Saskatchewan Roughriders

If Nate Davis intimidates the other team's offensive line, imagine what it's like photographing him close up!

Bob Poley smiled when I asked him about the final moments leading up to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ last Grey Cup win, in ’89. I could tell it wasn’t the first time he’s been asked about it and I know it won’t be the last. Settling his large frame back into his boat seat, he began: “ It all came down to the last nine seconds. We were ahead 40-33 with a couple of minutes to go and Kerrigan, the Hamilton’s quarterback, throws a touchdown and ties it 40-40. We get the ball on the kickoff and a couple of plays later Kent Austin has us down to Hamilton’s 26-yard line with nine seconds to go and that’s when I called a timeout. I get everyone in the huddle and basically say “Let’s get this thing done!’ We line up and then Hamilton calls a timeout, trying to rattle Ridgeway so he’ll screw up the kick. So I look over and see Glenn Suitor, the holder, and Dave Ridgeway laughing so I walk over to ask what’s going on and find out the two of them are checking out some good-looking woman in the stands, for Pete’s sake! I looked at Suitor and said ‘ When I snap that ball it’s not my problem anymore’, Suitor looked at me for a minute then looked at Ridgeway and said ‘When I pin that ball it’s not my problem anymore.’ And poor ol’ Dave was left high and dry. He knew it was all on his shoulders. And when I snapped that ball and Glenn pinned it and Dave kicked it to win the Grey Cup 43-40, it was for the people of Saskatchewan.’

It was a wet cold day and Kerry Joseph, Saskatchewan's quarterback was doing his best to stay warm!

The Saskatchewan Roughriders is a community-owned and operated professional football team whose David and Goliath attitude has made it an icon for a nation. Fan support for away games is so high they feel like home games and home games take on the feel of provincial holidays. Fans wear carved-out melons on their heads (melonheads), adorn themselves with paint and various Rider related outfits all in support of the Green & White (In need of new uniforms, a set of green and white uniforms was found at a surplus store in Chicago and the legacy of the “Green & White” was born, purely out of economic reasons.). As I was once told ‘ Once you’re a Rider fan, you’re a Rider fan for life.’ And I suppose it’s true because I am a Rider fan and that’s the reason my heartbeat is steadily increasing as I make my way through the University of Regina campus and toward their football field; the site of this year’s Roughrider training camp. I’m going to spend a couple of days at camp and I feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Although organized football in the province of Saskatchewan began back in 1910, it wasn’t until 1948 that all the bugs were worked out and the Riders became the provincially owned and operated club that we know today. Saskatchewan has always been known for its work ethic, friendliness, acceptance and its family values. What wasn’t known at the time was the undying support this team would receive from fans across this land, becoming known as “Canada’s team”.

Nate Davis seems to be looking over toward the rookie running backs and thinking to himself "Hmmm, who will I chat with next.

“Faster, faster,…you have to move faster!” A young receiver was hearing a coach’s curt appraisal of his latest performance as I walked along the sidelines, which was lined with fans. At one end of the field receivers and kickers are strutting their stuff while at the other end the offensive and defensive teams, veterans and hopefuls alike, are going through their drills. It reminds me of a 3-ring circus with something going on all the time. Growing up in Saskatchewan as a Rider fan is natural but can you imagine growing up as a fan and end up playing for the Riders? Just ask #96, Scott Schultz, defensive tackle for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“It’s a dream come true” he replied. “I grew up in Moose Jaw, on the south side of town. I came from a blue collar family with the Sakatchewan attitude that if you worked hard, you’d succeed.” At 6’2, 295 lbs. Scott is as agile as he is well spoken, and definitely not shy about speaking his mind. “I was offered scholarships from Stanford, Michigan and Pennsylvania but chose North Dakota because it was close to home and family. One of my greatest memories was when I was playing college ball and Bobby Jurasin, the Rider’s all-star defensive end walked across the field just to say ‘ Good job, kid, keep it up.’ I was stunned but then realized it was one just Saskatchwanite congratulating another. It’s a very small world in this province and everyone wears their pride for this place on their sleeve.

The front lines -in the trenches- this is where many games are won and lost. And many small running backs get demolished!

I always wore # 98 throughout college and when I came to the Riders the first thing I did was try to buy it from its present owner, Nate Davis: he said ‘NO!’ and that’s why I have #96.”

Scott is on the field with the defensive corps when I see his defensive line companion, Nate Davis, head for the line of Porta-Potties lined up against the fence. To get into one of these contraptions when you’re 6’5” and 315 lbs. is no easy feat, especially when you add equipment into the equation and I feel rather foolish watching this fiasco but then I look around and realize everyone else is watching too, but for a different reason. Davis finally manages to wrestle the door shut and after roughly two minutes another player (I was sworn to secrecy) sprints over and begins shaking the plastic outhouse like a saltshaker. The only sound louder than the laughter on the field was Davis’s baritone bellowing from within. By the time Davis exploded out of the Porta-Potty looking for the culprit, the guilty party had disappeared among the throng of players. And like a period ends a sentence, the threatening skies finally opened up and ended the day in a downpour.

There was one yard seperating the defense and offense and I had the strangest urge to run between them - okay it might have been the last
thing I ever did but what the heck.

A few miles to the south lies Taylor Field, home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Back in the early years fans would ring the playing field (then called Park Hughes) with their vehicles to watch. And 79 years later, through winning seasons and losing seasons the fans still come to watch and cheer the Riders. These are not multi-million dollar athletes. Most have off-season jobs and many use that time to develop careers to pursue after their playing days are over. Just like you and me, there’s a common denominator between fan and Rider that seems to say ‘We may be the little guy but we’re going down swinging’. And it is that commonality and accessibility that transcends the traditional professional sports aura of superiority.

The ensignia on the helmets says it all "This is Rider country"

The rain had continued throughout the night and into the morning, as I stood huddled under my umbrella chatting with Norm Fong, the Riders equipment manager for the past 32 years. Born and raised in Regina he’s seen a lot of football and he smiles at the question of the Roughriders popularity.

“You have to remember that we are in a very small market compared to the other teams, including the two other community-owned teams, Winnipeg and Edmonton.” His eyes scan the field as he continues to explain. “You can’t hide in Regina. Take Coach Danny Barrett, for example. He and his family live in Regina year round. His daughters play ringette in the winter and he takes them to their games. He’s visible…and he’s accountable. And there are also very few professional sports teams where a fan can come off the street and sit down with the general manager and tell him what they think about the team.”

The 2005 draft brought another local to the team. Nathan Hoffart, from the University of Saskatchewan. Unlike the heralded NHL draft with all its pomp and fanfare, the CFL draft is a simple affair that is accomplished over the telephone with a conference call: simple, effective and cost-efficient. Not knowing where he was going to end up, he was delighted to be picked by Saskatchewan.

Gene Makowsky (60) 6'3, 300 lbs. A Western All-Star on the field and a true gentleman off of it.

“It couldn’t have worked out any better”, he said, “I played high school football at Miller Comprehensive, in Regina, and college football at the University of Saskatchewan. As soon as I got here guys like Matt Dominguez and Travis Moore took me under their wing and taught me how to practice and how to watch game films. The biggest difference between University football and pro football is the speed. And when I was playing in University I knew I was one of the best conditioned athletes on the field but here, everyone is.”
Nathan is also recovering from an acl injury (anterior cruciate ligament) and is training by himself, rebuilding the strength in his left knee.

“I was at my first practice at Taylor Field. No one had given me a tour or anything and I had to go into the dressing room to look for something. I ended up wandering all thought he dressing room and area. That’s when it hit me and I remember thinking ‘I play football for the Saskatchewan Roughriders!”

And as for practical jokers? “Definitely Matt Dominguez,” he laughed. “Once he taped my helmet up completely and he also soaked my shoes in water and then put then in the freezer. I came to practice to find my practice shoes frozen solid.”

When the coach calls a break any spot will do.

A Canadian football field is 110 yards long and 65 yards wide, with end zones 20 yards deep and players like Hoffart and Schultz need the length and breadth of the football field to display their talents. Fort-foot high goalposts support a crossbar 18.5 feet wide and 10 feet above the goal line for field goal kickers to ply their trade, yet pundits of Canadian football often say it is a game of inches. Blocks are made to allow quarterbacks to pass and running backs to dance around defenders or bull their way through. This is the territory of Gene Makowsky.

At 6’ 3” and 300 lbs., the right tackle of the Riders is another homegrown boy. His mother and father still work in Saskatoon where he grew up, and where he continued to live until after his second season with the Riders. He’s a quiet gentle man with a soft voice and an easy smile that belies a homegrown dedication to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their fans.

“ I don’t like to lose, it’s that simple. It’s very tough when you lose and you face the fans on the street or in a restaurant,” he replied over the phone. “ A losing attitude breeds mediocrity and that’s not what the Riders are about, and that’s not what I’m about.”
What Gene Makowsky is about is family and community. He lives in Regina with his wife and two sons and works as a substitute teacher in the off-season (Scott Schultz works for Conexus Credit Union and Nathan Hoffart is continuing with his bachelor of commerce degree).

When it's all said and done, the last thing a rookie wants to hear is "the coach wants to see ya."

…”Why do I stay?” Poley smiled under his moustache. “Because I was born and raised here, played football and raised my family here. I work for Sasktel and my partner and me own a fishing camp, Hunter Bay Lodge. And for the simple reason that when it’s all said and done…there’s no better quality of life than right here in Saskatchewan.”