Former Football Standout Henderson Signs CFL Deal

By Ryan Lee, NAU Media Relations

WINNIPEG, MB Canada - Former Northern Arizona football standout Alex Henderson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League this month to continue his football career. Henderson completed last year’s season with the Locomotives of the United Football League after a free agent stint with the St. Louis rams. Henderson is among five former Lumberjacks currently playing professional football within the United States and Canada.

The California native is excited for this new experience. “I feel honored that I have the opportunity to continue my football career, and I really feel that I was blessed to be put into the position where I got to be recruited by coach Wiesehan,” said Henderson.

It was Coach Wiesehan who recruited Henderson out of high school to play for the Lumberjacks from 2005-2009. Wiesehan left the Northern Arizona University football program not long after Henderson and his class were recruited. Since then, he has found himself on the coaching staff of the Blue Bombers.

Wiesehan’s ability to recruit Henderson to the running back position was key to the success of the NAU offense. The star running back finished his career at NAU as one of the top running backs the school has ever seen ranking second in school history with 3,462 career rushing yards and second in rushing attempts with 677.

These are big numbers that did not go unnoticed by NFL Scouts. Peter Schrager of foxsports.com considered Henderson as one of “10 real no-names I’m high on” and it did not take long before he was picked up as a free agent. Henderson signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2010 to start his professional career but was released.

This decision by the Rams didn’t keep the rookie from quitting. He finished the same season with the Locomotives; a team out of Las Vegas represented within the UFL.

Now a new opportunity has come which will allow the Henderson to continue lining-up in the offensive backfield. Henderson’s desire is to do more than just score touchdowns. He said, “I want to be a motivation factor to my future teammates and an example to the younger guys who are coming in for the first time.”

The success Henderson experienced at NAU will always be remembered amongst Lumberjack fans. His hard work and passion for football earned him a spot within the hearts of those current athletes who shared playing time with him on the field. Now it’s his desire to give back.  “I want to be motivation to the athletes at NAU and encourage them to continue to play football after college,” said Henderson.

To follow Alex Henderson visit the Blue Bombers website at www.bluebombers.com