Christian Saulsberry
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Short description|American gridiron football player (1997–2022)}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name = Christian Saulsberry
| number = 25
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1997|12|12}}
| birth_place = Southaven, Mississippi, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|12|17|1997|12|12}}
| death_place = Walls, Mississippi, U.S.
| position = Return specialist, wide receiver
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 188
| college = {{ubl|Itawamba CC|West Alabama}}
| high_school = {{ubl|Southaven High School|Northpoint Christian School}}
| playing_years1 = 2021
| playing_team1 = FCF Beasts
| playing_years2 = 2022
| playing_team2 = Edmonton Elks
| career_highlights =
| statlabel1 = Return yards
| statvalue1 = 948
| statlabel2 = Receptions
| statvalue2 = 1
| statlabel3 = Receiving yards
| statvalue3 = 17
| CFL = christian-saulsberry/167107/
}}
Christian Saulsberry (December 12, 1997 – December 17, 2022) was an American gridiron football return specialist and wide receiver who played one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Edmonton Elks. He played college football at Itawamba CC and West Alabama; he also had a stint playing with the FCF Beasts. He died in December 2022 after being shot; he was still under contract with Edmonton.
Early life and education
Saulsberry was born December 12, 1997, in Southaven, Mississippi.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-saulschr001|website=StatsCrew.com|title=Christian Saulsberry football statistics}} He attended Southaven High School during his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Northpoint Christian School as a junior. He played baseball and football;{{Cite web|url=https://uwaathletics.com/sports/football/roster/christian--saulsberry/5867|publisher=West Alabama Tigers|title=Christian Saulsberry}} he was a defensive back and running back in football.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114833250/the-commercial-appeal/|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|via=Newspapers.com|date=October 6, 2015|page=47|title=Northpoint's Saulsberry has big night|author=Williams, Jason}} {{Open access}} As a senior Saulsberry was a team captain{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114833369/the-commercial-appeal/|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|via=Newspapers.com|date=November 24, 2015|page=68|title=Saulsberry lead Trojans to 13th straight victory and title game|author=Varlas, John}} {{Open access}} and ran for 1,390 yards, scoring 19 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns; he led his team to 13 consecutive wins and the state championship where they lost 50–20.{{Cite news|url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/2022/12/17/christian-saulsberry-edmonton-elks-northpoint-football-killed-in-shooting/69737443007/|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|title=Christian Saulsberry, former Northpoint, Southaven football star, shot and killed |last1=Barnes|first1=Evan|last2=Wilcox|first2=Wynston |date=December 17, 2022}} He received many honors for his senior performance, including selection to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, first-team all-state, all-district, and TSSAA Division II Offensive Player of the Year among others. Saulsberry played for two years at Northpoint Christian with 2,606 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns.
Saulsberry was a two-star recruit and joined Itawamba Community College in 2016 after graduating from Northpoint Christian. He played two seasons there, recording 55 catches for 658 yards and two touchdowns, being named MACJC first-team all-state in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2022/08/18/edmonton-elks-signs-former-west-alabama-wide-receiver-christian-saulsberry/|website=BGMSportsTrax.com|title=Edmonton Elks signs former West Alabama wide receiver Christian Saulsberry|author=Heilman, Michael|date=August 18, 2022}} After graduating from Itawamba CC, Saulsberry joined Division II West Alabama for his final two seasons. He was named All-Gulf South Conference (GSC) as a junior after compiling 52 catches for 644 yards and four scores while also recording 29 kick returns for 838 yards and one touchdown, totaling a team-leading 1,484 all-purpose yards. As a senior, he again received the honor after posting 580 receiving yards and three touchdowns, with an additional 614 return yards for 1,223 total yards. Saulsberry ended his time at West Alabama with 1,224 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while appearing in 23 games.{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10058988-christian-saulsberry-dies-at-age-25-in-fatal-shooting-cfl-wr-attended-west-alabama|website=Bleacher Report|title=Christian Saulsberry Dies at Age 25 in Fatal Shooting; CFL WR Attended West Alabama|author=Wells, Adam|date=December 17, 2022}}
Professional career
Saulsberry was eligible for the 2020 NFL draft{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfldraftdiamonds.com/2019/09/christian-saulsberry/|website=NFL Draft Diamonds|title=Meet 2020 NFL Draft Prospect: Christian Saulsberry, WR, West Alabama|date=September 3, 2019|author=Talbot, Damond}} but was not selected.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goelks.com/2022/08/18/positivity-pays-off-as-saulsberry-gets-second-shot-with-ee/|publisher=Edmonton Elks|title=Positivity pays off as Saulsberry gets second shot with EE|author=Swane, Brian|date=August 18, 2022}} After not being on any team in the 2020 season, he was selected with the top pick by the Beasts in the Fan Controlled Football (FCF) draft.{{Cite web|url=https://xflnewshub.com/alt-football/fan-controlled-football/in-depth-talk-with-fan-controlled-football-league-fcf-star-christian-saulsberry/|website=XFL News Hub|title=FCF Week 2 Gives Us New Tags, New Draft, and New Games|date=February 20, 2021|author=Davis, Josh}}{{Cite web|url=https://xflnewshub.com/alt-football/fan-controlled-football/in-depth-talk-with-fan-controlled-football-league-fcf-star-christian-saulsberry/|website=XFL News Hub|title=In-Depth Talk With Fan-Controlled Football League (FCF) Star Christian Saulsberry|author=Davis, Josh|date=February 5, 2021}} He was one of the players they franchise tagged.{{Cite web|url=https://news.fcf.io/2021/fcf-week-4-recap-beasts/|publisher=Fan Controlled Football|title=FCF Week 4 Recap: Beasts|date=March 9, 2021}} He scored a touchdown in the Beasts' game against the Zappers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfldraftdiamonds.com/2021/02/fan-controlled-football/|website=NFL Draft Diamonds|author=Talbot, Damond|date=February 14, 2021|title=Fan Controlled Football League was fun to watch and gave tons of players a platform}}
In May 2022, Saulsberry was signed by the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).{{Cite web|url=https://3downnation.com/2022/05/11/elks-sign-four-canadians-and-four-americans-suspend-four-others/|website=3DownNation.com|title=Elks sign four Canadians and four Americans, suspend four others|date=May 11, 2022}} In two preseason games, he recorded six kick returns for 172 yards, four rushes for nine yards and two catches for 18 yards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/2022/08/17/elks-bring-back-wr-christian-saulsberry/|publisher=Canadian Football League|title=Elks bring back WR Christian Saulsberry|date=August 2022}} Although released following training camp, he was re-signed to the practice roster in August. He made his debut against the Ottawa Redblacks on August 27,{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/2022cfledm.html|website=Pro Football Archives|title=2022 Edmonton Elks (CFL)}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.goelks.com/2022/10/10/rookie-christian-saulsberry-energizing-elks-return-game/|publisher=Edmonton Elks|author=Swane, Brian|date=October 10, 2022|title=Rookie Christian Saulsberry energizing Elks' return game}} eventually became the team's main return specialist, and by October was one of the top five players in the league for punt return average with 11.6 yards per return.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114835849/edmonton-journal/|newspaper=Edmonton Journal|via=Newspapers.com|date=October 7, 2022|page=C1|title=Special Teams A Bright Light For Lowly Elks|author=Moddejonge, Gerry}} {{Open access}}
In a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saulsberry recorded 175 kick return yards, the tenth most in a single game in team history, and with an additional 30 punt return yards became the first Edmonton player in nearly a decade with over 200 return yards in one game. By his sixth game, despite missing a large chunk of the season, he was ranked seventh in the league in kick return yards and tenth in punt return yards. He also averaged 85.7 kick return yards-per-game by that time by leading all of the CFL. Saulsberry finished the season having appeared in eight games, and recorded 948 total return yards, one reception for 17 yards, and one rush for seven yards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/players/christian-saulsberry/167107/|publisher=Canadian Football League|title=Christian Saulsberry}} His longest return was 51 yards on a missed field goal return. He was named the Elks' most outstanding special teams player for the 2022 season.{{cite web |title=Elks announce 2022 team awards |url=https://www.goelks.com/?p=468871 |website=Edmonton Elks |access-date=December 19, 2022 |language=en |date=October 26, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Most outstanding: CFL teams announce award winners |url=https://3downnation.com/2022/10/26/most-outstanding-cfl-teams-announce-award-winners/ |website=3DownNation |access-date=December 19, 2022 |date=October 26, 2022}}
Death
Saulsberry was shot at a party in Walls, Mississippi which is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, on December 17, 2022, five days after his 25th birthday.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/elks-running-back-christian-saulsberry-dead-after-shooting-in-memphis/|publisher=Sportsnet|title=Elks running back Christian Saulsberry dead after shooting in Memphis|date=December 17, 2022|agency=The Canadian Press}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/cfl/story/_/id/35272631/edmonton-elks-wr-christian-saulsberry-killed-memphis|publisher=ESPN |title=Edmonton Elks WR Christian Saulsberry killed in Memphis|date=December 17, 2022|agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.wlbt.com/2022/12/18/memphis-man-charged-fatal-shooting-former-southaven-football-player/|publisher=WLBT |title=Memphis man charged in fatal shooting of former Southaven football player|author=Johnson, Rose|date=December 17, 2022}} He died while en route to the hospital.{{cite news |last1=Grose |first1=Lawrencia |title=Memphis man arrested for murder of former Southaven athlete |url=https://wreg.com/news/local/memphis-man-arrested-for-murder-of-former-southaven-athlete/ |access-date=December 19, 2022 |publisher=WREG |date=December 17, 2022 |quote=On Saturday morning, the DeSoto County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a shooting call in the 7400 block of Church Road in Walls, Mississippi. Christian Saulsberry was shot in the abdomen and leg while attending a party. He was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.}} The alleged shooter was arrested later that day.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saulsberry, Christian}}
Category:Players of American football from Mississippi
Category:Players of Canadian football from Mississippi
Category:People from Southaven, Mississippi
Category:Sportspeople from DeSoto County, Mississippi
Category:Itawamba Indians football players
Category:West Alabama Tigers football players
Category:Fan Controlled Football players
Category:Edmonton Elks players