Riders add Two new Runningbacks

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today they have signed import running backs Lavarus Giles and Marcus Thigpen to contracts. Financial details of the signings were not released.

Giles (6’2 – 215 lbs) played for Jackson State and in his senior year accumulated 87 carries for 555 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games. In addition to playing football at the high school and college level, Giles claimed a number of track and field awards in the 100 and 200 metre dash. The 24-year old signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in March, 2009. In four games played with the Bombers, Giles had 14 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns. The Mississippi native entered the CFL in September, 2008 when he signed as a free agent with the Calgary Stampeders.

Thigpen (5’9 – 190 lbs) spent four seasons at Indiana and finished second in school history with 2,009 career kick return yards, third with 4,658 career all-purpose yards and tied for eighth with 21 career touchdowns. He became the first player in school history with over 1,000 rushing yards (1,621), receiving yards (1,028) and kickoff return yards (2,009) and became the 19th rusher in school history to cross the 1,500-yard rushing barrier and just the fifth player in Indiana lore to go over 4,500 career all-purpose yards. Thigpen also finished fifth in Big Ten history with 2,009 kick return yards, tied for third with three kick return scores and shared sixth with 81 kickoff returns. Prior to signing with the Riders, the 23-year signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos in August, 2009 and originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in April, 2009.


This giles character kind of seems like a duster to me, even though he did have a decent career in college and had 2 touchdowns in 4 games with the bombers what is the deal with posting his track and field accomplishments in here. that just proves to me that hes got nothing to say about himself except he was a track geek and the coach of the football team was watching the track babes work out one day and seen a kid that can run, then eventually convinced him to put some pads on, threw a ball at him and told him RUN FORREST, RUN!!!

However this Thigpen kid seems legit. Hes pretty much re-wrote the record books at his school and the only reason i can see that he didnt stick in the NFL is because hes only 5'9 and 190 lbs. so i'm looking forward to seeing him in action at mosaic stadium this summer.