GIARDINO DIES AT 77

Rough Riders hero mourned

The news hit hard. It always does.

Another hero from days gone by takes his final breath. And a generation of fans are left with their memories from an important chapter of football in Ottawa.

Former Rough Riders quarterback Prince McJunkins died last week from COVID-19 complications at age 59. And now, Wayne Giardino — one of Ottawa's Grey Cup heroes from long ago — is gone, too.

Giardino was a throwback, a football player who would do anything and play anywhere his coach asked him to fill in. And in days when CFL teams had 32-man rosters, that versatility was a gift.

The 77-year-old Giardino died surrounded by family in Almonte, where he and wife Nancy had long made their home. He had been battling illness the past couple of years.

But football fans will remember Giardino for the football giant he was during the heyday of the Rough Riders from 1967-75, when he was a leader by example on the field who won over teammates in the locker-room with his cutting sense of humour.

Nicknamed Pizza by his younger teammates, Giardino was a three-time champion. He celebrated Grey Cup wins with the Riders in 1968, 1969 and 1973. Had injuries not kept him off the field in 1976, he would have been part of another.

Seems like so long ago. In 1968, The Beatles' Hey Jude topped the Billboard Top 100. The top-grossing movie was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

At his best in big games, Giardino was a very good CFL linebacker. The stats also showed he made big contributions as a fullback/running back and, really, wherever he was needed. Just an all-around player and allaround good guy. A co-captain with the Rough Riders, he played in the 1970, 1971 and 1974 CFL all-star games.

And yes, he was talented on both sides of the ball. In 1971, Giardino rushed 54 times for 201 yards and had 127 yards on 20 catches. In 1972, he recovered six fumbles and returned them for 146 yards, scoring two touchdowns.

“He was a big game performer,” said former teammate Jim Cain, a Rough Rider from 1961-69.

“In the 1969 (Grey Cup), (star running back) Vic Washington was hurt, and Wayne was playing both ways — on a frozen field in Montreal at the Autostade. It was slippery, it was life and death to stay on your feet, and there he was running with the ball and also playing outside linebacker.

As the story goes, Giardino would frequently say to teammates: “Let's grab a pizza pie and grab a beer.”

Of course, it was never just one beer and the nickname Pizza stuck.

Wayne and Nancy had lived in Almonte since 1968. They have two children — Nicole and David — and four grandchildren — Ben, Dawson, Owen and Jessica.

Born in Peterborough in 1943, Giardino moved with his family to West Palm Beach, Fla., when he was 12. He played college football for Florida State.

He joined the Riders in 1967 and was selected as the CFL's Eastern rookie of the year.

In 2014, Giardino was inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame. His 1968 and 1969 Cup-winning teams were inducted in 2019.

History will never let go of what Giardino was able to do on a football field; there will always be the nostalgia of the Grey Cup wins in a different time.

It's never easy to say goodbye, but the departed football hero and the legacy will be remembered.