Former Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Barry Aldag, who inspired and encouraged his younger brother Roger to play football, passed away on Tuesday in Swift Current at age 79.
Barry attended his first Roughriders training camp in 1966 before rejoining the Regina Rams. He went on to help the Rams win their first Canadian junior championship.
After practising with the Green and White in 1967, Barry was on the active roster from 1968 to 1971. He played in 51 regular-season games for a perennial CFL powerhouse.
Like Barry, Roger excelled on the Rams’ offensive line before joining the Roughriders. The younger Aldag, a CFL offensive lineman from 1976 to 1992, was inducted into the SaskTel Plaza of Honour (1993) and Canadian Football Hall of Fame (2002).
“Rog always said that if it wasn’t for Barry, he may not have been given the chance,” said Joanne Aldag, Roger’s wife.
“With the Gull Lake Lions, the Rams and the Riders, Rog said it made it a lot easier for him to get a second and third look because he was Barry’s brother.
“The love and respect they had for each other was really something special. I was lucky to witness that time and time again.”
Barry was a Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League all-star guard in 1964, 1965 and 1966.
His junior football career ended triumphantly on Nov. 11, 1966, when the Rams defeated Montreal’s Notre Dame de Grace Maple Leafs 29-14 at the Gordie Howe Bowl in Saskatoon.
Fifteen days later, the Roughriders won their first Grey Cup — also by a 29-14 score.
When Saskatchewan next captured a CFL title, in 1989, Roger Aldag was among the first players to hold the coveted trophy. Twenty years earlier, Barry had played in a Grey Cup Game for Saskatchewan.
The Aldag family grew up on a farm between Gull Lake and Shaunavon. During the Rams’ and Roughriders’ off-seasons, Barry would pass along the finer points of football to his younger brother.
“When I came back after the season, we used to go out and practise on the old barnyard, running plays and stuff like that,” Barry said in a 2008 interview. “I told him what it was about.”
Barry was only 27 when he retired from football in May of 1972 to concentrate on vocational interests. He worked in the oil field with his father, Louis.
For most of Barry’s adult and working life, he resided in Shaunavon. He spent his latter years at Willow Creek Manor, a care home in Swift Current.
Barry is survived by three children (Tammy, Shonda and Devon) and two siblings (Roger and Linda). Their sister, Doreen, passed away in 2021. Barry’s wife, Pat, died in 2023.
“Barry wore his Rider shirts proudly,” Joanne Aldag said. “He was always a Roughrider through and through.”
