ROBSERVATIONS: Momentous May 31 in Riders history … remembering Don McDougall … countdown to June 13 … and, yes, there was prison football!
Three major milestones will be observed on the final day of May.
• Eighty years since the Saskatchewan Roughriders name was first applied to this community-owned football team.
• Fifty years since iconic fullback George Reed announced his retirement from football.
• Forty years since the birth of Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris — the 2025 Grey Cup MVP.
Although Harris hails from Waldo, Ohio, he has a deep appreciation for a province he did not call his football home until 2023.
In March, for example, Harris joined teammates Kian Schaffer-Baker and Logan Ferland on an excursion to the northern communities of La Loche and Buffalo Narrows. The players’ carry-on luggage included the Grey Cup.
“That’s what makes it the Saskatchewan Roughriders and not the Regina Roughriders,” Harris told this scribbler shortly after returning from the trip. “This is a whole province. We’re in this together.
“It’s cool to be able to meet people from everywhere, whether it be Saskatoon or La Loche or Moose Jaw or Swift Current.”
Let’s not forget Milestone, considering the historical significance of Sunday.
The Roughriders’ current name was adopted on May 31, 1946. The announcement appeared in the Regina Leader-Post the following day, under this headline: Everybody’s club!
“The name Regina Roughriders, long honoured on the field of football, passed into history Friday,” the story began.
“Next fall the red and black gridders of the Western Football union will be known as the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“The new name is coupled with the desire to make the team a provincial representative and enthusiasts from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Weyburn will be added to the executive.
“When the Riders hold their mid-summer school the last two weeks in June, ‘open house’ will be declared and young huskies from all over the province will be invited to attend the drills.
“There you are, folks, from Big Muddy to Big River: it’s YOUR club!”
By 1976, George Reed had travelled to all points of the province while representing the football team with which he became synonymous.
Every sign was pointing to the legendary No. 34 returning for a 14th CFL season when, suddenly and surprisingly, he announced on May 31, 1976 that his playing days had concluded.
“The time has come, I guess,” Reed, 36, told reporters 13 days before training camp began. “My mental preparation for the season hasn’t been right. It hasn’t been what it should be by this time in the year. When that happens, you know it’s time to step down.”
I remember hearing the news on the radio and being in absolute shock.
George Reed … retired? How could that be?
At age 12, I didn’t know Roughriders football without him.
Marginally older now, I am still in awe of someone who was a superstar on and off the field.
The admiration extends to Harris, who also shines in all settings.
“He’s one of one, for sure,” Emilus said earlier this week when asked about No. 7’s looming 40th birthday.
“Not a lot of quarterbacks can play at that age, but he doesn’t even look like he’s old. People call him old, but he doesn’t even seem that way.
“He’s got so much experience. He knows every coverage and every defence. It’s so easy playing with him and I enjoy playing with him.”
Harris is poised to become the first quarterback to begin a season in his 40s as a Roughrider. Ron Lancaster turned 40 on Oct. 14, 1978, late in his final season as a player.
“With the fact that I’m getting to play into my 40s, I’m grateful to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” Harris said. “It’s awesome that He has blessed me with health and the work ethic and everything that I’ve been able to do to get to this moment. All glory and honour goes to Him.
“I’ve told people this, and I’m not just blowing smoke: I honestly believe my best football is in front of me. We’ve got the offensive co-ordinator, the personnel and the people to do it, so I think it’s time to raise the bar even higher.”
DON McDOUGALL (1943-2026)
I still feel uncomfortable writing “Don McDougall,” after all these years.
Long after he was my Grade 7 teacher at Massey School, I invariably called him “Mr. McDougall.”
It just felt right. It was a show of respect for a wonderful man who, despite all the well-deserved accolades he received, never made anything about himself.
He was all about helping others — in the classroom, in the community, at any number of sporting venues … everywhere.
With that in mind — and with so many fond memories of one of the most influential people in my life — I am still trying to comprehend the loss while marvelling at the legacy.
Mr. McDougall passed away on Sunday, in the cherished company of his wife (Jill) and two daughters (Robin and Cathy).
Over 82 years, Mr. McDougall was a dear friend to Regina, and to Saskatchewan.
He never sought recognition, yet it came his way.
In 2011, he received the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal Award.
He was named CTV Regina’s Citizen of the Year in 2013.
The Regina Sports Hall of Fame came calling in 2017, when he was enshrined as a builder.
When we met in September of 1976, Mr. McDougall was a Roughriders director — he served the Club in that capacity for 33 years — and part of the game-day production team.
A 12-year-old me appreciated the good fortune of having a Grade 7 teacher who loved the Roughriders.
How could he not?
His father, Albert (Bus) McDougall, played for the Regina Roughriders for six seasons — beginning in 1925.
The family’s football ties extended to Don’s wife, Jill. Her grandfather, Bill Kerr, was a member of the Regina Rugby Club (1923) and the Regina Roughriders (1924, 1925). In fact, Kerr was on the field when the team made its first Grey Cup appearance, in 1923.
It was fitting, then, that Don McDougall and Jill Williams were married on July 31, 1970 — the same day the Roughriders played host to Edmonton.
“I am so fortunate to share my life with this man,” Jill told me when I interviewed her in 2021 for a Leader-Post feature on Mr. McDougall.
Jill was hired by the Roughriders as an executive secretary on Dec. 1, 1986. She quickly ascended in the ranks — to executive assistant, manager of administration and, for the final eight seasons, director of business operations.
Mr. and Mrs. McDougall, by themselves, were an amazing team.
Their favourite football team is endlessly grateful for everything they have done.
JUST THE FAQS
I find myself fielding two questions all the time:
(1) “What kind of cologne are you using?”
ANSWER: Raid Fly and Mosquito Killer.
(2) “What is the longest gap, in terms of days, between the Roughriders’ pre-season finale and regular-season opener?”
ANSWER: See below …
21 — May 23-June 13, 2026.
15 — Aug. 3-18, 1956.
14 — July 5-19, 1978.
14 — June 25-July 9, 1993.
14 — June 14-28, 2002.
14 — June 5-19, 2003.
14 — May 25-June 8, 2024.
13 — June 18-July 1, 1984.
13 — June 16-29, 1986.
13 — June 12-25, 2005.
12 — Aug. 17-Aug. 29, 1953.
12 — July 24-Aug. 5, 1963.
12 — June 27-July 9, 1982.
12 — June 18-30, 2016.
At the other end of the spectrum, we bring you this:
2 — Aug 12-14, 1959.
And … get this … the two games were separated by 2,500 kilometres.
After losing 53-13 to the Toronto Argonauts, the Roughriders rushed home and fell 28-8 to the Calgary Stampeders at Taylor Field.
And … get this … Saskatchewan fell 53-19 to the host Montreal Alouettes two days before the pre-season finale in Toronto.
Three games in six days!
Arduous, yes, but not quite as demanding as …
PRISON FOOTBALL!
Honestly, I never knew there was such a thing. And, yes, I saw The Longest Yard.
While surfing newspapers.com, I stumbled into the following article — published in the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier on Nov. 27, 1939:
“Heavy gloom hung over the gray walls of Iowa State penitentiary Monday.
“The Bulldogs, pride of the big house, suffered their first football defeat in 21 starts, to the Des Moines Comets by a score of 56 to 13.”
It didn’t help that some of the Bulldogs’ grizzled veterans were unable to bail themselves out of a “fourth down, 40 years to go” predicament.
ROLL CREDITS …
• Nice people who deserve a plug: Jill McDougall, Robin McDougall, Cathy Metz, Trevor Harris, Tom Harris, Suzanne Harris, Angie Reed, Abdul Janneh Jr., Vi Jones, Nelson Lokombo, Connor Klassen, Judy Hunter, Joey Walters, Jonathan Kim, Peter Kim, Samuel Emilus, Marcus Sayles, Thomas Perry, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Antoine Brooks Jr.
