Charles Alston (gridiron football)

Charles Alston
Born: (1978-06-08) June 8, 1978 (age 46)
Washington, DC
Career information
Position(s)DE
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight272 lb (123 kg)
CollegeIndependence CC/
Bowie State
High schoolCentral HS
Career history
As player
2003Dallas Cowboys*
2003=2004Atlanta Falcons*
2004Amsterdam Admirals
2004Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
2005–2007Edmonton Eskimos
2008Kansas City Brigade
*Offseason and/or practice roster only.
Career highlights and awards

Charles Alston (born June 8, 1978) is a former professional gridiron football defensive end who played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Alston played college football and college basketball at Bowie State University, becoming the first NCAA player to play both a football and basketball game in the same day. In his first of two years with the Bulldogs, Alston was named to the All-Conference football team in his role as an offensive lineman. He later led the Bulldogs in his second year as the team captain. From 2003 to 2004, Alston attempted to break into the National Football League (NFL), spending time with three different teams in the preseason or as a practice squad player. He never played a regular season game in the NFL.

Alston joined the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2005, remaining with the team for three years. He played in 22 regular season games, recording 37 tackles, five sacks, and four forced fumbles. In the 93rd Grey Cup, Alston sacked the opposing quarterback in overtime, leading to a scoreless drive for the Montreal Alouettes and a 38–35 win for the Eskimos. Alston had several stints as a starting player for the Eskimos, but his role as a starter was never consistent, partially due to injuries. He was released by the Eskimos after the 2007 season.

Early career

Alston attended Central High School in Washington, D.C. While a student at Central, Alston received accolades as both a high school football and high school basketball player. On the football team, Alston played as an offensive lineman and was selected for the 1995 All-County team as a junior.[1] In the same academic year, Alston played as a center in basketball and was selected to the All-County second-team.[2][3] Alston later studied at Marshall University before being recruited to the Bowie State Bulldogs of Bowie State University in 2001.[4][5]

At Bowie State, Alston continued to play both football and basketball. Due to the September 11 attacks, the final football game of the Bulldogs' season was delayed to the same day as the first game of the basketball season.[6] Alston played in both games, becoming the first college athlete to play in both an NCAA football and basketball game in the same day.[6][7] In November 2001, Alston was named to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) All-Conference team.[8]

In 2002, Alston was named a pre-season Division II All-American and was also named as a team captain for Bowie State.[9][10] Alston made a tackle for a loss on the final play of a post-season game against the Virginia State Trojans, resulting in the Bulldogs receiving the CIAA East Division title.[11] The Bulldogs lost to the Fayetteville State Broncos in the CIAA title game. While the Bulldogs were invited to play in the Pioneer Bowl against the Tuskegee Golden Tigers, the bowl game was later cancelled due to funding issues.[10] Alston finished the regular season in 2002 with over 60 tackles.[12]

Professional career

NFL career

Alston was eligible for the 2003 NFL draft but went undrafted. He was later signed by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He remained with the Cowboys through training camp but was cut in the preseason.[13] Alston later tried out for the San Francisco 49ers but wasn't signed by the team.[14]

The Atlanta Falcons signed Alston immediately after the end of the 2003 season and allocated him to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. He found some success with the Admirals, being named the NFL Europe Defensive Player of the Week in May after recording four tackles and two sacks in a single game.[15] In June, he also returned a fumble for a touchdown in a win against the Rhein Fire.[16] Alston competed for a spot on the Falcons roster in training camp, but he was cut from the team in early September before the start of the 2004 regular season.[17][18]

Alston spent four weeks on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October and November 2004.[19][20] He worked out for the Washington Redskins in December 2004 but wasn't signed.[21]

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League signed Alston during the 2005 offseason.[22] After making the active roster, Alston made his CFL debut on June 24, 2005, against the Ottawa Renegades.[23] He was removed from the lineup the following week and later reported to have an undisclosed injury.[24][25] Alston returned to the lineup and made his first career start in October, when he forced a fumble from Toronto Argonauts running back John Avery.[26] The Eskimos continued to move Alston in and out of the lineup, and he played in one more regular season game for a total of three in his rookie season.[4][27][28][29] Alston won "Best Lineman" honors in the West final win against the BC Lions, where he recorded seven tackles, a sack, and a pass knockdown.[30] Among two tackles and two sacks in the 93rd Grey Cup, Alston sacked Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo in overtime to take the Alouettes out of field goal range.[31][32] This led to a 38–35 win for the Eskimos, making Alston a Grey Cup champion in his rookie season.[33]

After his performance in the 2005 postseason, Alston was considered a "lock" to make the active roster.[34] He started as a defensive end in the season opener.[35] Alston's role on the team was more consistent in 2006, playing in 13 regular season games.[4] In August, Alston sacked Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Kerry Joseph on their final drive, resulting in a 24–18 win.[36] He was named lineman of the week later that month after recording two tackles and three sacks against the BC Lions.[37] In early September, Alston recovered a Calgary Stampeders fumble for the only touchdown of his career.[38] He finished the season with 21 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.[4]

Before the 2007 season, Alston competed with Ron Warner and Jabari Issa for a starting role on the Eskimos.[39] He made the active roster and originally split time with Warner and Robert Brown as a defensive lineman.[40] In August, Alston replaced Adam Braidwood as the starting defensive end, but he was injured with a hip pointer in his first game in that role.[41][42] He experienced nagging injury concerns for the remainder of the season.[43][44][45] He finished the season with 11 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble over six games.[4] The Eskimos released Alston shortly after the end of the 2007. Head coach Danny Maciocia cited Alston's history of injuries as a factor in his release from the team.[46]

Kansas City Brigade

In February 2008, Alston signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League, but he left the team later that same month.[47][48]

Personal life

Alston grew up with his mother while his father was incarcerated. Alston is married to Veronica Alston and has a son.[39]

References

  1. ^ "1995 All-Met Football: All-League Selections". The Washington Post. December 14, 1995. p. J04.
  2. ^ Sandler, Michael (March 10, 1996). "P.G. Teams Win One, Lose One". The Washington Post. p. D08.
  3. ^ "1995-96 All-Met Basketball: Boys". The Washington Post. April 4, 1996. p. J05.
  4. ^ a b c d e Maher, Tod; Gill, Bob (2013). The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia: Every Player, Coach and Game, 1946–2012. Maher Sports Media. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-9835136-6-7.
  5. ^ Eberly, Tim (April 5, 2001). "Bowie State Coach Recruits Area Staff, Players". The Washington Post. p. T23.
  6. ^ a b Moran, Malcolm (January 24, 2002). "Bowie State double earns player fame". USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  7. ^ "Hall of Fame – John Morgan, Jr". Bowie State Bulldogs. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "For the Record". The Washington Post. November 14, 2001. p. D2.
  9. ^ Seidel, Jeff (September 12, 2002). "Defense Never Rests for Bowie State". The Washington Post. p. T21.
  10. ^ a b Seidel, Jeff (December 12, 2002). "Unusual Season For Bulldogs Has Unusual Ending". The Washington Post. p. T22.
  11. ^ Seidel, Jeff (November 10, 2002). "Defense Lifts Bowie State Into CIAA Title Game". The Washington Post. p. D14.
  12. ^ Seidel, Jeff (October 17, 2002). "Defense-Minded Bulldogs Control Their Own Destiny; 3 Wins Will Give Bowie State a Division Crown". The Washington Post. p. T16.
  13. ^ "Transactions". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 24, 2003. p. D15.
  14. ^ Phillips, Roger (September 24, 2003). "Erickson is still scouting talent". San Mateo County Times.
  15. ^ Winkeljohn, Matt (May 19, 2004). "Falcons Report". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 2C.
  16. ^ "3 Vikings arrested after bar scuffle". St. Petersburg Times. June 7, 2004. p. 4C.
  17. ^ Winklejohn, Matt (August 21, 2004). "Pro Football: Falcons Report". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 16D.
  18. ^ "Transactions". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 5, 2004. p. C13.
  19. ^ Smith, Katherine (October 21, 2004). "Bucs Notebook". The Tampa Tribune. p. 8.
  20. ^ "Activity". The Globe and Mail. November 18, 2004. p. S2.
  21. ^ Demasio, Nunyo (December 8, 2004). "Despite 4-8 Mark, There's Playoff Talk". The Washington Post. p. D05.
  22. ^ Ireland, Joanne (June 6, 2005). "It's D as in Dirt for front seven: New defensive line coach is making his presence felt". Edmonton Journal. p. D6.
  23. ^ "Game day snaps". Edmonton Journal. June 24, 2005. p. D2.
  24. ^ Matheson, Jim (June 29, 2005). "Now it's Tompkins' time to shine". Edmonton Journal. p. D3.
  25. ^ "Renegades Game Night". Ottawa Citizen. July 21, 2005. p. D4.
  26. ^ Peterson, Scott (October 12, 2005). "Rookies make (and maul) their marks: Big lineman Charles Alston's hustle and Marcus Winn's playmaking against Argos impress Maciocia". Edmonton Journal. p. D3.
  27. ^ Hall, Vicki (October 14, 2005). "Bradley, Sanchez lost for season: Injuries take toll on Canadian content". Edmonton Journal. p. D4.
  28. ^ Hall, Vicki (October 27, 2005). "First the Hall, now the Wall: Rod Connop to be honoured Friday". Edmonton Journal. p. D3.
  29. ^ Hall, Vicki (November 5, 2005). "Tale of two talented quarterbacks coming to small screen near you". Edmonton Journal. p. C5.
  30. ^ "CFL Individual Award nominations". Edmonton Journal. November 24, 2005. p. D3.
  31. ^ Peterson, Scott (April 28, 2006). "Montford too pricey for Esks: Salary cap cited for decision to release veteran pass-rusher". Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
  32. ^ "Grading the Eskimos". The Vancouver Sun. November 28, 2005. p. E2.
  33. ^ "Eskimos win thriller". The Guardian. November 28, 2005. p. B1.
  34. ^ Hall, Vicki (June 16, 2006). "Grey Cup champs shown no respect: Pundits unkind to 2006 version of Eskimos". Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
  35. ^ "Edmonton Eskimos". Edmonton Journal. June 17, 2006. p. C6.
  36. ^ Davis, Darrell (August 12, 2006). "Riders limp out of Edmonton with loss". The Leader-Post. p. C1.
  37. ^ "Keith earns CFL award". The Leader-Post. August 24, 2006. p. C6.
  38. ^ Hall, Vicki (September 9, 2006). "Stamps Stomped: Esks salvage Labour Day rematch with two late TDs". Edmonton Journal. p. D1.
  39. ^ a b Hall, Vicki (June 6, 2007). "Keeping family with family; Esks' Alston a new dad eager to see his own dad". Edmonton Journal. p. C1.
  40. ^ Hall, Vicki (June 28, 2007). "New players hit the stage; Eskimos put 17 different faces on Game 1 roster". Edmonton Journal. p. C2.
  41. ^ Hall, Vicki (August 11, 2007). "Braidwood catches sophomore jinx?". Edmonton Journal. p. D2.
  42. ^ Hall, Vicki (August 12, 2007). "Defence comes alive; Sack-happy Esks give Maas little room to move". Edmonton Journal. p. C1.
  43. ^ "Game Day Snaps: Alouettes at Eskimos". Edmonton Journal. September 14, 2007. p. C2.
  44. ^ "Game Day Snaps: Eskimos at Argonauts". Edmonton Journal. October 6, 2007. p. D2.
  45. ^ "Game Day Snaps: Eskimos at Tiger-Cats". Edmonton Journal. November 3, 2007. p. D2.
  46. ^ "Tompkins, Gaylor, Alston sent packing; Head coach says trio of veterans had too many ups and downs to remain with Green and Gold". Edmonton Journal. February 3, 2008. p. C2.
  47. ^ Hall, Vicki (February 6, 2008). "New Esks coach expert at keeping things together; Ronnie Vinklarek became a father to four of his brothers at age 17". Edmonton Journal. p. C8.
  48. ^ "Kansas City Brigade Team Transactions". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.