Stu Foord (born September 23, 1985) is a former

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. He was originally signed by 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 1 ...

as an

undrafted 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 ...

in 2008. Before joining the Roughriders, Foord played five years for the

Regina Thunder The Regina Thunder, originally known as the Prairie Thunder, are a junior canadian football, football club, based out of Regina, Saskatchewan. The Thunder are a part of the Prairie Football Conference (PFC), which is a six-member conference with t ...

of the

Prairie Football Conference The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

Football career

Amateur

Foord played high school football for

Thom Collegiate Thom Collegiate is a public high school located in the Coronation Park area of north Regina, SK. A part of Regina Public Schools, it is named after Douglas J. Thom - a lawyer, author, and member of the Regina Collegiate Board. The school offers ...

in Regina. After finishing his high school career, he played junior football for the

of the

. Foord was invited to the

training camp after the 2006 season, but was cut due to a combination of on-field performance and off-field issues. He returned to play for the Thunder during the 2007 season, where he was ranked among the PFC's top five in

all-purpose yards All-purpose yards or all-purpose yardage is a gridiron football statistical measure. It is virtually the same as the statistic that some football leagues refer to as combined net yards. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing t ...

, kick return yards, punt return yards, rushing, receiving and punt returns. Foord was named the Thunder's most valuable player after his last two seasons with the club.

Professional

After the 2007 season, Foord received another invitation to the Roughriders' training camp. After a much improved performance, on and off the field, he was placed on the team's waived / injured list, but was signed to the team's 42 man roster after an injury to

Chris Szarka Chris "Canuck Truck" Szarka (born February 12, 1975) is a former Canadian Football League fullback. He spent his entire professional football career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He also served as a member of the Regina City Council. High ...

. He made his debut with the Roughriders during Week 2 of the

2008 CFL season The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 51st season for the Canadian Football League. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup ...

, 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 of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

. Foord was named the CFL's Canadian Player of the Week on September 24, 2008, for his performance against the BC Lions. He scored a touchdown on his first ever rushing attempt in the CFL, and also had a receiving touchdown later in the game. Of his rushing touchdown, Foord said "I knew that I would be so jacked up that if anything was there, I was going to take it. I did that and now I can say my first touch was a touchdown." Foord finished the 2008 season with three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving). During the

2009 CFL season The 2009 CFL season was the 56th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 52nd season of the Canadian Football League. The Montreal Alouettes won the 97th Grey Cup on November 29 with a last second 28–27 win over the Saska ...

, Foord dressed for every Roughrider game, including the West Final and the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) 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 be ...

. He was one of the team's backup running backs, and also saw time on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, including returning kickoffs. Foord scored a single rushing touchdown during the 2009 season. In the offseason, Foord signed a new contract with the Roughriders. On February 16, 2012, Foord signed with the

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 ...

.Lions add Stu Foord and Byron Parker to den
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Personal life

Foord lives in Regina year round. During the off-season, he trained with former Roughrider Dan Farthing. Foord was planning to continue his football career and education at either the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...

or the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.2010 CFL season The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it is the 53rd Canadian Football League season. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton hosted the 98th Grey Cup on November 28 when the Montreal Alouettes became the f ...

, Foord vacationed in Mexico and learned to surf.

References

External links

BC Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foord, Stu 1985 births Living people BC Lions players Canadian football running backs Saskatchewan Roughriders players Canadian football people from Regina, Saskatchewan Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan Canadian Junior Football League players