Forty-five years ago today, I made the 13-ramp ascent to Taylor Field’s upper deck, emerged from the tunnel, and rudely interrupted the flow of humanity by coming to a screeching stop at the bottom of Section 204.
The entire east side was full.
Attendees spilled into the grassy knoll known as Hemorrhoid Hill, behind the south end zone.
Even before the opening kickoff, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Oct. 28, 1979 game against the B.C. Lions was something to savour.
It was Rider Pride Day — a happening that drew a once-unimaginable crowd of 28,012 people to a professional football game in Saskatchewan.
Until that day, the Roughriders had never played before a home crowd exceeding 22,632.
Taylor Field’s capacity had been expanded to 27,606 in time for the 1979 CFL season, but not one of the additional seats had been required until the final Sunday of October.
Saskatchewan had a 1-13-0 record at the time. The win total, modest as it was, represented an infinite improvement over what had appeared to be a winless season in the making.
The Roughriders were 0-12-0 when they met Edmonton, which would soon win its second of an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cups, on Oct. 14, 1979 at Taylor Field.
Edmonton had won the teams’ previous two meetings by scores of 53-20 and 40-0. Another debacle, I feared, was a certainly.
So much for apprehensions. The Green and White eked out a most improbable 26-25 victory — a conquest that was the impetus for Rider Pride Day.
Very soon, Rider Pride buttons were everywhere. So was former Regina Leader-Post columnist John Robertson, a Canadian sports writing legend, who made it his mission to mobilize Rider Nation and pack Piffles’ park for an Oct. 28 matchup with B.C.
Over a 10-day span, “Robbie” made five trips to Regina from his home base of Winnipeg to create a buzz for Rider Pride Day. He insisted on covering his own travel and accommodations expenses and refused the offer of an honorarium.
Along the way, he returned to the pages of the Leader-Post by writing a column that appeared as part of a full-page advertisement in the best-selling, Oct. 23, 1979 edition.
“I know that many thousands of you have grown to love the Roughriders over the years, as if they were your own sons,” he wrote. “And I know that you don’t quit being proud of your sons just because they lose a few football games.
“But if you’re like me, sometimes you’re so busy telling them what they are doing wrong, you forget to tell them that you still love them as much as ever.
“Sometimes you forget to tell them how proud you are of them, even when they make mistakes — and recent Rider teams and their executives have made more than their share of mistakes.
“Sometimes you let them grow away from you — perhaps because they stopped reminding you how much they needed your support — until one day when you decided to put on your coat and go and see them, you discovered to your horror that they were gone … forever.”
Robertson was also a featured speaker at the Roughriders’ annual $200-a-plate dinner.
“There is a magnet here,’’ he told the audience. “It’s like an old lover I keep coming back to.”
Robertson helped several thousand fans rekindle their love affair with a team that entered Rider Pride Day on a 6-26-1 slide, dating back to a drubbing in Edmonton on the final day of the 1977 regular season.
By the time the Roughriders-Lions game began, the Roughriders’ single-game attendance record had been shattered … by 24 per cent!
The team did its part, defeating B.C. 26-12.
Frank Dark returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown. Joey Walters, who turns 70 on Tuesday, caught six passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Reg Boudreau, making his debut as the Roughriders’ placekicker, was 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts.
All those memories come flooding back as the Roughriders prepare to face the Lions once again as we await the first snowfall.
Much more is at stake this time around. Saskatchewan and B.C. are poised to meet in Saturday’s West Division semi-final. Tickets are available HERE for a must-win game that is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
