Four-time all-star linebacker Larry Dean retires, joins Roughriders’ front office

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Veteran linebacker Larry Dean has announced his retirement after eight years in the CFL but will remain with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the team’s new player personnel coordinator in football operations.

The six-foot, 225-pound defender played 108 career regular season games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2016-18), Edmonton Football Team (2019), and Saskatchewan Roughriders (2021-23), recording 570 defensive tackles, 15 special teams tackles, 11 sacks, seven interceptions, and eight forced fumbles. He was also a member of the Tiger-Cats during the league’s cancelled 2020 season.

The 35-year-old was a two-time East Division all-star, two-time West Division all-star, and the East Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player with Hamilton in 2018. He was Saskatchewan’s nominee for Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player this past season after making 104 defensive tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

The native of Tifton, Ga. went unselected in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Valdosta State University before spending five years as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played 61 regular season NFL games, recording 38 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

The Riders will open their 2024 regular season on Saturday, June 8 when they visit the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium.

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