Up Close: Meet Roughriders running back A.J. Ouellette
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'I watched a couple games growing up. The (Montreal) Alouettes kind of have that same little 'Ouellette' ending to it. So watched them a little bit.
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'My defensive coordinator in college, (Jim) Burrow, played for Montreal. And then I had a couple other coaches that had a couple games up here in the CFL. So I knew of the CFL, I just didn't know who to contact or how to get in.
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'And luckily, I got a call mainly because I had a Canadian quarterback (Nathan Rourke) and a Canadian backup running back (Maleek Irons) in college, so they were at most of our games. So, I got some exposure that way.'
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Did you think you'd be in the CFL this long?
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'The first couple (years) you're like, 'Man, I hope I make it back to the NFL.' But I love this league, love the guys here (and) obviously love the fans of Sask.
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'I've been very grateful. I had a lot of great things that kind of happened since I've been up here; met some friends I probably would never have met.'
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'I just found (a picture) on my phone of me, Andrew (Harris, Saskatchewan's running backs coach) and (Saskatchewan's offensive line coach Edwin Harrison) after we won the Grey Cup with Toronto.
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'Coach Ed was the running back coach; Andrew and me were the running backs. And it's us hugging, kissing each other. That's a great memory I have right now. I hope I get a couple more cups.'
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'I was better at baseball than football growing up … I don't know how I would be stepping in the batter's box right now, but back in the day (I was OK).
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'Started with baseball and T-ball and all of that. And then wrestling.
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'Played basketball a little bit, ran track in high school, did some motocross. I raced dirt bikes all the way up until I had to pick between that and football in junior high. So picked football, of course.'
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Any superstitions?
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'They kind of come and go as the years go. The ones in high school were a little different than the ones now.
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'In high school, I had to have Subway before every game. Now, home games, it's Booster Juice. Like I don't eat on game day, I have Booster Juice.
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'Night before I go to The Keg on home games; get steak and lobster. The night before, I have to have some type of steak, some type of seafood.
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'And then my music is kind of set. It's country all day, trying to be chill. And then 30 minutes before is when I switch it over to like a rap/rock/screamo type of thing.
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'I put my pads in — left thigh pad, right thigh pad, left knee pad, right knee pad … It's just some weird stuff.'
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Hidden talent?
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'Mario Kart (on Nintendo Switch). I would dominate anyone. I actually went and bought two more controllers because the nephews fly in (this week) and I'm gonna whoop their butt on the projector.'
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Any other jobs?
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'I own a sports performance gym in Ohio.
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'When I first started in the CFL in the off-season, I sprayed insulation. So (working on) construction sites when they were redoing barns or houses or whatever.
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