By Jonathan Tremblay and Patrick Boyle
One of the newest Riders this year is defensive back Prince Miller. Acquired in June as a free agent, this is Miller’s first experience in Saskatchewan and the Canadian Football League.
Prince Miller’s football career began at James F. Byrnes High School in Duncan, South Carolina, where he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player for both his junior and senior years. This led to Miller being rated as one of the top-20 cornerbacks in 2005 and to his eventual signing with the University of Georgia Bulldogs.
At Georgia, he was named the team’s 2006 Special Teams Newcomer of the Year. He spent four seasons with the Bulldogs and left some impressive stats in Georgia before turning pro.
Miller then went through the all-too-familiar NFL circuit of uncertainty, going from practice squad to practice squad. “I got tired of it,” said Miller. After stints with the Ravens, Patriots, Lions and Jaguars in a few short years, Miller saw an opportunity up north. “I just wanted to play football and I saw a chance here and just jumped on it.”
The CFL was always something Miller was always intrigued by: “A number of guys I knew in high school played in the CFL and some of them actually ended up moving back to Canada after they were done playing.” Miller added that the opportunities on-and-off the field in a booming province like Saskatchewan are an added benefit to playing for one of the best teams in the CFL.
After working out with the Riders as a free agent, Miller knew the Green and White had something different because unlike other teams, they possess that something extra, that special attraction: “I had heard that Rider fans were the best fans in the CFL. That definitely holds true.”
The game itself was another element Miller has adjusted to “once I got here and got a feel for the field and the pace of the game, I picked it up…it’s a process.” The smaller city feel and family atmosphere Saskatchewan provides is something Miller’s says makes him feel at home.
So far, the biggest challenge of his new Canadian career is being away from family. “It’s hard being away from my daughter and that support group I’m used to,” says Miller, but the family man finds support in his teammates and in his community of adoption here in Regina: “Everyone’s been really welcoming and that really helps.”
Come bring a warm welcome to Prince Miller and cheer on the Riders as they take on the Edmonton Eskimos on Aug. 24.
