100 Things Roughriders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

By Rob Vanstone and Dave Ridgway

Most Roughriders fans have attended a game at historic Taylor Field and the newer Mosaic Stadium, taken a photo in front of the George Reed and Ron
Lancaster statues, and proudly belted the lyrics to "Rider Pride" on game day. But even the most die-hard fans don't know everything about their beloved Riders.

In 100 Things Roughriders Fans Should Know Do Before They Die, longtime Regina Leader-Post scribe Rob Vanstone has assembled the facts, traditions, and achievements sure to educate and entertain true fans. Learn about Neil Joseph "Piffles" Taylor, Ron Atchison, Gene Makowsky, Darian Durant, Jeff Fairholm, and Jon Ryan, among many other pivotal figures. Which of the many origin stories about the Roughriders' nickname is most credible? How did "Piffles" Taylor lose his eye? Which prominent Rider named his child after Taylor Field? Which NFL team declined to match Glenn Dobbs' offer from Saskatchewan, allowing him to become a Roughrider? Vanstone has collected every essential piece of Roughriders knowledge and trivia—including "The Little Miracle of Taylor Field"; the triumphant Grey Cup victories of 1966, 1989, 2007, and 2013; and "The Kick"—as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist for fans of all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781641253406

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Contents

Foreword by Dave Ridgway

Introduction

1. A Grey Cup and a Half

2. Visit Ronnie and George

3. A Wait off the Shoulders

4. A Franchise Is Born

5. What’s in a Nickname?

6. Visit the New Stadium

7. The Kick Did the Trick

8. Lamb’s Last Laugh

9. Go Crazy, Saskatchewan!

10. The Little Miracle of Taylor Field

11. Tales of Taylor Turf

12. Dobberville

13. The Unluckiest 13

14. Doubles Dealing

15. Flight 810

16. Labour of Love

17. The Superstar Next Door

18. Fast Feet Fuelled Fairholm’s Fantastic Football Feats

19. Fake 34, Tight End Flag

20. The Green Army

21. The Crisis Is Real

22. See the Riders on the Road

23. We Want Ronnie!

24. Attend the Plaza of Honour Inductions

25. Huddle Up and the Cup

26. Cold Discomfort

27. Safety First

28. Riders’ Tie to a Spy

29. It’s All Relative

30. Visit the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame

31. I Only Have Eyes for Hugh

32. The Quiet Legend

33. Keys to the Victory

34. By George, They Did It

35. Tale of the Tape

36. The Reluctant Robokicker

37. Sad Day…Happy Ending

38. Dress for Success

39. Kory Runs to Glory

40. The Fun Run of ’81

41. A Victory for Veronica

42. Gopher Tales

43. Family Ties

44. The Pride of Gull Lake

45. Attend a Roughriders Practice

46. Bravo to Alex, Etc.

47. The Magic of Kent Austin

48. The Forgotten Classic

49. Striking Gold after a Fold

50. A Quarterback Who Gave Back

51. Wear a Watermelon on Your Head

52. Hoppy Days

53. Shivers Delivers

54. Good Morning, Riders!

55. Meet Maureen Miller

56. The Marshall Plan

57. Line of Succession

58. Rough Welcome

59. The Decline of ’59

60. Genial Gene

61. Welcome Back, Ed

62. The Miracle Major

63. The Silver Fox

64. Tale of the Tape

65. The Undertaker

66. Mr. Versatility

67. Visit the Fan Cairn

68. King of Queen’s

69. Jack, Bill, and Ill Will

70. The First Cup Was the Sweetest

71. A Sack-cessful Career

72. Just for Old Times’ Sake

73. Fabulous ’50s Footballers

74. Quarterback Quandaries

75. Green Screen

76. Caught Rhett-handed

77. Sask-ATCH-Ewan

78. Visit the Rider Store

79. Rider Pride Day

80. Don Swann Makes It Big

81. Hooray for Ray

82. Keeping Up with the Jones

83. A Special Place

84. Buy a Riders Share

85. Join the Pep Band

86. Path to a Prolific Passer

87. Berry Interesting

88. The (S)elect Few

89. Hennnn-ry!

90. Jon Ryan Comes Home

91. Record Collection

92. Good Times, Bad Times

93. States of Confusion

94. Lightning Hits the Outhouse

95. Taylor Field Mile-Stones

96. Visit Riderville

97. Goofy Gridiron Gems

98. One Game, Enduring Fame

99. Did Sullivan Stick Around? Neigh!

100. 100 Numbers

Bibliography

Foreword by Dave Ridgway

Over my years of involvement with the Canadian Football League, a number of books have been written about its players, its teams, past championships, and the league itself. The quantity of books published since the CFL’s inception in 1958 is actually quite amazing, considering the size of the league, the population base of Canada, and the fact that the CFL is uniquely Canadian in its rules and history.

If you were to compile a list of books written about the CFL, you would also find that one team seems to have had more written about its exploits than, well, all the other teams combined—and that is our very own Saskatchewan Roughriders. One of those books was even written by a Roughriders season ticketholder who lives in Minnesota! So why, exactly, are there so many books about the prairie Riders? Well, since you are already leafing through another book about Canada’s Team, you likely understand that the Riders’ fan base is generally a little more rabid than other teams’ fans in its pursuit of anything to do with the home team. 

As my career was winding down, I considered writing a book. In preparation, I purchased as many books as I could find regarding Canadian football. I then read each of them (and there were a surprising number of good ones) to determine what I should or should not include for my book to be just as entertaining as the ones I had read. From that, I determined that I wanted my book to have plenty of stories about games played throughout my years with the team and as many anecdotes as possible. It also needed to have plenty of inside stories about teammates—without, of course, getting any of them into trouble.

In your hands right now is another book about your team, written by a longtime friend of mine. He has written about the guys in green previously, and I am not referring to the thousands of daily and weekly columns that have appeared over the years in the Regina Leader-Post newspaper. I am, however, referring to his two Before, Then & After books—about the Grey Cup champions of 1966 (West Riders Best) and 1989 (The Greatest Grey Cup Ever). Perhaps I enjoyed them because I knew many of the personalities and players personally; however, I also enjoyed them because they were well-researched, well-written, and about my favourite football team.

When people pick up a book, they either want to learn something or to be entertained. As you read Rob’s latest book, I promise you will find it both informative and enjoyable. There is little about the Roughriders organization, its players, and its history that isn’t covered. And I feel comfortable saying that, to me, it is...sort of...the definitive fan book on things you absolutely need to know if you believe you are a diehard fan.

The book is loosely organized in numerical fashion, but it’s not all about numbers. Chapter 23 is about Ronnie and Chapter 34 is about George, exactly as you might expect, but not every player who wore a particular number is highlighted (until Chapter 100). But the players whom fans identify with a particular jersey number are for the most part there. Harley is Chapter 81, Narco is 80, Geno is 60, and some old kicker got Chapter 36. Bill Baker gets a chapter, as does Roger Aldag, and there are other players.

But again, it isn’t all about jersey numbers. There are chapters dedicated to the Grey Cup victories of 1966, 1989, 2007, and 2013, and to some of our more painful Cup losses. There are chapters about the Plaza of Honour and about Rider Pride. Labour Day Classics are chronicled, as are many other facets of the team and its history.

The chapters aren’t particularly long, which means you will move along at a pretty good pace, but I promise you this—you won’t get bored and you will have a tough time putting this book down once you get started.

Personally, there were several aspects of the book I very much enjoyed, like reading about the first black player who ever suited up for the Riders—Robert Ellis Jackson, way back in 1930. And I was shocked to read how the local media tried to delicately word (without much success) news of his arrival and play. I also loved reading that following the home-field Grey Cup win in 2013, Darian Durant went directly from Mosaic Stadium to Albert Street and took part in all the revelry.

When Glen Suitor and I went back to our hotel following our 1989 Grey Cup win in Toronto, we sat in the room talking about how wild it would be to be out celebrating with the fans on the streets in Regina and Saskatoon and Moose Jaw and all the small towns around the province that particular evening, and while we could only imagine what it was like, Darian was actually able to go out and be with the team’s fans as they celebrated. I loved that story! It also made me appreciate how much he enjoyed being a part of the province.

I also enjoyed reading about Piffles Taylor. My goodness, what a great Canadian! Not only did he fight for his country during The Great War, but he was also shot down, lost an eye, spent time as a prisoner of war, and came home to eventually move on to even bigger and better things in the province he called home, including having a stadium named in his honour—a stadium in which I was lucky enough to play for 14 seasons. 

There’s so much more you will learn from picking up this book. I promise you will discover many things you never knew about the team you thought you knew everything about.

Enjoy.

—Dave Ridgway

Saskatchewan Roughriders, 1982–1995

Introduction

Choosing the first 99 topics for this book was, to use football parlance, a snap.

The problem: there was a 476-way tie for No. 100.

Eventually, the issue was resolved and the content was determined, as evidenced by the fact that you are holding a copy of 100 Things Every Roughriders Fan Should Know & Do Before They Die.

On days when writer’s block was seemingly lethal, I wondered whether I would complete the 100 chapters before encountering mortality. It is, after all, a daunting task to address so many topics. Early on, the 12 down, 88 to go assessment reminded me of how much material needed to be covered. There were also days when 12 became 19, and 84 became 53, and when 100 changed by the hour. The mandate was broad, the list of possible subjects was infinite, and ideas for new chapters sprung up every time I completed an interview or revisited an aspect of the team’s rich history.

Some of the chapters were automatic. How could Chapter 23, for example, not be about Ron Lancaster? Chapter 34 and George Reed were a natural tie-in. Overall, I derived fabulous fun from linking numbers to names. Oh, and there was also the unavoidable linkage of Chapter 13 to...uh...well...ahem...you know.

Yes, some infamous moments in Roughriders history are revisited, as is inevitable when you consider the history of a team that has weathered telethons, a one-win season, repeated Grey Cup heartbreaks, 11 consecutive non-playoff seasons, and, tragically, the deaths of four Riders players in a 1956 plane crash.

But most of the space is devoted to a celebration of great games and names. As someone who grew up in Regina during the Ronnie and George era, I had nearly 50 years of firsthand viewing experiences upon which to draw.

I also drew upon the friendship and support of loved ones.

My wife, Chryssoula Filippakopoulos, was endlessly patient as I pleaded for another book night—a visit to a local coffee emporium, at which she would read voraciously and I would write furiously, detached from the world due to some fine jazz (thank you, Oscar Peterson) and noise-cancelling headphones (thank you, Sony).

Thank you as well to my publisher, Triumph Books, with which I enjoyed a first-time association that was devoid of headaches (at least on my end, anyway). I am extremely grateful to them for approaching me with this opportunity.

Profuse thanks as well to everyone who consented to be interviewed, as well as to the people whom I thoughtfully conscripted as uncompensated, yet invaluable, proofreaders: Bob Calder, Dr. Mark Anderson, Jennifer Ackerman, G. Helen Vanstone-Mather—who is more commonly referred to as Mom—and, of course, Chryssoula (who was especially adept finding missing words—omission intentional, in this case).

In collaboration with Garry Andrews, Bob Calder wrote Rider Pride, the first history book on the Green and White. Published in 1984, Rider Pride remains a must-read for any fan of the club, or of football in general. So, imagine my elation when Bob consented to proofread this book. He went above and beyond to assist me, in return for a free lunch (well, breakfast consumed at lunchtime) and some Saskatoon Blades tickets.

There could not be a greater friend than Dr. Anderson, the principal at Regina’s Luther College High School. I am indebted to him in more ways than the space allotted for this book would allow me to describe. (Mr. Calder also has a Ph.D. in English, so let’s just say that this book has been doctored.)

Profuse thanks, as well, to Jack Morrow of Edmonton—a fountain of CFL knowledge who offered so many valuable suggestions.

Thanks to Dave Ridgway, who became a great friend in the days when I didn’t even cover football for the Leader-Post, for consenting to write the foreword—and for The Kick, which I witnessed from a 500-level seat at Toronto’s SkyDome. Robokicker split the uprights on a Sunday. My voice returned the following Thursday.

Thanks to Leader-Post editor-in-chief Heather Persson and managing editor Tim Switzer for allowing me time to work on this project.

And thanks, especially, to you for investing valuable money and time in this project. I sincerely hope that you enjoy the latest addition to the written historical record of the Roughriders—even if we may disagree on who should have been recognized in the 100th, and final, chapter. And yet, isn’t that the sheer fun of it all?

But, before we start debating Chapter 100, onward to Chapter 1.

1. A Grey Cup and a Half

Darian Durant’s celebratory comment was as accurate as the precise passes he threw for the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the 2013 Canadian Football League playoffs.

When asked to describe the significance of that year’s home-field Grey Cup triumph, the legendary Roughriders quarterback replied, It was the best moment in Rider history, hands down.

That is saying something, considering that the Roughriders have had an assortment of highlights—and, yes, an inordinate number of gut-wrenching lowlights—since their inception as the Regina Rugby Club in 1910.

Saskatchewan’s Cup conquest in 2013 produced only the fourth championship in franchise history, one that is replete with memorable moments.

The Grey Cup titles of 1966, 1989, and 2007 are also up there, along with the careers of icons such as quarterback Ron Lancaster and fullback George Reed—both of whom are honoured with statues outside new Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders’ very survival—and their transformation from a virtual charity case into a Canadian football Goliath—is a story in itself. Also consider a fan base that is unsurpassed in terms of passion and, at times, patience.

Roughriders supporters have endured desperation telethons and, sadly, the deaths of four players in a 1956 airplane crash. Rider Priders also weathered a CFL-record 11 consecutive non-playoff seasons, along with an unmatched number of Grey Cup defeats (15). Among those losses are the heartbreakers of 1972 and 1976, championship contests that were decided in the waning seconds.

Most notably, there was the devastation of November 29, 2009, when a seeming victory suddenly evaporated as the Roughriders were called for too many men on the field after the Montreal Alouettes’ first attempt at a last-second, game-winning field goal was unsuccessful. Given a second try, from 10 yards closer, Damon Duval’s kick was true—leaving crestfallen Rider rooters to wonder whether what they had just witnessed was, in fact, real.

The Roughriders never trailed when there was time remaining on the clock…and still lost.

Backhandedly, though, the infamous 13th man unravelling contributed to the unrestrained merriment of November 24, 2013, when all the accumulated baggage was jettisoned as the Roughriders routed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45–23. And it happened at old Taylor Field (which was re-named Mosaic Stadium in 2006), the full-time home of the Regina (later Saskatchewan) Roughriders from 1936 to 2016.

You knew that it was going to be the last Grey Cup game in that stadium, and to come out the way they did against Hamilton, it was one of the great feelings that I had about the field, said Reed, who had a front-row seat.

Fittingly, the starting quarterback for the 2013 league final was Durant, who had entrenched himself as the No. 1 signal-caller four years earlier and was enjoying a storybook 2009 season until…well, you know.

As a counterbalance, there was Durant’s performance in the 2013 Grey Cup game, after which he memorably hoisted the time-honoured championship trophy over his head as the green-and-white confetti flew.

I was brought to tears, and I had only been [in Saskatchewan] eight years at the time, recalled Durant, who was a Roughrider from 2006 to 2016. To see the emotions of everyone in that crowd, the people who have endured the tough times, who have lived through [crowds of] 15,000 people, max, at the stadium, the telethon days, the heartbreaks of 2009, the plane crash, all the heartbreaking moments in Rider history…you could see everyone’s emotions come out and they let it all go. I guarantee you that out of the 40,000 people in that stadium, 30,000 of them shed a tear that night.

The emotion in the stands was felt by Regina-born Lori Dattilo, now of Surrey, British Columbia, who flew back to her hometown to attend the game.

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant (No. 4) hoists the Grey Cup in victory at the end of the 101st Grey Cup game held at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, on Sunday, November 24, 2013. (Troy Fleece, Regina Leader-Post)

Grey Cup 2013 was perfection, Dattilo said, recalling the prairie sky, the sea of green fans, the crisp air, the Roughriders running out as a group during the player introductions, [Roughriders legend] Kent Austin coaching the Tiger-Cats, and vindication on the home field after what happened in 2009.

Long after the game, fans remained in the stands to savour a once-in-a-lifetime experience—a hometown Grey Cup victory on Taylor Field.

It was like celebrating with old friends who you had been through the war with, Dattilo said. "At first, you did not believe it, because of the Calgary memories [from 2009].

No one wanted to leave. We wanted the feeling to never end. When the win seemed certain, I thought that I was now witnessing history.

Eventually, the fans left the stadium and joined the revellers on the streets. One of them turned out to be Durant, who had just finished the 2013 postseason with eight touchdown passes in three games.

I went home and changed clothes as fast as I could, the victorious quarterback said. I had to be a part of the celebration. It was an historic moment. Of course, the celebration in the locker room lasts forever, with the champagne and cigars and all that stuff. Then I met with [former teammate and ex-Roughriders quarterbacks coach] Marcus Crandell and gave him a big hug. Then we went out to Albert Street and then we went to Dewdney Avenue. We walked up and down with the fans and took pictures and we were a part of the festivities.

For Durant, it wasn’t a look-at-me moment or an attempt to revel in adulation. He simply wanted a long-awaited, firsthand look at what was occurring when Regina, and Saskatchewan, came unglued in peaceful, joyous fashion.

I stayed low-key, for sure, he said. I wasn’t in the middle of it, but I definitely was able to get out there and experience it.

That was to the astonishment of some revellers who, in the recollection of Durant, couldn’t believe it.

I was actually telling people, ‘Yes, this is me,’ because most people were drinking their butts off and they weren’t in their right mind, he continued. "They were saying, ‘Is this really you?’ I said, ‘It’s me!’ They’re wiping their eyes like they’ve seen a ghost. It was crazy.

There’s no way I was going to miss being a part of that. I had to enjoy it.

As did the fans.

It was one of the greatest days of my life, said Dylan Earis, who was born in 1993 and began following the Roughriders nine years later. "To watch that team struggle through the years and to think that a day like that would never happen, it meant the world to me when it did.

I cried. I hugged and high-fived a lot of strangers, and I will never forget running up and down Albert Street in my wheelchair. My brother Evan said, ‘We’re going to the street,’ and I said, ‘Are you kidding?!’ Some drunk guy was bouncing up and down on his truck bed. I don’t think he made it out alive.

Rider Nation, by contrast, was very much alive—on a day when the accumulated misfortune was forgotten, or at least shelved, as fans rejoiced in the streets leading to the site of the landmark conquest.

Winning it at home, Saskatoon-based Roughriders fan Don Rice reflected, felt like a Grey Cup-and-a-half.

2. Visit Ronnie and George

One of the livelier Roughriders-related debates pertains to the team’s greatest player: Ron Lancaster or George Reed?

But there was little debate when the time came to pay tribute to the icons outside new Mosaic Stadium, which officially opened in 2017.

Lancaster and Reed were both honoured with statues. After all, as former Roughriders president-CEO Jim Hopson put it, You never say Ronnie without saying George. Ronnie and George…George and Ronnie.

Both arrived in Saskatchewan in 1963 and enjoyed illustrious playing careers well into the 1970s—with Lancaster, wearing No. 23, routinely handing off to Reed, No. 34.

It eventually reached a point where a CFL career record was established every time Lancaster threw a pass or Reed accepted a handoff.

Standards were also set away from the field as a result of myriad contributions to a city, and a province, with which they became synonymous despite being born in the United States.

The all-around excellence was such that Reed in 1976 became the first recipient of the CFL Players’ Association’s Tom Pate Memorial Award, presented annually to a player who demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship while making a significant contribution to his team, his community, and the union. Appropriately, Lancaster was the second recipient.

And to think that their careers in Saskatchewan, and in Canada, were nearly abbreviated.

Lancaster and Reed had clashed with Bob Shaw, who was the Roughriders’ head coach in 1963 and 1964. With Shaw contractually obligated to return in 1965, Lancaster and Reed had both decided to remain in the States. However, the Toronto Argonauts ended up wooing Shaw, offering him far more money than he could have received from the penurious Roughriders, so he was released from his contract by general manager Ken Preston.

Preston proceeded to promote Eagle Keys, a former Edmonton Eskimos field boss who had been a Saskatchewan assistant under Shaw in 1964. One of Keys’ first moves as the head coach was to reach out to Lancaster and Reed and express confidence in both players, enticing them to return to Saskatchewan.

The rest is history. In 1965, Reed established an enduring franchise single-season record by rushing for 1,768 yards in 16 games. That performance enabled him to become the first Roughrider to be named the CFL’s most outstanding player. Not to be outdone, Lancaster received the league’s most-coveted individual award in 1970 and 1976.

But for both players, personal accolades were not the objective. Neither was financial enrichment. Each of them could have commanded more money from another team but, as Reed put it, I came, I played, I stayed.

Statues of George Reed and Ron Lancaster stand by Mosaic Stadium. (Troy Fleece, Regina Leader-Post)

Lancaster, from tiny Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University) in Springfield, Ohio, spent his first three seasons of professional football with the Ottawa Rough Riders before being traded to Saskatchewan in 1963 for a mere $500, with the stipulation that he would not be dealt to a team in the Eastern Conference without Ottawa’s approval.

Reed was recruited by the Roughriders out of Washington State University, at which he had played fullback and linebacker. He was also recruited by the Los Angeles Rams after his senior season.

If I’d had a feeling that I had to play in the National Football League, then I would have gone there, Reed said. The only reason I came up here was because they offered me a little bit more money than they were going to give me in the National Football League. In those days, it was good up here because the dollar was worth more and they offered me a bigger contract.

As first-year Roughriders, Lancaster and Reed played pivotal roles in one of the CFL’s most memorable comebacks. After losing 35–9 to the host Calgary Stampeders in the opener of a two-game, total-points first-round playoff series, the Roughriders won Game 2—played in Regina—by the requisite 27 points (39–12). Lancaster threw for 492 yards and five touchdowns before handing off to Reed for the winning major in what was quickly dubbed The Little Miracle of Taylor Field.

Even though the B.C. Lions ended up representing the West in the 1963 Grey Cup, that classic comeback was a prelude to the Roughriders’ first championship-game victory—a 29–14 conquest of Ottawa on November 26, 1966. Lancaster threw three touchdown passes in that game and Reed rushed for 133 yards (including a 31-yard score that effectively cemented the victory).

Reed remained a Roughrider until surprisingly retiring at age 36 as training camp loomed in 1976, despite having registered his third-best single-season rushing-yardage total (1,454) in 1975. In fact, no running back in the CFL West matched that total in any of the following eight seasons.

After Reed retired,