SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ oft-decorated Junkyard Dog Award winner returned to the field at the home of the “Dogs” on Wednesday.
Melique Straker received the award from Special Teams Co-ordinator Kent Maugeri after Monday’s 25-12 CFL pre-season victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Roughriders then travelled by bus from Mosaic Stadium to Saskatoon in preparation for the resumption of Coors Light Training Camp on Wednesday morning at Griffiths Stadium — the University of Saskatchewan Huskies’ home facility.
Following Wednesday’s session, Head Coach Corey Mace was asked about Straker and the team-leading two special teams tackles he recorded against Winnipeg.
“We thought he was named Striker, because he was running down the field with reckless abandon,” Mace said.
“He doesn’t care, man, and we love that. That’s the mentality you want, not only from a special teams standpoint.
“I told these guys, ‘How we go, the special teams go,’ because you’ve got to be crazy to run down there like that. I want the whole team to match that. He’s a great example, no doubt.”
Striker … er, Straker … had been a repeat winner of the Junkyard Dog Award during training camp before turning heads in his first game of professional football.
“It just feels good,” Straker said on Wednesday — his 24th birthday. “It’s just a testament to my work and the effort I put into it.
“To be recognized by my peers and the coaches is all I could ask for.”
Straker was selected by Saskatchewan in the fourth round (30th overall) of the 2024 CFL Draft after spending three seasons at Arkansas State.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound linebacker, who also played safety in college, registered 216 defensive tackles (18 for a loss), two sacks, two interceptions, two pass deflections and two forced fumbles over 33 NCAA games.
“In college, I had great coaches and great teammates,” Straker said. “They created a huge brotherhood that’s going to last for a lifetime.
“There’s a lot of love in my heart for Arkansas State.”
Having made an impact south of the border, he is readjusting to the Canadian style of play.
“At the end of the day, football is football,” said Straker, who is from Brampton, Ont.
“There are little nuances within a game that kind of change with the Canadian game and the American game, but the more reps that I get, the more of a feel I get for the game. I think that’s slowly starting to happen.”
Straker seized the opportunity to savour the surroundings in the final minutes before Monday’s game.
Seated at his stall in the Roughriders’ locker room, he was filled with appreciation for his teammates, his coaches, and the opportunity to play professional football.
“I gave myself a moment to just have that respect for the game,” Straker said, “and now I’m at another level of it.
“It’s something that I’ve wanted for a long time. I’ve always put respect into that through my effort and my work and the patience that it took to get to where I’m at.
“The opportunities that arose during the game were ones that I wanted to maximize. Overall, the experience in itself was great.
“Football, to me, is what I do to this point. I don’t want to say it’s second nature. It’s like my first nature.”
