Gerald Alan Alphin (born May 21, 1964) is a former professional gridiron football wide receiver and slotback who played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1986 to 1996, mainly for the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Alphin played college football at Kansas State University. Alphin recorded four 1,000-yard receiving seasons, including a period of three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Rough Riders during which he was considered one of the best receivers playing in the CFL. He was named an East all-star in 1988.
Alphin briefly played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints from 1991 to 1992. He also signed with the Los Angeles Raiders and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL during his career, although he did not play any games for them. In his final season in the CFL, Alphin became a Grey Cup champion with the Baltimore Stallions before being cut from the team and retiring when the Stallions moved to Montreal to become the Montreal Alouettes. Alphin ended his CFL career with 414 catches for 7,315 yards and 52 touchdowns in regular season games.
Early career
Alphin was born in Portland, Oregon on May 21, 1964. He played high school football at University City High School in University City, Missouri, where he played both tight end and safety. In February 1982, Alphin signed to play for the Kansas State Wildcats in college. In his first year with the Wildcats, Alphin was converted to a wide receiver. As a junior in 1984, Alphin caught 14 passes for 256 yards, including three catches for 130 yards in a game against the Missouri Tigers in October. Receivers coach Jim Otto cited Alphin as a "leader" going into his senior season, but Alphin missed a month of play to start the season due to a sprained shoulder suffered in the preseason. In October, Alphin caught a touchdown pass in the Wildcats' only win of the season. Alphin was named an honorable mention for the AP All-America team in his final season with the Wildcats.
Professional career
Career beginnings
Alphin went undrafted in the 1986 NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League signed Alphin before the 1986 season as an unrestricted free agent but cut him in early August before the start of the regular season. Alphin later signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League and played in the latter half of their 1986 season. In Montreal, Alphin was played at the position of slotback. He recorded 20 catches for 409 yards over six regular season games, including two touchdowns in a November loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
Ottawa Rough Riders
Alphin remained with the Alouettes through training camp in 1987, but the Alouettes folded before the start of the regular season. The Ottawa Rough Riders signed Alphin shortly after. In a July win over the Argonauts, Alphin caught seven passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. By mid-August, the media regarded Alphin as "[one] of Ottawa's finest players" as he continued to perform well. His season was briefly halted by a hand injury in late August, which caused him to miss playing time. By late September, Alphin was the top receiver for the Rough Riders, with head coach Fred Glick describing his game plan as "run the ball a lot and pass to Gerald Alphin". He finished the season with 1,029 yards off 67 catches with eight touchdowns. Alphin was also used sporadically as a kick returner in 1987.
Playing in 15 regular season games in 1988, Alphin recorded his second 1,000-yard season with 1,307 receiving yards on 64 catches for five touchdowns. Described as a "legitimate deep-threat receiver" by the Toronto Star, Alphin gave several noteworthy performances throughout the season. In a mid-August win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Alphin caught three touchdowns, although two were invalidated by offensive penalties. He caught six passes for 163 yards in an early September loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before recording 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Tiger-Cats later that same month. Alphin finished the season as one of the CFL's leading receivers and was named an East Division all-star.