Troy Alexander (born August 16, 1971) is a former

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 ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

who played 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 ...

, 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 ...

, and 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 ...

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 ...

. From 1995 to 1998, he played in 48 regular season games and recorded 68 tackles and 12 sacks. He also recovered two fumbles and deflected one pass.

Professional career

Prior to the

1995 CFL Draft The 1995 CFL Draft composed of seven rounds and 55 Canadian football players that were chosen from eligible Canadian universities as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonpro ...

, Alexander was considered to be the most talented defensive lineman available based on his participation at a CFL evaluation camp. He was widely projected to be taken in the first two rounds of the draft. Alexander was selected in the bonus round with the fourth overall pick of the draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. As a rookie, he played in 16 regular season games and made 24 tackles and one sack. Alexander was the Roughriders' nominee for Rookie of the Year. He recorded 13 tackles through 10 games in 1996 after missing over a month due to a back injury. Alexander had his most successful season in 1997. He recorded three sacks on July 4 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 ...

and led the CFL in sacks through the end of July. Alexander made 28 tackles and 10 sacks in 1997, both career-highs. He played in his only

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

in the postseason, where the Roughriders lost the

85th Grey Cup The 85th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 1997 in Edmonton before 60,431 fans. The heavily favoured Toronto Argonauts won the game over the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a score of 47–23. Game summary Toronto Argona ...

to 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 ...

47–23. Alexander 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 ...

before the 1998 season and signed with the BC Lions. He dealt with injuries in 1998, playing in only 10 games. The Montreal Alouettes acquired Alexander for training camp in 1999, but he left following a knee injury.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Troy 1971 births Living people American football linebackers Canadian football linebackers Eastern Washington Eagles football players Saskatchewan Roughriders players BC Lions players Players of Canadian football from Alberta Canadian football people from Edmonton