Alex Tillman (born May 29, 1991) is a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

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 ...

and

punt returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

. He formerly attended the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

and the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

High school career

Tillman attended

North Shore Senior High School North Shore Senior High School is a secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States in Greater Houston.

, where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He earned three district championships at North Shore, and was named the Offensive and Team MVP during his senior year with over 2,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards.

College career

Tillman first played college football for the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education inst ...

. After redshirting in 2010, he played in 26 games on defense and the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

from 2011 to 2013. Prior to the 2014 season, Tillman transferred to the

to complete his final year of eligibility. He recorded 31 solo tackles and a 92-yard

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

in his final season, playing as a cornerback. He also returned 14 punts for 237 yards, including a school record 95-yard punt return for a touchdown. Tillman was designated an all-conference punt returner in the

Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eigh ...

and received an honorable mention as a cornerback.

Professional career

On May 27, 2015, Tillman was signed by the BC Lions as a

. He was among several potential candidates to replace Tim Brown as the team's

kickoff returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

during the preseason, and was also looked at as a potential punt returner. After making the active roster, Tillman made his CFL debut on July 4 against the

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

, recording a tackle and returning three punts for 22 yards.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillman, Alex 1991 births Living people African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football Canadian football defensive backs American football defensive backs American football return specialists Canadian football return specialists BC Lions players Houston Cougars football players North Dakota Fighting Hawks football players Players of American football from Houston Players of Canadian football from Houston North Shore Senior High School (Texas) alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople