The surname of Austin is most topical when marvelling at the feats and phenomenon of Tommy Stevens.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ short-yardage specialist — a long-time connoisseur of the fine art of professional wrestling — enters the field of play during home games to the accompaniment of entrance music that has long been associated with WWE luminary Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Then there is a Green and White legend, Kent Austin, who on Oct. 23, 1993 became the first Roughriders quarterback to rush for three touchdowns in a game.
The most recent team-record-tying hat trick belongs to Stevens, who scored three times in Saturday’s 28-26 CFL victory over the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium.
“There are a lot of coincidences,” Stevens said on Tuesday when asked about the Austin-Austin connection. “It is pretty cool.
“I’m really honoured that people really do get as excited about it as I do.”
The music adds to the excitement — the first of its kind in Roughriders history. Never before has the team had a short-yardage cheat code with an accompanying fanfare.
“I loved WWE growing up,” the 6-foot-4, 245-pound product of Indianapolis said. “Monday nights and Friday nights in my house were painful for my dad, because I’d give him 15 Rock Bottoms and 22 Stone Cold Stunners every Monday and Friday night.
“The way the Stone Cold thing came about, my first year (in the CFL with the 2022 Calgary Stampeders), Bo Levi Mitchell’s idea was for Wild Thing to be the song that would play. I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ I didn’t think it would actually happen. Then it caught fire.”
Extra gas was applied after Stevens signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent on Feb. 11, 2025.
“I get here and they’re like, ‘Do you want us to play Wild Thing?’ ” he recalled. “I said, ‘Well, I never really loved it. It wasn’t really my idea.’ They asked me, ‘What song do you want?’ I said, ‘Great point. Let me think about it …’
“I think I saw it in a way that Mick Foley … Mankind … Cactus Jack … Dude Love … he had all these different versions of himself. I saw myself as the same type of guy, but a different version.
“Being here in Saskatchewan got me on the WWE train. I thought, ‘Who has a better theme song than Stone Cold Steve Austin?’
“It kind of fits the Pilsner vibe, I would say. I thought people might like it. I loved it and I would say the people of Saskatchewan kind of like it.
“It’s pretty cool.”
Stone Cold, even.
Elevating the temperature considerably, there is a hot streak to consider.
Stevens is in a three-way tie for the league lead in touchdowns, with eight. He is joined atop the list by running backs Zander Horvath (B.C. Lions) and Justin Rankin (Edmonton).
Moreover, Stevens is in sole possession of top spot in the category of rushing touchdowns. Horvath has scored twice on receptions. Rankin has one touchdown catch.
Stevens is already halfway toward tying a league record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. The Ottawa REDBLACKS’ Caleb Evans rushed for a standard-setting 16 scores in 2022.
Saturday’s three-TD haul in Edmonton put Stevens on a record pace.
The trey moved Stevens into a tie with Kent Austin (Oct. 23, 1993 versus Calgary Stampeders), Rocky Butler (Sept. 1, 2002 versus Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and Michael Bishop (Oct. 30, 2008 at Toronto Argonauts) for the most rushing TDs by a Riders quarterback in a game.
Already this season, Stevens boasts three multi-TD games. He had two two-TD performances before scoring three times in Edmonton.
The scoring spree dates back to Nov. 16, when Stevens ran for two of Saskatchewan’s three majors in a 25-17 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes. Beginning with that contest, he has 10 TDs in his past eight games heading into Friday’s matchup with Ottawa (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
Although Stevens rushed for three one-yard scores at Commonwealth Stadium, his role has expanded beyond short-yardage situations and into that of a closer.
The Roughriders routinely use him to burn up yardage and time on the clock late in games.
In Edmonton, for example, he carried the ball 13 times for 29 yards. His previous high with the Roughriders was eight carries.
Until Saturday, he had never rushed more than 10 times in a CFL game. The 10-carry game — with Calgary on Sept. 10, 2022 — also took place in Edmonton.
“If you have somebody like Tommy Stevens, you use him,” Roughriders starting quarterback Trevor Harris reasoned.
Harris and Stevens have combined to throw or rush for all but one of the Roughriders’ 26 offensive touchdowns this season. Harris has 17 TD passes. The lone non-Stevens rushing major was by running back Quali Conley against Toronto on June 26 at Mosaic Stadium.
All this puts Stevens within range of the Roughriders’ single-season record for touchdowns by a quarterback.
He is already tied for fifth — five off the pace — with 11 regular-season games left to play.
Kerry Joseph set the standard of 13 TDs during the championship season of 2007. He broke Kent Austin’s record of 11, set in 1992, en route to being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.
Cody Fajardo is the only other Roughriders quarterback to post a double-digit TD total. He rushed for 10 scores in 2019.
Reggie Slack registered eight TDs in 1998. Stevens (2026), Fajardo (2022) and Henry Burris (2000) have eight-TD seasons to their credit as a Roughrider.
Stevens, 29, is also moving up the ladder on the CFL’s list of TD leaders by a quarterback.
Ahead of him is a legend-laden class including Damon Allen (93), Matt Dunigan (77), Burris (68), Doug Flutie (66), Tracy Ham (62), Joseph (56), Michael Reilly (56), Russ Jackson (54), Fajardo (49), Jackie Parker (46), Chris Streveler (41) and Ricky Ray (39).
Having scored 38 career rushing touchdowns, Stevens is tied on the All-Time list with Austin.
Kent Austin, that is.
