Saskatchewan Roughriders

current sport-related|
CFL team
name = Saskatchewan Roughriders
bgcolour = 008000
fontcolour = white
helmet = CFL Roughriders.png

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founded = 1910
location = flagicon|Canada Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
field = Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field
division = West Division
colours = Kelly Green, white, black and silver
nickname = Riders, Roughies, The Green and White
coach = Ken Miller
manager = Eric Tillman
owner = Community owned
championships = 1966, 1989, 2007
mascot = Gainer the Gopher
website = [http://www.saskriders.com www.saskriders.com] The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan, founded in 1910. They play their home games at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field. The team draws fans from across the province and country who are affectionately known as the "Rider Nation". The fans are known for their loyalty and "Rider Pride", and it is not odd to find a group of Rider fans following the team on their road games across the country. The Roughriders play in the CFL's West Division.

Team facts

: Formerly known as: Regina Rugby Club 1910 to 1923, Regina Roughriders 1924 to 1947

: Helmet design: Green helmet with a Black and white "S" and stalks of wheat on each side with a Black background with Silver and Green stripes behind the "S" like yard lines from a football field.

: Retro helmet design: Green helmet with logo of a green wreath surrounding a green "S" on a white background

: Uniform colours: Forest Green and white with black and silver accents

: Nickname: Riders

: Western regular season championships: 6—1951, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1976

: Grey Cup final appearances: 16;—1923 (lost), 1928 (lost), 1929 (lost), 1930 (lost), 1931 (lost), 1932 (lost), 1934 (lost), 1951 (lost), 1966 (won), 1967 (lost), 1969 (lost), 1972 (lost), 1976 (lost), 1989 (won), 1997 (lost), 2007 (won)

: "'Grey Cup wins: 3—1966, 1989, 2007

: Hosted the Grey Cup 2 times: 1995 (83rd Grey Cup), 2003 (91st Grey Cup)

: Main rivals: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (see Labour Day Classic and Banjo Bowl); Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders, BC Lions

: 2007 Regular Season Record: 12 wins, 6 losses, 0 ties. 24 Points

Franchise history

The team was founded as the "Regina Rugby Club" in 1910. They changed their name to the "Regina Roughriders" in 1924 and officially to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1948, the same year the team changed their team colours from red and black to green and white. The formation of what became the CFL brought them into the same league as the similarly named, but differently spelled, Ottawa Rough Riders. The Ottawa team was named for the log rollers of the region's rivers. The presence of two teams whose names were pronounced the same in one league came about only when two leagues merged, and the teams were reluctant to change (and allowed to keep) their established nicknames.

Tragedy

The Roughriders' darkest day came in 1956 when four members of the team were killed in a plane crash while returning from the CFL All-Star game in Vancouver. Gordon Sturtridge, Mel Beckett, Ray Syrnyk, and Mario DeMarco were killed when Flight 810 crashed into Slesse Mountain near Chilliwack, British Columbia. The team retired the numbers of the four players shortly after the tragedy.

Grey Cup championships

The franchise has won three Grey Cup championships; a 29–14 victory over the now-defunct Ottawa Rough Riders in 1966, a 43–40 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1989 and also a 23–19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2007. Four times, the Roughriders and (Ottawa) Rough Riders met in Grey Cup finals, prompting joking predictions from sportswriters that 'the riders' would win it all. Led by Hall of Fame quarterback Ron Lancaster, a string of 11 straight appearances in the Western finals 1966–76 remains a CFL record. The Roughriders also posted the best regular season record in all of pro football over that time period. [http://www.riderfans.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58521]

2007 season

In the 2007 season, the Riders jumped out to a 7–2 start, their best since 1976. Notable was a last-minute victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the annual Labour Day Classic. The Riders wore retro uniforms for the first time and their helmets harkening back to their glory days.

The 2007 season brought along with it the Roughriders' first home playoff game since 1988, which was played at Mosaic Stadium on November 11 against the Calgary Stampeders. The Riders once again wore their retro uniforms and took a close victory 26–24. this was also their first home playoff win since 1976.

The team followed up on November 18 with a 26–17 win at BC Place over the BC Lions in the West Division final to give the Roughriders a berth in their first Grey Cup final since 1997.

On November 25, 2007, the Riders played the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 95th Grey Cup. This marked the first time that two Labour Day Classic opponents played each other in a Grey Cup game. Saskatchewan won 23–19 in a game where James Johnson recorded three interceptions. He was named MVP of the 2007 Grey Cup, with Roughrider Andy Fantuz being named the Canadian MVP in the game. He had 70 yards receiving and the game-winning touchdown.

2008 season

A month and a half after capturing the 2007 Grey Cup, Kent Austin stepped down as head coach to become the offensive co-ordinator at Ole Miss. In accepting this position in the NCAA, Austin turned down a very lucrative contract that the Riders had offered. On February 6, 2008 Eric Tillman announced that the new head coach would be Ken Miller. Miller was formerly an offensive coordinator under Austin.

On April 5, 2008 a report was released saying that the Roughriders set a new record for earnings in a single season. In the 2007 year the Roughriders generated $22,950,489 in revenue, with a profit of $1,737,377. These earnings were due in part to the championship season the Roughriders sported, which included 8 home game sellouts and their first home playoff game in 19 years.

The 2008 season began with a 6-0 record with wins shared between 3 quarterbacks. This is the team's best record since 1934 when they were still known as the Regina Roughriders. This was despite suffering 6 broken legs and a total of 18 injuries.

On August 24, 2008, the team's General Manager, Eric Tillman, announced the acquisition of Michael Bishop; the Toronto Argonaut backup quarterback at the time of the trade, he went 11-1 as a starter for the Argonauts in 2007. As predicted, this would be the end of Marcus Crandell's run with the Roughriders, who released him four days later.

Mascots

The Roughriders have had various mascots over the years. During the 1980s, an unofficial mascot for the Roughriders was a man known as "The Flame. Each time the Roughriders scored, a 12-to-15-foot flame would shoot up from his helmet. The current official Rider mascot is Gainer the Gopher.

Players of note

Current roster

Canadian Football Hall of Famers

* Ron Atchison
* Roger Aldag
* Bill Baker
* Al Benecick
* "Gluey" Hugh Campbell
* Ken Charlton
* Bill Clarke
* Ray Elgaard
* Edwin "Eddie" "Dynamite" James
* Bobby Jurasin
* Ron Lancaster
* Ed McQuarters
* George Reed
* Dave Ridgway
* Martin Ruby
* N. J. "Piffles" Taylor
* Ted Urness

Retired numbers

* 23 Ron Lancaster
* 34 George Reed
* 36 Dave Ridgway
* 40 Mel Beckett
* 44 Roger Aldag
* 55 Mario DeMarco
* 56 Ray Syrnyk
* 73 Gordon Sturtridge

Recent regular season and playoff results

The 1990s

F = For, A = Against

See also

* Canadian Football Hall of Fame
* Canadian football
* Comparison of Canadian and American football
* List of CFL seasons

External links

* [http://www.riderville.com Saskatchewan Roughriders Official Site]
* [http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/roughriders/index.html Regina Leader-Post]
* [http://www.riderfans.com RiderFans.com]
* [http://www.rodpedersen.com Blog of Rod "Hot Rod" Pedersen, play-by-play announcer]
* [http://www.riderblitz.com RiderBlitz.com] - Rider blog