Neal Hughes (born July 2, 1980) is a former professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

player 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

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. Hughes, who is of Métis heritage, signed with the Riders as a free agent after completing his university career with the

Regina Rams The Regina Rams represent the University of Regina, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Rams joined U Sports in 1999 and have competed in the Canada West Conference since then. The program has wo ...

Early life

Hughes was born and raised in Regina, and has played all of his football in the city, starting out in the Regina Minor Football (RMF) system at the age of 7. He played peewee and midget, moving up to the Thom Collegiate Trojans for his high school football career. During his career with the Rams, he was named the university's Male Athlete of the Year in 2003.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

After an outstanding collegiate career, Hughes signed 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 ...

contract with the

in April 2004. Under head coach Danny Barrett, he spent much of his time as backup fullback to Chris Szarka, while also playing on special teams. He had his first reception against

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

in the

Banjo Bowl The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the ...

in 2007 and had his first carry on October 21, 2007 against the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

and scored his first

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

five days later against 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 Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

on a four-yard run. He also added a receiving touchdown in the West Final playoff game against the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Hughes enjoyed a breakout season recording 35 carries for 130 yards and four touchdowns and 16 receptions for 187 yards and three touchdowns. His seven touchdowns was only second on the team behind

Wes Cates Wes Cates (born October 3, 1979) is a former professional Canadian football running back. College career Cates attended California University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2001 without ever missing a game in his four-year career. He had 5,647 ...

, despite playing in only 12 games due to a leg injury that took him out of most of August and September. Hughes also led the team in special teams tackles, with 21 to his credit. Due to a nagging knee injury, Hughes sat out for 11 games in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and saw a diminished role in the offense, seeing his first touch of the season in the second-to-last regular season game. Hughes had a personal web site. He announced his retirement on May 20, 2015. Hughes was inducted into the Roughriders' Plaza of Honour.

References

External links

Saskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Neal 1980 births Living people Canadian football fullbacks Canadian football people from Regina, Saskatchewan Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan Regina Rams players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Métis sportspeople