Austin bids adieu to Mosaic
Tiger-Cats coach and GM has fond memories of venerable stadium
A picture of Kent Austin used to hang on the outside of Mosaic Stadium’s west-side grandstand.
Now, the former Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback and head coach is having trouble picturing the CFL without the place.
“It’s one of the icons of this league,” said Austin who, as head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, is to make his final visit to his former home on Saturday. “There are memories and accomplishments and great players who have played there throughout the years, so it’s always tough to see something like that go.
“Like most guys in this sport, I’m pretty traditional and I like things to be pretty traditional. But I also understand that things change and grow, and you have a beautiful new stadium there that will be great for the franchise and for the league. The memories won’t fade — and that’s what it’s all about.”
Mosaic Stadium is being decommissioned after the 2016 season and will be torn down in the future. The Roughriders are to move into new Mosaic Stadium in time for the 2017 season.
Austin first saw the old stadium when he joined the Roughriders in 1987. Having played in the SEC and in the NFL, he had seen some large stadiums filled with tens of thousands of spectators — and suddenly he was preparing to play in a small facility that seated slightly more than 27,000 people at the time.
But it didn’t take long for the stadium then known as Taylor Field, and the fans who filled it, to grow on Austin.
“The thing that was great when you were with the Riders, either as a coach or a player, was that you had a significant home-field advantage,” said Austin, who helped the team win the 1989 Grey Cup. “The fans are loud, they’re boisterous, they’re behind their football team, they care and they show up every week.”
They also can make life miserable for visiting teams, as Austin eventually found out.
Unhappy with his contract, Austin demanded a trade after the 1993 season. He was dispatched to the B.C. Lions — and he received the anticipated greeting when he made his return to the stadium for the first time in the ’94 season.
“(The verbal abuse from fans on the east side) is part of it,” Austin said with a chuckle. “If they weren’t razzing you, it wouldn’t be as fun.
“I’ve heard some great lines and stuff that I’ve kept for sure, stuff that I might use in the future.”
After his playing career ended, Austin had coaching stops with the Ottawa Renegades and Toronto Argonauts. He was hired to be the Roughriders’ head coach in 2007 — and he guided the team to the third Grey Cup title in franchise history that year.
That season featured a number of memorable games at Mosaic Stadium, from the contest that was interrupted by an electrical storm to the Labour Day Classic that ended with Kerry Joseph’s famous quarterback draw.
The 2007 championship team is to be recognized during Saturday’s game. But Austin will be coaching the opposing team, just as he was when Saskatchewan defeated the Tiger-Cats in the 2013 Grey Cup game at Mosaic Stadium.
That loss still rankles Austin, who’s in his fourth season as Hamilton’s head coach and general manager. However, there are more positive memories of his time at the stadium that he can reflect on.
“There are so many,” he said when asked what event he’ll remember the most. “It’s hard to pick just one thing, one play or one game. But I will never forget the two times we brought the Grey Cup back into the stadium to present to our fans. That was a pretty awesome experience.”
Austin understands that there may be some longtime Roughriders supporters who will miss Mosaic Stadium, but he expects them to adopt the new stadium quickly and turn it into as difficult a place to play as its predecessor.
And while he’ll have more to worry about Saturday than a stadium, Austin admitted he’ll likely have a “Well, this is it” moment at some point.
“I’m sure I’ll think about that,” he said. “I’ll be focused on the game once the whistle blows, but certainly walking off at the end of the game, I’m sure that those thoughts will come to mind.”