Richard Alston (gridiron football)

Alston played high school football at Warren County High School as a quarterback.[2][3] He later attended college at East Carolina University, where he played for the Pirates from 1999 to 2002. As a freshman, Alston was used by the Pirates coaching staff in tandem with sophomore teammate David Garrard as a quarterback.[4] As Garrard's usage increased going into his junior and senior years, the Pirates coaching staff tried out Alston at several different positions. After starting the 2001 season as a running back, Alston was converted mid-season to a wide receiver, the position in which he would play out the rest of his college and professional careers.[5][6] In his final year with the Pirates, Alston led the team with 702 receiving yards on 36 catches, adding six touchdowns.[7]

Alston went undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League in May 2003.[7] Alston did not make the Browns' regular season roster,[8] but he was allocated to the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe. While with the Thunder in 2004, Alston threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Chas Gessner in World Bowl XII. The trick play, which had Alston line up as a receiver before throwing the ball, helped the Thunder defeat the Frankfurt Galaxy 30–24 to become World Bowl champions.[3]

In 2004, Alston returned to the Browns.[9] While he was not valuable to the Browns at wide receiver, the team used him as a return specialist. In a November game against the Baltimore Ravens, Alston scored his first NFL touchdown after returning the opening kickoff 93 yards.[10] He played in nine regular season games in 2004 returning kickoffs.[11] Alston returned to the Browns' training camp in 2005, where he competed with André Davis and Josh Cribbs to remain a kick returner.[12] The Browns released Alston in their final round of cuts.[13]

The Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL signed Alston in 2006. In training camp, he competed with several other import receivers for a roster spot, including former Denver Broncos player Chris Cole.[14] The coaching staff also evaluated him along with Tony Tompkins and Toby Zeigler to return kicks.[15] Alston solidified his spot on the roster by leading the team in preseason catches.[16] Alston remained on the roster into the regular season. After Eskimos wide receiver Trevor Gaylor dropped a pass near the Eskimos sideline during Week 1, the Eskimos coaching staff removed Gaylor from the starting lineup.[17] Alston started his first game in the CFL the following week against the Calgary Stampeders.[17] He suffered an ankle injury during his first start, but he quickly recovered to catch three passes for 76 yards two weeks later against the BC Lions.[18][19] In August, Gaylor reclaimed his starting position from Alston after Alston dropped a long pass in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[1][20] Alston finished the regular season with seven games played, recording 23 catches for 261 yards and a single two-point conversion. Although the Eskimos had considered him as a potential kick returner in training camp, he returned only one kickoff along with three punts.[2]

In February 2007, the Eskimos traded Alston to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The deal also sent Nicolas Bisaillon, Timmy Chang, and a draft pick to the Tiger-Cats in exchange for defensive back Jason Goss.[21] The Tiger-Cats receiver corps were considered a weakness going into the 2007 season, and the team tried out at least fourteen receivers in training camp.[22] In mid-June, The Hamilton Spectator reported that Alston was showing potential in training camp and had a "leg up" to make the team.[23] Alston made the active roster for the regular season and played in one game for the Tiger-Cats, but he was released in early July.[2][24] He briefly signed with the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League in November 2007, but the Gladiators released Alston in February 2008 before the start of the regular season.[25][26]