You’ve heard of football 101. For Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Mike Rose, it has a new meaning as he played in the 101st regular-season game of his CFL career last week in Ottawa. The six-year pro admits that he took time to reflect on the achievement.
“I love it. When I got to Calgary, Micah Johnson said, ‘If they keep bringing in guys who aren't like Mike, I'll probably play forever.’ He was right, he's still playing, so that works.”
Rose played four seasons at North Carolina State before turning pro, and he says he had to change his narrative to win 101 games in the CFL.
“The knock on me coming out of college was my effort and overall game. So, I just worked on my game when I got up here. I took the opportunity to get better.”
The 33-year-old admitted that having his effort level questioned motivated him.
“It helped me. It gave me what I needed to get better.”
Rose’s first game was September 16, 2017, a contest he remembers well.
“My welcome to the CFL moment was when I fought Yoshi (current teammate on the Riders, Jermarcus Hardrick) in the first game I ever played in 2017 in negative 40, so I had to bump with my teammate.”
Rose will play game 102 tomorrow night when the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts.
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