The Riders and Their History

Retired Jersey Numbers

Flags fly at the South endzone in Taylor Field.

#23 Ron Lancaster #34 George Reed #36 Dave Ridgeway #40 Mel Becket
#44 Roger Aldag #55 Mario DeMarco #56 Ray Syrnyk #73 Gordon Sturtridge

Grey Cups

1966 - in Vancouver Saskatchewan Roughriders 29 vs. Ottawa Rough Riders 14
1989 - in Toronto Saskatchewan Roughriders 43 vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats 40
2007 - in Toronto Saskatchewan Roughriders 23 vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers 19

Historical Dates

April 1, 1950: The Regina Roughriders officially change their name to the "Saskatchewan Roughriders".
Nov 24, 1951: Lost in the Grey Cup to Ottawa Rough Riders 21-14.
Dec 9, 1956: Darkest day in Roughriders' history. Roughriders Gordon Sturtridge, Mel Beckett, Ray Syrnyk and Mario Demarco were killed in a plane crash while returning from the Shrine All Star Game in Vancouver. Trans Canada Flight #810 flying from Vancouver to Regina crashed into the side of Mount Sleese in the Rockies. Sixty-two passengers and crew were killed. On board were 4 players from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, as well as one player from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calvin Jones. The families of Mel Becket and Mario DeMarco donated a commemorative trophy to recognize the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in the West.
Nov 26, 1966: With coach Eagle Keys at the helm, the Saskatchewan Roughriders win their first Grey Cup title, defeating the Ottawa Rough Riders 29-14 in Vancouver's Empire Stadium.
Dec 2, 1967: Lost Grey Cup to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24-1.
Nov 30, 1969: Lost Grey Cup to Ottawa by a score of 29-11.
Dec 3, 1972: Lost to Hamilton in the Grey Cup 13-10. 18-year old Ian Sunter kicked the winning field goal for Hamilton.
Nov 28, 1976: Lost a heartbreaker to Ottawa 23-20 in the Grey Cup.
Nov 26, 1978: Roughrider great Ron Lancaster retires as a player, holding many CFL records, including most passing yards in a career with 50,535 yards - since passed by Damon Allen, and most passing touchdowns in a career with 333 from 1960-78. Twice in his 19 seasons, he was voted Most Outstanding Player.
June 30, 1979: Rider great George Reed is inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
May 28, 1982: Saskatchewan's great QB Ron Lancaster is inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
1984: The Roughriders update their look one more time, adding black and silver to the Green and White, and featuring a new logo.
July 29, 1984: Saskatchewan's Dave Ridgway kicks eight field goals against the Ottawa Rough Riders, tying a CFL record.
July 23, 1988: Ridgway again kicks eight field goals against the Edmonton Eskimos, tying his own CFL record.
Nov 19, 1989: Led by Head Coach John Gregory, the Green and White win their 2nd Grey Cup on a last-second field goal by Dave Ridgway, defeating Al Bruno's Hamilton Tiger-Cats 43-40 at the brand new Skydome in Toronto. To many it is still the greatest Grey Cup game of all time.
Oct 14, 1995: The largest regular season one game attendance at Regina's Taylor Field was 55,438 when Saskatchewan beat Calgary 25-23. Given that the capacity of Taylor Field was 27,732, this was a tight game in more ways than one.
Nov 19, 1995: The Grey Cup game is held in Regina for the first time. The Baltimore Stallions become the first (and only) American-based team to win the coveted trophy, defeating the Calgary Stampeders 36-20.
Nov 16, 1997: After upsets of both the Calgary Stampeders (33-30) and Edmonton Eskimos (31-30), the Roughriders advance to the Grey Cup for the first time in eight years, only to lose to the heavily-favoured Toronto Argonauts 47-23. It is the first meeting between teams from Regina and Toronto since the 1930 game between Regina and Balmy Beach.
Nov 16, 2003: Grey Cup held in Regina for the second time. The Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Montreal Alouettes 34-22 for their 12th Grey Cup Championship.
Nov  25, 2007: With coach Kent Austin at the helm, the Saskatchewan Roughriders win their third Grey Cup title, defeating the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. James Johnson sets a new Grey Cup record by recording 3 interceptions, one of which was for a touchdown.