Aaron Crawford hasn’t even taken his first snap as a Saskatchewan Roughrider and he’s already a team record holder.
According to the team’s website, the 39-year-old long snapper’s signing by the Riders on April 6 gave him the record for most days between contractual affiliations with the club: 4,676.
In other words, when Crawford sees game action as a Saskatchewan Roughrider for the first time this season, it will be a full-circle moment about 13 years in the making.
Crawford, signed this season to serve as the club’s long snapper, first joined the team’s practice roster in 2012 but didn’t play.
The Medicine Hat product was then invited to Rider training camp in 2013 but didn’t make the roster then either.
“I tried here in 2012, I came in late in the season during expansion and didn’t stick. And then 2013 got another chance, didn’t quite stick. So I can rectify that, actually get some games for the Riders under the belt and make it right,” Crawfold told reporters after practice Monday on Day 2 of Roughriders training camp at Saskatoon’s Griffiths Stadium.
He landed later in 2013 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, setting up a 12-season run in the CFL that’s gone uninterrupted since (notwithstanding the COVID-19 cancellation of the 2020 season).
Along the way he’s played in two Grey Cup games – in 2014 and 2019, both with Hamilton – and spent the last five seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.
At long last in Saskatchewan, his role will be as successor to long-time special teams fixture Jorgen Hus, who retired in April after 10 seasons with the Green and White.
Retired, but far from forgotten, as Hus was once again around the field with his old team Monday – this time mentoring Crawford, three years his senior, as opposed to the up-and-comers at Saskatchewan’s rookie camp last week.
“Having someone like that just makes the transition so much easier and kind of can just ask him how he handled the ebb and flow of the day and just try to step in,” said Crawford. “That way there’s less friction for the special teams coach (so I’m) just trying to step in and do what was already done, and no sense trying to reinvent the wheel.”
Though if the team ever did need someone to undertake that sort of project, reinventing the wheel – or a wheel at least – is something else Crawford is well experienced in after suffering and rehabbing two major knee injuries over the past decade.
The veteran of 166 CFL regular season games most recently had surgery in September and was noticeable in part for the knee brace he sported at Monday’s practice.
“The knee’s great,” he assured. “My surgeon was awesome. My last surgery I did have a longer rehab process. We did a different graft this time and I don’t know if that played into it or what but just everything was handled so good.”
