Today’s exercise: Multi-touchdown authentication.
Several minutes of exhaustive research have uncovered 425 instances of a Roughriders player crossing the goal line at least twice in a game, dating back to the team’s inception as the Regina Rugby Club in 1910.
Unsurprisingly, the all-time individual leader is George Reed, with 28 multi-TD games (MTGs) in regular-season and playoff competition. His total breaks down into one four-TD game, 10 three-TD games and 17 two-TD games.
The next two players on the list — Ken Carpenter (14 MTGs) and Ray Elgaard (13) — have a combined total of MTGs that is one behind Reed’s individual tally.
Hugh Campbell, Don Narcisse and Mike Saunders each had 12 MTGs. (For a complete list, scroll down to the appendix at the end of this latest deluge of data.)
Here is some other number-crunching, for your reading pleasure:
- The all-time leaders in playoff competition are Kenton Keith and Eddie James, both of whom had three MTGs. Reed, Carpenter, Weston Dressler, Kory Sheets and Brian Timmis are next in line with two post-season MTGs.
- Ferd Burket’s lone MTG was a record-setter. He erupted for five scores, an enduring franchise record, on Oct. 26, 1959 against the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
- Timmis (Oct. 30, 1920 versus Saskatoon), Reed (Oct. 30, 1968 versus Edmonton) and Milson Jones (Aug. 31, 1988 at Winnipeg) are the only Roughriders to have scored four TDs in a game.
- Reed’s 11 games of three or more TDs make him the Roughriders’ runaway leader in that category. Timmis is next with five, followed by Carpenter and Hugh Campbell with four. With two: Ken Charlton, Jack Hill, Curtis Marsh, Bill Orban, Ray Purdin, Bobby Thompson and Joey Walters.
- The first two-score game was by _____ Morrison at Saskatoon on Oct. 30, 1911. Contemporaneous newspaper reports refer to Morrison strictly by his surname. His first name is a mystery. So here is a cry for help: If anyone out there in Riderville knows Morrison’s full name, please let me know! The mystery player is an inside wing who played in only one season with the Regina Rugby Club, which was then in its second year.
- Five players added their names to the MTG list last season: Samuel Emilus (with a three-TD game), Shawn Bane Jr., Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, Shea Patterson and Antonio Pipkin.
- The quirkiest addition to the list is that of R.C. Gamble, who dressed for only two games with the Roughriders — and rushed for two TDs each time. With Reed out of the lineup due to a leg injury, Gamble scored twice against the visitors from Edmonton (Oct. 28, 1970) and against the host B.C. Lions (Nov. 1, 1970). Over those two games, Gamble rushed for 221 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry. In the latter contest, he gained 131 yards on 19 rushes. It was a spectacular sign-off as a Roughrider for Gamble, who was traded to B.C. on April 16, 1971.
- How’s this for a two-TD game? On Sept. 14, 1969 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Bobby Thompson caught two passes for 155 yards. He scored on 83- and 72-yard connections with Ron Lancaster.
- And how’s this for a two-TD game? Late in the game at Toronto on June 19, 2003, Nealon Greene hit Corey Grant for back-to-back TDs that were scored just 43 seconds apart. Grant’s second major, a 53-yarder at 14:57 of the fourth quarter, was the winner as Saskatchewan won 20-18.
- Kent Austin is the Roughriders’ all-time leader in MTGs by a quarterback (five). On Oct. 23, 1993 against the visiting Calgary Stampeders, Austin became the first Saskatchewan QB to score three TDs in a game. That feat has since been matched by Rocky Butler (Sept. 1, 2002 versus Winnipeg) and Michael Bishop (Oct. 30, 2008 at Toronto).
- Doug Killoh was the first Roughrider to register a MTG without scoring on offence. He cashed in on two fumble returns on Aug. 27, 1955 at Calgary.
- Lorne Richardson emulated Killoh by scoring on a fumble return and a blocked punt on Oct. 14, 1974 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver.
- Over 11 seasons as a Roughrider, Neal Hughes registered a pair of two-TD games — which were separated by just 27 days. He scored twice against Calgary on Oct. 3, 2008 and reached the end zone twice more on Oct. 30 in Toronto. His second major — on a two-yard run with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter — was the difference as Saskatchewan won 45-38.
- The MTG club includes Nealon Greene, Nellie Greene, Sammy Greene and Roy Wright. Greene and Wright!
- A total of 165 players have combined to produce a list of 425 MTGs. For a full accounting of the names, read on …
MOST MULTI-TOUCHDOWN GAMES
28 — George Reed.
14 — Ken Carpenter.
13 — Ray Elgaard.
12 — Hugh Campbell, Don Narcisse and Mike Saunders.
9 — Wes Cates and Jeff Fairholm.
8 — Weston Dressler, Craig Ellis, Chris Getzlaf, Milson Jones, Kenton Keith and Joey Walters.
7 — Ken Charlton.
6 — Kory Sheets, Bobby Thompson, Brian Timmis.
5 — Kent Austin and Ray Purdin.
4 — Tom Campana, Rhett Dawson, Matt Dominguez, Eddie (Dynamite) James, Kerry Joseph, Bobby Marlow, Curtis Mayfield, Walter (Oke) Olson, Ron Robinson and Reggie Slack.
3 — Rob Bagg, Gord Barwell, Chris DeFrance, Andy Fantuz, Jack Gotta, Jack Hill, Corey Holmes, Bobby Johnson, Curtis Marsh, Tim McCray, Steve Molnar, Travis Moore and Neil J. (Piffles) Taylor.
2 — Anthony Allen, Jason Armstead, Holland Aplin, Walter Bender, Demetris Bendross, Ed Buchanan, Tom Burgess, Hugh Charles, Glenn Dobbs, Dwight Edwards, D.J. Flick, Lucius Floyd, Will Ford, R.C. Gamble, Neal Hughes, Darren Joseph, Silas McKinnie, Bill Orban, Bob Pearce, Ralph Pierce, Sammy Pierce, William Powell, Tare Rennebohm, Jack Russell, Geroy Simon, Taj Smith, Mike Strickland, Alf Styles, Chris Szarka, Elijah Thurmon, Emanuel Tolbert, Elbert Turner and Del Wardien.
1 — Derick Armstrong, Tron Armstrong, Shawn Bane Jr., Keith Barnette, Johnny Bell, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, Michael Bishop, Al Bodine, Bob Boucher, Clair Branch, Lester Brown, Cecil Browne, Terry Bulych, Ferd Burket, Henry Burris, Rocky Butler, Greg Carr, Duron Carter, Henri Childs, Howard Cleveland, Dick Cohee, Jerry Crapper, Darren Davis, Rick Eber, Jimmy Edwards, James Ellingson, Samuel Emilus, Cody Fajardo, Fritz Falgren, Dan Farthing, Greg Fieger, Alan Ford, Stu Foord, Jason Franci, Cookie Gilchrist, Kevin Glenn, Corey Grant, Greg Grassick, Nealon Greene, Nellie Greene, Sammy Greene, Desmond Grubb, Eric Guliford, Fred Hamilton, Rod Harris, Charlie Harrison, Larry Isbell, Willis Jacox, Freeman Johns, Herb Johnson, Doug Killoh, Paul Kirk, Cary Koch, Harry Lampman, Ron Lancaster, Nic Marshall, Steve Mazurak, Ab Miller, Howie Milne, Robert Mimbs, Morrison (first name unknown), Jack Nix, Howie Otton, Gabe Patterson, Shea Patterson, Antonio Pipkin, Tommy Reamon, Bob Renn, Lorne Richardson, Trent Richardson, Jack Rowand, Curt Schave, Ray Smith, Ryan Smith, Mac Speedie, Jack (Tiny) Thompson, Larry Thompson, Punk Thomson, Bill Todd, Frank Townsend, Pete Van Valkenburg, Darrell Wallace, Jay Washington, Mike Washington, Fred Williams, Stan Williams, Jordan Williams-Lambert, Jim Worden and Roy Wright.
