladiators released Alston in February 2008 before the start of the regular season.[25][26]
References
- ^ a b Hall, Vicki (July 25, 2006). "Excitement missing from CFL: Too many penalties, three-hour-plus games result in a boring product". Edmonton Journal. p. D2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9835136-6-7.
- ^ a b "Berlin plays sloppily but wins World Bowl". St. Petersburg Times. June 13, 2004. p. 5C.
- ^ Hendrickson, Brian (November 16, 1999). "Rivalry on fire; Pirates emotionally charged". Morning Star. pp. 1C–2C.
- ^ Hendrickson, Brian (September 11, 2001). "Focus turns to ECU's Henry; Spotlight shines on quiet tailback after big game vs. Tulane". Morning Star. p. 1C–2C.
- ^ Timanus, Eddie (November 23, 2001). "Weekend preview". USA Today. p. 10C.
- ^ a b "Former Pirate Alston Signs With Cleveland Browns". ECU Pirates. May 30, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ "ACTIVITY". The Globe and Mail. August 27, 2003. p. S4.
- ^ "Panthers get revenge; Carolina rallies late in Super Bowl rematch". The Herald-Sun. Associated Press. August 29, 2004. p. D8.
- ^ Powell, Camille (November 8, 2004). "Ravens Get a Pick-Me-Up; Reed's NFL-Record 106-Yard Interception Return in Last Minute Seals Win". November 8, 2004.
- ^ "Richard Alston". NFL.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns 2005 Season Preview". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. August 19, 2005.
- ^ McClelland, Sean (September 4, 2005). "Browns' Jameson suspended 4 games; Safety penalized for violating NFL's substance-abuse policy". Dayton Daily News. p. C7.
- ^ Hall, Vicki (May 9, 2006). "Fleming unconcerned by competition at camp". Edmonton Journal. p. D5.
- ^ Petersen, Scott (May 30, 2006). "Tompkins aching to return: Special-teams dynamo can only watch as Alston, Zeigler try to take his job". Edmonton Journal. p. D3.
- ^ Petersen, Scott (June 16, 2006). "Meet the Eskimos' newcomers". Edmonton Journal. p. C7.
- ^ a b Hall, Vicki (June 22, 2006). "Gaylor tossed to the sidelines: Eskimos receiver demoted from starter to scratch for Saturday's home opener, Alston to step in". Edmonton Journal. p. C5.
- ^ Hall, Vicki (July 9, 2006). "Esks defence still in need of work: Coach Danny Maciocia sees improvement". Edmonton Journal. p. C3.
- ^ "CFL Weekly". National Post. CanWest News Service. July 12, 2006. p. S4.
- ^ Hall, Vicki (August 2, 2006). "Right time to be perfect: Maciocia looks for consistency from Gaylor after five weeks on the bench". Edmonton Journal. p. D3.
- ^ "Riders sign pair of imports". The Leader-Post. February 14, 2007. p. C7.
- ^ Peters, Ken (June 2, 2007). "80 Men * 46 Spots * 21 Days; The Hamilton Tiger-Cats Look to Set a New Tone as 2007 Training Camp Opens". The Hamilton Spectator. p. SP12.
- ^ "Veterans, rookies, Americans vying for receiving jobs". The Hamilton Spectator. June 18, 2007. p. SP07.
- ^ Peters, Ken (July 6, 2007). "Ticats plan ground attack; Coach Taaffe wants to set the tone by running over Argos D-line". The Hamilton Spectator. p. SP06.
- ^ "FOOTBALL". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 29, 2007. p. C7.
- ^ Manoloff, Dennis (February 24, 2008). "Alston among players let go". cleveland.com. Retrieved March 3, 2017.