Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign kick returner Troy Stoudermire through 2017

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have extended the contract of kick returner Troy Stoudermire through 2017, the CFL team announced Friday.

He played in just seven games in 2014, but still finished third in the league with 1,192 combined special teams yards. His average of almost 171 yards per game led the league.

“From the second I got to Winnipeg I felt good about this team, and this organization,” Stoudermire said in a release. “I was able to show some of my skills returning kicks and I’m grateful they have asked me to remain here for a while. That definitely goes both ways. As much as they wanted me, I wanted to a remain a Blue Bomber for a long time.”

Stoudermire made his debut Aug. 12 in Toronto, returning three punts for 119 yards and six kickoffs for 154 yards. He was named special teams player of the week after scoring a touchdown on a 64-yard punt return in a 35-30 loss in Regina on Aug. 31.

General manager Kyle Walters said Stoudermire is a game changer.

“We saw that plenty throughout this past season, that the second he gets his hands on the football, there is a potential for a scoring play,” he said.

“Those players are hard to find and when you do, you have to do your best to retain them. He’s a phenomenal athlete and we are pleased to have him in Winnipeg for the next three seasons.”

Stoudermire, a University of Minnesota product, attended training camp with Saskatchewan before joining the Blue Bombers.