Bob Smith was an enthusiastic rider while en route to his first Rider game.
Just 12 years old and living in the small Saskatchewan village of Plenty — which he still calls home — he was invited to tag along with a local school teacher who was travelling to Regina to visit relatives in the late 1960s.
“His name was Wayne Bright,” Smith, now 66, recalls from Plenty. “He knew that I loved football and that the Roughriders were playing that weekend, so he asked if I wanted to come along.”
Smith couldn’t have exclaimed “yes!” quickly enough.
It was a long ride, but the opportunity to finally visit Taylor Field and see his heroes, live and in person, was something to be seized and treasured. It helped there were family members with whom to stay while in Regina, so off he went.
There is still excitement in his voice when he discusses what it was like to see Ron Lancaster, George Reed and associates at Taylor Field for the first time.
“And after the game,” Smith recalls, “we all ran on to the field.”
All these years later, the Plenty-to-Regina-and-back excursion — a four-hour drive each way — is still a matter of routine for Smith.
An accompanying tradition is the organization of a fans’ bus trip to the Labour Day Classic.
This year, 32 loyalists from Plenty, Kerrobert, Unity and surrounding communities are to visit Regina for Sunday’s game between the Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“I always thought there would be a market for it if you could make it convenient for people to go to the game,” says Smith, who first put together such a trip about a decade ago.
“It’s a little bit of work, but it’s something that I’ve always enjoyed.”
It can also be regarded as a form of payback, considering the visits that Roughriders players have made to Plenty or a neighbouring community during Smith’s time as a fan.
He recalls the time, for example, when quarterback Tom Burgess and defensive lineman Bobby Jurasin — two members of the Roughriders’ 1989 Grey Cup championship team — made the rounds in Plenty, which is 150 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon and 380km northwest of Regina.
“It meant a lot to me for them to come here,” Smith says. “I’ve always been one of the biggest Rider fans in Plenty.
“I remember how excited all the kids were to see them. They were arm-wrestling with Bobby Jurasin and it was pretty neat.”
Unsurprisingly, then, Jurasin is Smith’s all-time favourite player — along with Ronnie and George, of course.
“I remember going to watch training camp (in Saskatoon) and Bobby Jurasin used to work, work, work,” Smith says. “It was all business with him. Everybody else would have left the field, but he was still out there, pounding away.”
Smith has applied a comparable mindset to the manner in which he supports the Roughriders.
A member of the Stranraer Elks club, he has played a key role in organizing a sports dinner that is typically held every second year. The list of attendees from the Roughriders includes Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf, Don Narcisse, Neal Hughes, Glen Suitor, Scott Schultz, Dan Clark, Bob Poley and Charleston Hughes.
Dressler, Clark, Getzlaf and Neal Hughes were in the lineup for Saskatchewan on Nov. 24, 2013, when the Roughriders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 to post the first home-field Grey Cup victory in franchise history.
Smith was there, of course, but the event was extra-special due to the presence of his four children — Tanner, Raelene, Deanna and Brandi — and their spouses.
As well, Smith’s siblings (Dale, Scott, Wanda and Marcia) were also at the game.
“That has to be one of the highlights of my lifetime,” Smith says.
The Roughriders have produced highlights a-Plenty.
The 1989 West Division final? Smith was at Commonwealth Stadium to watch the 9-9 Roughriders post a 32-21 victory over a 16-2 Edmonton side. He attended the game with his close friend, Wayne Rutherford.
“We were so excited,” Smith recalls, “that we went back to his place and re-watched the game on TV.”
Grey Cups? Smith has attended roughly 15 of them — all with Tanner, who has shared his father’s love of football since he was a toddler.
Labour Day Classics? Where do you start?
Smith was in the crowd for a miraculous, game-winning field goal by the Roughriders’ punter, Ken Clark, in 1983.
When Kent Austin found Jeff Fairholm for a 107-yard touchdown pass — the longest play from scrimmage in Roughriders history — Smith was at Taylor Field for that 1990 rout of Winnipeg.
The Rocky Butler game of 2002: Check.
Kerry Joseph’s game-winning quarterback draw (2007): Check.
Brett Lauther’s walk-off winning field goal and subsequent sprint to Pil Country (2019): Check.
And who knows what is to come in 2023? But this much is certain: Bob Smith will be there, with 33,000 of his closest friends.
“It’s just what I like to do,” he reflects. “Being a Rider fan has been a big part of my life.”
