A Look Roughrider Team History
Organized football in Saskatchewan began on September 6, 1910, with the formation of the Regina Rugby Club. Initially conceived as a rowing club, the team soon embraced three-down football, adopting the original colors of gold and purple. However, in their debut game, the Regina Rugby Club suffered a narrow 7-6 defeat against Moose Jaw.
The following season witnessed a change in the team’s colors to blue and white, aligning with the Regina Amateur Athletic Association. Another shift occurred in 1912 when the team adopted red and black—the colors they retained for the next 36 years.
In 1924, the team underwent a significant transformation, changing its name from the Regina Rugby Club to the Regina Roughriders. This change coincided with Ottawa’s rugby club abandoning the “Rough Riders” name in favor of “Senators,” allowing Regina to adopt the iconic moniker. The origin of the “Roughriders” name is debated: some suggest it honors members of the North West Mounted Police known as Roughriders for taming wild horses, while others believe it pays tribute to a Canadian contingent that fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War, noting the red and black colors of Roosevelt’s infantry.
The team’s early years in competition were challenging, with a record of 0-4-0 in their inaugural season. Despite this, Regina achieved remarkable success in subsequent seasons, finishing first in the next 22 seasons and securing 15 Western Canadian championships.
The introduction of the national championship, the Grey Cup game, in 1921 marked a new era of competition between Eastern and Western Canadian teams. Regina reached its first Grey Cup game in 1923 but faced defeat against Queen’s University. This loss was the beginning of a series of seven Grey Cup appearances over 12 seasons, all ending in defeat for the Roughriders.
In 1936, seeking more competitive opposition, Regina joined the Western Provincial Football Union and won the league title that season. A pivotal moment for the franchise came in 1948 when the Regina Roughriders became a provincially owned and operated club, known henceforth as the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The same year, the team’s colors changed to green and white–the Rriders were in need of new uniforms, and when executive member Jack Fyffe found a set of green and white jerseys at a surplus store in Chicago, the “Green and White” was born.
In 1956, a devastating event struck the Roughriders when players Mel Becket (#40), Mario DeMarco (#55), Ray Syrnyk (#56), and Gordon Sturtridge (#73) perished in a plane crash. They were on their way back from an all-star game in Vancouver when Flight 810 tragically collided with Mount Slesse in the Coastal Mountains, just south of Chilliwack, B.C., taking the lives of all 62 passengers.
In honor of their memory, the Roughriders retired the numbers of these four players, a tribute shared with four other legendary players: Ron Lancaster (#23), George Reed (#34), Roger Aldag (#44), and Dave Ridgway (#36), whose numbers have also been retired by the club.
The team’s struggle for success in the Grey Cup continued until they clinched their first title under the guidance of head coach Eagle Keys. Despite their consistent performance in the following years, another Grey Cup victory eluded them until 1989, when a dramatic field goal secured a victory against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in what is considered one of the best title games in CFL history.
The subsequent years brought financial challenges and varying on-field success. Telethons in 1997 and earlier years highlighted the community’s commitment to the team, which eventually led to playoff appearances and Grey Cup victories, notably in 2007 and 2013. The latter year marked a significant achievement with a record-breaking performance by running back Kory Sheets.
The Roughriders continue to be celebrated for their marketing, merchandise, and attendance successes. The opening of New Mosaic Stadium in 2017 also helped underscore the bright future ahead, despite the challenges in recapturing past triumphs.
The team’s perseverance and the unwavering support of Rider Nation remain central to the Rider identity, as they strive for future success in the CFL.
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