Roughriders Derrick Moncrief has made big sacrifices for football

Derrick Moncrief may be an unsung hero on the football field, but the only people he cares about making proud are his two heroes: his mom and dad.

The 25-year-old linebacker from Prattville, Alabama is in his second season with the Riders. Since making his CFL debut in August 2017, Moncrief has become one of the best young linebackers in the league.

As with many players, his road to Saskatchewan was far from easy. After high school he had to go to community college to get his grades up. Even after he did he ended up going to two more universities:  Auburn and Oklahoma State.

Moncrief joined CBC's Peter Mills this week to share his journey from Prattville to Regina:

First, I have to thank you because I was taking some photos and you gave me some great ones.

Oh yeah, I love the camera for sure.

You look like you're having a good time. How's your life doing right now?

Life is great right now, man. I'm blessed. I'm playing football, the game I love. Other than that, everything is good.

You're healthy, you're back on the field, you're winning football games and you just got engaged.

Yup, I did. Most important thing right now besides football.

How big of a moment was that for you?

Very big. Life changing. It's a blessing, man. It's a blessing to have a good woman.

You had a bit of tough road to get to Saskatchewan. What was the toughest part?

Probably the college route. Transferring colleges [from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to Auburn to Oklahoma State] and then going undrafted. You know, just seeing if I was going to get a phone call. I didn't get a call from an NFL team and I finally got some news from here and the rest is history.

Tell me about Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

Oh man, that was my first college experience. [I was a] 19-year-old kid away from home. I learned a lot. I had a great mentor in Stevon Moore, he's probably the best defensive coach I ever had. He played in the NFL and he showed me a lot of things about football that I still carry with me. 

How big was it for you when you got your grades up?

Oh very big, man. Studying extra hours because during high school and coming up all my years I had a little difficulty just processing and learning and everything. So when I got it done I felt really great.

What advice would you have for kids who are maybe not that big into the education side but big into sports?

Put the extra overtime in. Whatever you need to do, just get help because you just got to ask questions and keep pursuing so you can get to your goal.

I understand when you did get to your education goal, your mom was pretty happy.

She was ecstatic, man. Plus, she was an Auburn fan too so it just put the icing on top of the cake right there.

Why are your mom and your dad your heroes?

Man, all the sacrifices they made for me coming up. Just observing [everything they did] because I was observant as a young child. To be right here right now, I'm just doing it for them too and just trying to make them happy.

What kind of sacrifices did they make?

Man, different jobs, just providing, food and clothes for me and my brothers. That was a major thing.

A lot of people just assume you have a free ride as a football player in college, but that wasn't the case for you. How tough was that?

Very tough. I had to pay for college going to Oklahoma State the first two semesters. So that was very difficult. But everything worked out and God had a plan for me.

What was it like growing up in Prattville, Ala.?

Close-knit community. It's fun. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody is related kind of so it was fun growing up.

In what sense does Saskatchewan remind you of there? Except maybe the weather.

[Laughs] Yeah, man, very cold [here]. But it's a close-knit community here and you can just feel it. Everybody rallies around the football team.

Do you want to start a foundation back in Prattville when you're done football?

Yeah, yeah, I want to do that, man. I haven't started anything yet but probably this off-season coming up I'll be able to do a little couple of things just to get kids involved because I come from an underprivileged background. So anytime I can reach out and help the community, man, they're the future so that's what I want to do.

What do you want to do with that foundation?

Just raise money, [help kids] get good grades in school, provide food and clothes if I need to, just be a positive role model in the community.

It seems like a lot of football players, even on this team, want to give back or have foundations. Why is that?

It's a blessing because of the platform we are on. God blessed us so we got to be able to reach back and help others like they helped us.

You wear No. 42 for the Riders. Did you originally wear No. 24 at Auburn because you have two brothers and four sisters?

[Laughs] Yeah, I did that man. There was significance to this ... I carry my family with me, man, every time I'm on the field I'm trying to represent them.

Tell me about your siblings?

We're very close, man. My dad always stresses, 'You always stick together' because everybody leaves so just stick together no matter what.

I understand you had to miss your brother's wedding.

Yeah, I did. I was the best man, man. It's crazy. But he's going to be in mine so it's all good.

And why did you have to miss it?

I was here trying to handle business, man. Trying to take care of my family and provide. 

How hard of a decision was that?

Very hard, man. Any time you miss something like that that's a significant moment, a very important moment. But he understood so he just wanted me to handle business.

You brought up your dad. I heard he worked you hard. I know you told the Piffles Podcast his training was "gruesome". How bad was it?

Bad. From table jumps to running. My grandma stayed on the railroad tracks so any time I'd mess up, I'd have to run down the dirt road and had to pick up something or bring something back, sprints, walking from practice down the road. He taught me a lot of mental toughness.

Obviously paying off today.

Oh yeah, most definitely, man. I love my dad. He's my mentor. The person I look up to. Any time I need to talk to him about anything with football or life, he's always there.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

The Roughriders (8-5) take on the Montreal Alouettes (3-10) in Montreal on Sunday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is at 11 p.m. CST.

MORE ROUGHRIDERS FEATURES:

• A star is reborn: Marcus Thigpen's unexpected return to the Roughriders
• Roughriders newest star Matt Elam not wasting his 2nd chance
• Roughriders Jordan Williams-Lambert becomes a star thanks to mom
• Jim Hopson goes from humble beginnings to the Roughriders Plaza of Honour
• Roughriders returner Christion Jones reclaiming fame in Sask.
• Roughriders Dariusz Bladek became a proud Canadian thanks to football
• Mr. Consistent: Roughrider Jovon Johnson a leader on and off the field
• Not the last frontier: Roughriders' Caleb Holley ready for more
• Roughriders' Ed Gainey is a realist and a dreamer
• Willie Jefferson has fire in his heart, ice in his mouth
• Roughriders receiver Naaman Roosevelt quiet off the field, explosive on it