August 24, 2017

The Roughriders mourn the loss of alumnus Lou Clare

 Lou Clare, whose four seasons as a player with the Saskatchewan Roughriders included an appearance in the 1976 Grey Cup game, died Monday.

He was 67.

Born in Mississauga, Ont., Clare eventually earned a full scholarship to play football at the University of Minnesota. He began his CFL career in 1973 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before being traded to the Roughriders prior to the 1976 season.

A 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker/defensive back/returner, Clare played 48 games with Saskatchewan over the next four seasons. He was part of the team that lost 23-20 to the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1976 Grey Cup game.

He was traded back to Hamilton during the 1979 campaign and went to the Grey Cup in 1980 with the Tiger-Cats, who fell 48-10 to the Edmonton Eskimos in the title game.

After wrapping up his CFL career in 1981 with the Montreal Alouettes, Clare retired in Regina. He was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.

“Lou and I were teammates and opposition members through our entire careers,” said Roughriders vice-president of sales and partnerships Steve Mazurak, who played alongside Clare in Saskatchewan. “He was a fierce competitor. He could do it all. He had the strength to play middle linebacker and the IQ to play a lot of positions. 

“I also knew him to be a great story-teller and a great friend. People always wanted to sit at his table at the alumni functions that we had. Lou was never alone sitting at a table. Everybody enjoyed his company so very much. He always had a smile on his face and always brought smiles to other people’s faces.”

A service to celebrate Clare’s life is set for Monday, 3 p.m., at the Regina Funeral Home and Cemetery, 4001 East Victoria Ave.