Mountaineers in the Pros
Watch: Former Mountaineer Mario Alford Returns Game-Changing Kickoff for TD in CFL

You may have heard this before, but former Mountaineer Mario Alford made headlines in the CFL. Alford returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown Saturday night.
The return changed the game, happening with his Saskatchewan Roughriders team trailing the Edmonton Elks 17-14 before Alford’s burst up the field. Alford’s Roughriders ended up winning the game by the score of 34-22.
TSN tweeted a highlight of the play on their official Twitter account.
Mario Alford returns it for a 98-yard TD! #CFL pic.twitter.com/HxQmYoDPlQ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 14, 2022
Alford played for WVU for two seasons spanning from 2013-14. As a wide receiver, he snatched 92 catches for 1,497 yards and 13 touchdowns in his collegiate career.
He was also used as a kick returner at WVU and had 972 return yards and two touchdowns on 37 kick returns, which puts him at a 26.3 yards per return average. He wasn’t used as a punt returner at WVU, only getting three such returns in his two-year career and lost a combined 13 yards on those returns.
He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 238th overall pick. He had a three-year NFL career prior to the CFL splitting time with four different teams in the Bengals, New York Jets (practice squad) Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears (practice squad).