“If you love Ro, you love his family”: Rolan Milligan Jr., fatherhood and football

Rolan Milligan Jr., the CFL’s foremost impeder of kick returners, is proud of a special team that resides in Lake Wales, Fla.

As much as he enjoys excelling in two facets of three-down football for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, his thoughts are never far away from his wife, Samantha, and four children.

“We’re FaceTiming every day,” Milligan Jr. said. “It’s tough being away from my wife — my best friend — and being away from my kids. They need me. They need the guidance.

“They’re running (Samantha) wild, too, right now. She’s still recovering from giving birth and she has to raise those kids by herself.

“I miss them a lot. It’s a sacrifice we talked about and we work through it every day.”

Suni Rebecca Milligan, born on Sept. 17, was welcomed by her proud parents and three siblings — brothers Lyric (age 10) and Loyal (3) and sister Peace (4).

“Samantha always wanted to name her first kid Lyric, girl or boy,” Milligan Jr. said of his first-born son. “She already had that name locked.

“With Peace, my wife said she had a dream that her uncle was walking with a bag of toys around Christmas time. She was like, ‘Why do you have that big bag of toys?’ He said, ‘It’s for Lyric and Peace.’ That’s where she got the name Peace from.

“Loyal came from one of her friends. They were just shooting out names and we both liked Loyal.

“And Suni, she’s named after the Olympian.”

That would be Sunisa (Suni) Lee, an American gymnast who excelled at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

“My wife is good with her name, but you know Samanthas when you grow up,” Milligan Jr. said. “Every class has a Samantha.

“So she was like, ‘Whenever I have kids, I want my kids to have a unique name.’ ”

They certainly have a unique father.

Milligan Jr. is the rare player who sits atop the league’s statistical table due to his excellence on defence and special teams.

The 30-year-old defensive halfback leads the CFL in interceptions (seven) and special teams tackles (19). He is also tied for top spot in pass knockdowns (10) and is third overall in total defensive plays (103).

“He’s just a really, really good football player,” Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris said. “I’m glad people are finally realizing that.

“In ’22 when I played against him, I remember after the game going, ‘Who is 0?’ I looked him up and I was like, ‘This guy is good.’ He was just awesome in the open-field tackling and sticky in man coverage.

“He’s just a tremendous dude, too. He’s a father of four — a really mature, smart guy. He has been awesome for us this year.”

Factor in the birth of Suni and it has been an awesome few months all around.

“To meet the new addition to our family, it’s just surreal,” Milligan Jr. said. “Every time I’ve seen my wife give birth, it just puts a smile on my face.”

Although Milligan Jr. is an important player on the field, family takes precedence for the Corey Mace-coached Roughriders.

“In situations like that, I always want to make sure that the guys are doing the best thing for their family and themselves,” said Mace, who gave his blessing to Milligan Jr. to miss one game while he was at home with a newly expanded family.

“We love Ro but, if you love Ro, you love his family. We’re just happy that everybody’s healthy and Suni is now a part of the world and Ro’s got another one to play for.”

That is in addition to playing for his teammates, who appreciate a voice that is thoughtful and respected, if not boisterous.

“He’s naturally more quiet, but I’m pushing him to be a vocal leader,” Mace said.

“I know, for sure, that he’s speaking up in the defensive backs’ room. He’s one of the captains now. That’s just the intangibles of his personality and his leadership skills. He has been awesome.

“As a player, I think everybody knows that answer. He has been a tremendous player throughout his career and, certainly, this year has been a really good one for him.

“We’re happy as ever that he plays for us.”

That has been the case since Oct. 23, 2021, when he signed with the Roughriders.

Milligan Jr. enjoyed an auspicious on-field debut with the Roughriders, registering five defensive tackles, one special teams stop and a sack while starting at strong-side linebacker against the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Nov. 20, 2021.

The audition was so impressive, in fact, that Milligan Jr. remained in the lineup for both playoff games.

In 2022 — his first full season as a Roughrider — he registered 82 defensive tackles (third on the team), eight pass knockdowns (first), one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

As well, Milligan Jr. and Jayden Dalke were tied with a team-high 11 special teams tackles.

Milligan followed up with a scorching start to the 2023 season.

In four games, he registered two interceptions (one of which he returned 56 yards to set up a one-yard touchdown), two tackles for a loss (including a crucial third-down stop late in the season opener versus the host Edmonton Elks) and 17 defensive tackles.

However, he suffered ligament damage to a toe in the Roughriders’ fourth game. Surgery was required to repair what turned out to be a season-ending injury.

“It was hard in the off-season, getting back to myself,” he said, “and then once I got back to myself, it was like, ‘Don’t take a moment for granted. Don’t take plays for granted. Don’t take games for granted.’ ”

In that spirit, he embraces double duty. He is one stop ahead of A.J. Allen in the race for the Roughriders’ special teams tackles title.

“I get to run down the field and still make plays with my guys,” Milligan Jr. said. “If I don’t get the tackle, then A.J. is probably getting the tackle, so I get to cheer on A.J.

“It’s just fun being able to play football every day. It’s the dream that a lot of people don’t get to enjoy. I get to enjoy it, so I just try to do it as much as I can.”

With three regular-season games remaining, Milligan Jr. — who is under contract through 2025 — has an excellent chance of becoming only the third Roughrider to lead the league in special teams tackles since the category became part of the CFL’s statistical tally in 1991.

Ray Bernard amassed a CFL-best 32 special teams tackles in 1992. Walter Spencer was tied for the lead, with 29, in 2005.

Interceptions-wise, six Roughriders have led the league outright or finished in a tie.

That select sextet consists of Dale West (10 interceptions in 1963), Bob Kosid (eight in 1968), Lorne Richardson (seven in 1976; four-way tie), Ken McEachern (10 in 1980; two-way tie), James Patrick (nine in 2010) and Ed Gainey (10 in 2017).

Now, Milligan Jr. is in the conversation when prime candidates are considered for Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. And, of course, he merits strong All-Star consideration.

If you ask Milligan Jr., though, the true MVP is named Samantha.

“She’s amazing,” he marvelled. “She’s tough.

“I told her I could never do what she does, just being able to carry a baby and give birth. I could never do that.

“There are other outside factors — going to work sometimes and then having to get the kids up and get them ready for school in the morning. Then she’s dropping them off and picking them up.

“She does a lot and I tell her all the time that I appreciate her.”