Albert Awachie (born October 7, 1992) is a Canadian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

fullback for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

of the

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(CFL). He played

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for the

Toronto Varsity Blues The Toronto Varsity Blues are the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 43 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. The Varsity Blues trace their foundin ...

. Although he rarely touches the ball, he is a key blocker and special teams player recognized by coaches and teammates for his tenacity and fearlessness.

Early life

Awachie was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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on October 7, 1992. Being the youngest of five siblings instilled in him a drive and work ethic that was reaffirmed by his parents, Raphael and Florence, who had emigrated from

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. While in the first grade, he moved to

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The population was 169,810 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an i ...

to stay with his mother, spending the summers back in Toronto with his father. Although he grew up mostly playing soccer, his older brother Martin invited him to join the football team. He played multiple positions at Rocky Mountain High School, even picking up all-league honors as a defensive lineman. After graduation, he moved back to Toronto.

University career

Awachie played

for the

from 2013 to 2016, beginning as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and later playing some

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. Initially joining as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album) or the title song, 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album) or the title song, 1992 *''Walk On'', by Kellie Coffey, 200 ...

, he played in 22 games in his college career, registering 14 receptions for 145 yards as well as 22 tackles on defense. He missed the entire 2015 season after he dislocated his knee, tearing the bicep tendon, LCL and ACL, and doctors told him there was a 50 percent chance he would be able to return to football. After ten months of rehab, he was able to come back for his senior season and rank third on the team with 13 receptions and 134 yards.

Professional career

Saskatchewan Roughriders (first stint)

After going undrafted in the 2017 CFL draft, Awachie signed a free-agent deal with the

on May 26, 2017. He made his professional debut in the 2017 season opener on June 22 against the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

. Awachie spent his first two years as a backup to fullback Spencer Moore on the depth chart, appearing in 12 games without registering a carry. Bouncing between the active and practice rosters, he also occasionally filled in for injuries on special teams. Moore was traded to the

in December 2018, opening the door for more playing time for Awachie. In

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, Awachie stepped into a larger role on special teams and established himself as a reliable blocker for an offense that ran for over 2,000 yards and a league-best 26 touchdowns. He recorded his first-ever CFL statistic in week 2: a four-yard reception against the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

. He got his second catch in week 16, an eight-yard pass from

Cody Fajardo Cody Michael Fajardo (born March 29, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Early life Fajardo was born in Brea, California. He played high school football for Servit ...

against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

in Toronto with his parents in attendance. On January 31, 2020, it was announced that Awachie had signed a two-year contract extension with the Roughriders. However, he did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the ...

. In

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, Awachie played in 12 regular season games where he had five special teams tackles and one kickoff return for seven yards. In the 2022 season, he played in a career-high 17 regular season games where he had four receptions for 38 yards, eight special teams tackles, one forced fumble, and one kickoff return for nine yards. In his final season with the Roughriders, Awachie played in 14 games and recorded three catches for 24 yards, one special teams tackle, and two kickoff returns for 25 yards. He became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

upon the expiry of his contract on February 13, 2024.

Toronto Argonauts

On February 13, 2024, it was announced that Awachie had signed with the

. He played in seven games for his hometown Argonauts before being released mid-season on August 6, 2024.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (second stint)

Soon after his Toronto release, Awachie re-signed with the Roughriders on August 7, 2024, and was added to the team's depth chart for their game on the following day.

References

External links

Saskatchewan Roughriders bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Awachie, Albert Living people 1992 births Canadian football fullbacks Saskatchewan Roughriders players Toronto Varsity Blues football players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Canadian football people from Toronto Sportspeople from Fort Collins, Colorado Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent Black Canadian players of Canadian football Black Canadian sportsmen Rocky Mountain High School (Colorado) alumni Toronto Argonauts players