Robservations: The Irish ties compiling … here’s to a win for Wolseley … and see you in Regina Beach!
Here’s the scoop on Coan …
Jack Coan, whose signing was announced on Friday, is the 15th University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish alumnus to reach a contractual agreement with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
That list includes four quarterbacks — Coan, Tom Clements, Tony Rice and Frank Tripucka.
Some have been All-Stars. Some have been afterthoughts. But all of them have arrived with a resume that includes time spent with one of the NCAA football’s most prestigious programs.
So here, without further preamble, is a rundown of the Roughriders’ Fighting Irish 15:
John Atamian: Claimed on waivers from the Toronto Argonauts on Sept. 2, 1967, Atamian was a key member of the Roughriders’ offensive line for 1½ seasons — earning West All-Star honours in 1968. He was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for cash on June 13, 1969.
Robert Banks: In 14 games with the 1992 Roughriders, he registered four sacks and 30 defensive tackles while playing defensive end. He retired from football in June of 1993.
Bill Barz: The former Fighting Irish fullback signed with Saskatchewan on April 17, 1972 and released on July 24 of that year, one week before the regular-season opener.
Lamont Bryant: Bryant, a defensive lineman, was signed by the Roughriders on May 14, 2004. He went on to play in 15 regular-season games, recording four sacks and 39 defensive tackles (including seven for a loss). He retired in May of 2005.
Tom Clements: Clements was the Roughriders’ first starting quarterback in the post-Ron Lancaster era. After Clements made it clear that he wanted to test NFL options after completing the final year of his CFL contract, the Ottawa Rough Riders dealt him to Saskatchewan on May 18, 1979 for defensive back Steve Dennis, receiver Bob O’Doherty and a second-round draft pick in 1980. Saddled with a porous offensive line, Clements threw only two touchdown passes — compared to 11 interceptions — before being traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 31, 1979. The Roughriders received tight end Lawrie Skolrood, who was converted to an offensive lineman the following year. After being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1980, Clements returned to the CFL and continued a career that was rewarded in 1994 with induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Skolrood entered the SaskTel Plaza of Honour in 2008.
Jack Coan: After transferring from the University of Wisconsin to Notre Dame in 2021, Coan enjoyed a stellar senior season with the Fighting Irish. In 13 games, he threw for 3,150 yards and 25 touchdowns. Most notably, he set Fiesta Bowl single-game records for passing yards (509) and aerial touchdowns (five) on Jan. 1, 2022 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Jordan Genmark-Heath: Genmark-Heath was a Swedish-born linebacker with Notre Dame and UCLA before being selected fifth overall by Saskatchewan in the 2022 Global Draft. He signed with the Roughriders on Oct. 4, 2022 and spent the rest of the month on the practice roster before being released.
Ed Hoerster: Hoerster was acquired from Hamilton for linebacker/offensive lineman Bill Burrell on Sept. 8, 1965. Hoerster played defensive end for his first two games with the Roughriders before moving to linebacker. He had one interception over eight games. On Oct. 24, 1965, Hoerster made a key stop on B.C. Lions running back Willie Fleming to thwart a third-down gamble in the fourth quarter. The Roughriders went on to win 30-14 and clinch a Western Conference playoff spot. Also in that game: George Reed ran for a franchise-record 268 yards. Hoerster did not return to the Roughriders in 1966, opting to pursue a post-football career in Chicago.
Martin Olosky: An offensive lineman, Olosky was signed by the Roughriders in January of 1964. He did not report to training camp.
William Pollard: Although Pollard caught only 11 passes over four seasons with Notre Dame, he was an inviting target (at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds) and therefore an invitee to training camp. He signed with the Roughriders on April 11, 1994, only to be released 2½ months later.
Tony Rice: The signing of Rice on June 5, 1990 created considerable fanfare, in light of the fact that he had quarterbacked Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988. He dressed for eight games in 1990, completing two of five passes for 40 yards and adding three rushes for seven yards. Rice saw his first game action on Oct. 7, 1990, completing one of four passes for 23 yards against the host Calgary Stampeders. His first completion was to Bruce Boyko. The second completion was a 17-yarder to John Hoffman on a fake punt on Nov. 3, 1990 in Vancouver. The trick play set up a TD pass from Kent Austin to Milson Jones. Rice was released on July 5, 1991, following his second training camp with the Roughriders.
Alec Shellogg: A former captain at Notre Dame, Shellogg was a middle wing with the 1938 Regina Roughriders. He appeared in eight regular-season games and one playoff contest.
John Slafkosky: Slafkosky attended the Roughriders’ training camp in 1964 before being released. An injury to guard Dick Schulz opened the door for Slafkosky to return to the Roughriders and start in B.C. on Aug. 19, 1964. He was cut two days later.
Frank Tripucka: “The Tripper” is incontestably the most accomplished Fighting Irish grad in Roughriders history. He spent all or parts of eight seasons with Saskatchewan, including a heyday that spanned 1954 to 1958. Over that five-season stretch, he threw for 12,938 yards and 70 TDs. In 1956, he passed for 3,274 yards — a franchise record that stood until Lancaster amassed 3,767 yards in 1973. Tripucka, who was named the Roughriders’ Most Outstanding Player in 1957 and 1958, returned to Saskatchewan for stints in 1959 (player-coach) and 1963 (quarterback). The first quarterback in Denver Broncos history, Tripucka joined the team’s Ring of Fame in 1986. He entered the SaskTel Plaza of Honour three years later. In 2012, Tripucka cheerfully consented to having his No. 18 unretired so that it could be worn by the Broncos’ Peyton Manning.
Neil Worden: After starring at fullback with Notre Dame, Worden was chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1954 NFL Draft. He played for the Eagles in 1954 before leaving the team due to military obligations. He rejoined the Eagles in 1957 and spent the following season as the backfield coach at Boston College. The Roughriders came calling in 1959 and signed him to a contract on June 6. In five games with the Roughriders, he carried the ball 40 times for 153 yards before being released on Sept. 3.
FROM RIDERVILLE TO HOCKEYVILLE
Best wishes to the people of Wolseley as they make a spirited bid to win Kraft Hockeyville 2024.
Wolseley is among four finalists, along with Elliot Lake, Ont., Cochrane, Alta., and Enderby, B.C.
The winner will receive $250,000, which is to go toward rink upgrades, and the opportunity to play host to an NHL pre-season game.
The Wolseley Sportsplex is in dire need of a new artificial ice plant.
In advance of the 32-hour voting period, people are asked to register at hockeyville.kraftcanada.ca.
Also on that website, the voting period opens on March 29 at 7 a.m., Saskatchewan time and continues until March 30 at 3 p.m.
The winner will be announced during Hockey Night in Canada on March 30.
A Saskatchewan community has yet to win the Kraft Hockeyville grand prize, even though the list of previous finalists includes Wilcox (2008), Humboldt (2009), Ituna (2017), Lafleche (2018), Wilkie (2019), Pense (2020) and Lumsden (2021).
“There’s a first time for everything,” one of the organizers told me from Wolseley on Friday. “Remember that the Roughriders didn’t win a Grey Cup until their ninth try.”
That was in 1966, when the Roughriders’ roster included a defensive back from Lafleche (Larry Dumelie) and a linebacker who attended high school in Wilcox (Wayne Shaw).
REGINA BEACH BECKONS
Stay tuned for shameless self-promotion in five … four … three … two … one …
It will be my honour to visit the Regina Beach Memorial Hall on Sunday to discuss the Roughriders (of course) and (here comes the hucksterism) Brave Face, my new book on hockey’s maskless goaltenders.
The event, billed as “A Talk with Rob Vanstone,” will begin at 1 p.m. and last for 90 minutes.
The kind invitation was extended by the Regina Beach Leisure Time Club and the Regina Beach Public Library.
Admission is free.
Copies of my book are not free, but they will be available!
Hope to see you there.
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Tony Rice, Craig Reynolds, Jim Hopson, Garry Huntington, Don Cherneski, Courtney Wagner, Anthony Partipilo, Kim Gallagher, Arielle Zerr, Jonathan Halvorson, Brittany Boczulak, Jessica Gelowsky, Sam Berg, Cyndi Cherney, Rhonda Kerr-White, Stacey Grunert, Corey Mace, Kent Paul, Emma Brezinski, Steve Daniel, Larry Dumelie, Wayne Shaw and Reg Howard.
