Mike Rose’s pro football career has blossomed in a land far away from his hometown of Fountain Inn, S.C.
Now an eighth-year CFLer, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive tackle is poised to play his 100th regular-season game since heading northward in 2017.
Rose will reach that milestone on Saturday when the Roughriders oppose the Edmonton Elks (5 p.m., Commonwealth Stadium).
“I’ve been playing this game a long time,” Rose reflected. “One-hundred games of anything is a lot.
“I’m happy to be here.”
Especially as the football odometer, as it were, is about to include a third digit. The secret to longevity?
“Be humble,” he replied, “and I think there’s luck to it, too. Sometimes it’s just luck of the draw with GMs, making plays and staying healthy.
“You’ve got to take care of your body. It just takes time. You’ve got to prepare your body every week to be able to take on hits. I think that’s what has got me this far.”
Rose, a three-time All-CFL selection and a divisional honouree in 2024, spent seven seasons with the Calgary Stampeders before signing with Saskatchewan on Feb. 1.
The Roughriders, owners of the league’s best record, have won 10 of 13 games since adding Rose to the equation.
“He’s one of those guys where you have to know where he’s at as a D-lineman,” said quarterback Trevor Harris, who is well-acquainted with Rose as an opponent and a teammate.
“Sometimes you’d slide a (protection) to him. If you create one-on-one mismatches for him, he can be a problem all year.
“When I heard we were in on him and he was coming to Regina, it was exciting times. When you’ve got the defensive line we have, they can really wreak some havoc, for sure.”
Rose is part of a Roughriders defence that is tied with the Toronto Argonauts for the league lead in sacks (34). Saskatchewan, with Rose manning a spot on the interior of the defensive line, has also allowed a league-low 81.2 rushing yards per game.
A tendency toward “dominant snaps,” as referenced by Head Coach Corey Mace, has helped Rose become a key component of a stubborn defence.
“Being a part of some championship teams and having a winning pedigree and knowing what that’s supposed to look like, he shows up every day,” said Mace, who was the Stampeders’ Defensive Line Coach for Rose’s first four CFL seasons.
“He hasn’t missed a practice. He speaks up in meeting rooms, trying to take the young bucks under his shoulder a little bit.
“It’s really cool. I got to see him when he was the young buck and I saw how Micah Johnson and Charleston Hughes treated him back then. Fast forward a couple of years and now he’s the one doing it.”
Rewind a few years — nine, to be exact — and Rose wasn’t sure what the future held in the unpredictable, ever-changing world of professional football.
After signing an NFL contract as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State, he spent training camp and the entire 2016 pre-season with the New York Giants before being among the final cuts. He signed with Calgary the following May.
“I wanted to go the NFL,” the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder recalled. “That didn’t happen, but it definitely turned out. I think it turned out all right.”
Although the latter sentence was spoken in the past tense, Rose is focused on the future — one he hopes will continue to include professional football for a long time.
“I’m glad to have a job,” he said with a smile. “When I don’t have a job doing this, somebody give me a job. I’m always glad to have a job.
“So if you’re out there and Mike Rose needs a job, give him a job!”
