CFL.ca
BlueBombers.com Staff
WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today are pleased to announce the club has signed kick returner Troy Stoudermire to a contract extension. The agreement will keep the speedy Stoudermire in Winnipeg through the 2017 campaign.
Stoudermire finished third in combined special teams yards in 2014 with 1,192, despite only playing in seven games. He returned punts for over 60 yards in his first three games of 2014, including a 64-yard return for a touchdown in the Labour Day Classic, earning his Special Teams Player of the Week. He made his Bomber debut on August 12 in Toronto, returning three punts for 119 yards, and six kickoffs for 154 yards.
He also led the team in combined yards with 1,192 and on a per game basis in 2014 that ranked #1 in the CFL, at nearly 171 yards per game.
“From the second I got to Winnipeg I felt good about this team, and this organization,” said Stoudermire. “I was able to show some of my skills returning kicks, and I’m grateful they have asked me to remain here for a while. That definitely goes both ways. As much as they wanted me, I wanted to a remain a Blue Bomber for a long time.”
“Troy Stoudermire is a game changer,” said Blue Bombers General Manager Kyle Walters. “We saw that plenty throughout this past season, that the second he gets his hands on the football, there is a potential for a scoring play. Those players are hard to find and when you do, you have to do your best to retain them. He’s a phenomenal athlete and we are pleased to have him in Winnipeg for the next three seasons.”
Stoudermire joined the Blue Bombers in late June, after a brief stint in Saskatchewan. He spent five seasons at the University of Minnesota as a receiver and defensive back, as well as kick returner, where he set an NCAA record with 3,615 career kickoff return yards.
