Jerome Messam (born April 2, 1985) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the BC Lions. After being traded to the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

, he became the seventh Canadian running back since 1955 and the first since

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to rush for over 1,000 yards while also winning the

CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award The Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually awarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Lew Hayman Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy winner ...

. Messam played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Graceland University Graceland University is a private university with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa, and Independence, Missouri. The university offers degree completion and master's degree programs at satellite campuses in Centerville and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Trent ...

College career

Following graduation from high school, Messam was deemed academically ineligible to attend an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

school, so he enrolled at the

North Dakota State College of Science The North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is a public college in Wahpeton, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1903 by provision of the state constitution, the State College of Science offers degre ...

in 2005. While attending school there, he played for the NDSCS Wildcats where he rushed for over 1,000 yards as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. A ...

. After falling out of favour with the team's

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...

, he moved on to

in 2007 to play for the

Yellowjackets A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow vespid wasp. Yellowjacket(s) or Yellow Jacket(s) may also refer to: Places * Yellow Jacket, Colorado, an unincorporated town * Yellow Jacket, Florida, an unincorporated area in Dixie County, Florida Arts, e ...

of the NAIA. That year, he rushed 168 times for 993 yards and 16 touchdowns. In January 2008, he declared eligible for the NFL and CFL drafts, forgoing his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

year, but Messam went undrafted. Following a knee injury that caused him to sit out the 2008 season, Messam returned to the Yellowjackets in 2009 and rushed for 1,075 yards on 197 carries and also scored 12 touchdowns during his senior season.

CFL career

BC Lions

Messam signed as 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 ...

by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League on May 14, 2010, who held his rights after he went undrafted in the

2008 CFL Draft The 2008 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, live at 12:00 PM ET on TSN.ca. A total of 48 players were chosen from among 752 eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in th ...

. He played in his first game on July 10, 2010 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He scored his first two touchdowns in the same 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 competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

on September 11, 2010. Overall, Messam played in 17 games while carrying the ball 23 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

Edmonton Eskimos

During Lions training camp, June 19, 2011, Messam was traded to the

for a fifth round draft pick in the 2013 CFL Draft. Messam became the starting running back for the Eskimos in the

2011 CFL season The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the Canadian Football League. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal ...

. He became the first non-import player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season since Sean Millington in

. Messam was named the Outstanding Canadian in July and October and was the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian. Fans, Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and CFL head coaches selected him for the 2011 CFL All-Star team. He played in 18 games and had 195 carries for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns, 7 receptions for 248 yards and two kick returns for 27 yards.

Miami Dolphins

Messam entered the option-year of his contract in 2012 and used that opportunity to sign with the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

on February 15, 2012. He played in two preseason games, recording one reception for 10 yards and one rush attempt for minus-two yards. He was released by the Dolphins on August 25, 2012.

Edmonton Eskimos (II)

After missing half of the

2012 CFL season The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centre i ...

while with the Miami Dolphins, Messam re-signed with the Eskimos on August 30, 2012 The team had a crowded backfield which consisted of Hugh Charles and Cory Boyd, thereby reducing Messam's playing time. He returned in time for the Labour Day Classic on September 3, 2012 and recorded a modest seven carries for 32 yards. In nine games and two starts with the Eskimos, Messam only recorded 168 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Montreal Alouettes

On February 5, 2013, Messam was traded to 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 folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

for a 6th round pick in the 2013 CFL Draft. He dressed in 15 games that season and started nine, following the injury to incumbent Brandon Whitaker. He was cut from the

on June 15, 2014 after the Alouettes did not want to pay him as a tailback while using him as a fullback.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On July 8, 2014, Messam reportedly signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders made the signing official on July 9, 2014. Messam made his Roughrider debut on July 12, 2014 against the BC Lions and proceeded to play in 14 games during the

2014 CFL season Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unre ...

while starting in two. He posted a career best rushing average of 5.5 yards per carry (70 attempts for 382 yards). On February 6, 2015, Messam and the Riders agreed to a contract extension. Messam was the starting running back for the Roughriders for the 2015 season while sharing time with Anthony Allen. Despite the shared playing time, he managed to rush for 826 yards on 135 carries for a 6.1 yard average to go along with two touchdowns. He also recorded a career-high with 47 receptions for 464 yards and did this all in 15 games with the Roughriders.

Calgary Stampeders

On October 14, 2015, the CFL's trade deadline day, Messam was traded to the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third ...

for Tyler Crapigna and an exchange of

2016 CFL Draft The 2016 CFL Draft took place on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 7:00 PM ET on TSN2 and RDS2. 70 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The draf ...

picks. At the time, Messam was the league's second-leading rusher, but was in the final year of his contract and the Roughriders had already been eliminated from the playoffs. Calgary's Jon Cornish was injured due to a concussion, so Messam started the final two games of the season for the Stampeders, recording 28 carries for 180 yards. Combined, he played and started in 17 games, rushing for 1,006 yards on 163 carries, marking the second time in his career that he had eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark. His 6.2-yard rushing average led all starting running backs. He also had a career-high 53 receptions for 497 yards, all of which earned him his second Western All-Star award. Cornish retired during the following off-season, paving the way for Messam to become the team's full-time starter. On the night before 2016 free agency, Messam re-signed with the Stampeders on February 9, 2016. As the new full-time starter for the Stamps Messam had a career year in 2016. For the first time in his career he played in all 18 regular season games and set career highs in carries (206), rushing yards (1,198), touchdowns (11), and receptions (54). He also won the award for Most Outstanding Canadian, for the second time in his career. Messam had a strong season in

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as well, finishing third in rushing yards with 1,016 (trailing Andrew Harris and

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters crea ...

) on 215 carries with nine touchdowns. Messam scored two touchdowns in the

105th Grey Cup The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26, 2017, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup, the Argonauts won the game 27–24, winning their 17th cha ...

and received the Dick Suderman Trophy as the games most valuable Canadian.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (II)

Heading into 2018 free agency, the Stampeders decided to move on from Messam. Messam tested free agency and agreed to terms with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on February 13, 2018. He played in five games for the Roughriders, registering 52 carries for 205 rushing yards. He was released on July 30, 2018 following criminal charges for

voyeurism Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...

from 2016. The Canadian Football League announced at the same time that the league would not file a contract if any future team attempts to sign him, ending his CFL career.

Statistics

References

External links

Calgary Stampeders bio

Saskatchewan Roughriders player bio

Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messam, Jerome 1985 births Living people BC Lions players Calgary Stampeders players Canadian football running backs Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners Canadian players of American football Edmonton Elks players Graceland Yellowjackets football players Miami Dolphins players Montreal Alouettes players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Saskatchewan Roughriders players Sportspeople from Brampton