Empty field holds a lot of memories
Memories flood back — mostly of great old Roughriders teams
Undeterred by the cold, I savoured a wintry walk around the Park de Young of old.
It was an unplanned, unforgettable stroll, prompted by Ron Lancaster, George Reed and Ian Duffy.
Ian, an exceptional young sportscaster with Global Regina, had asked to interview me about my controversial decision to cast what turned out to be the lone first-place ballot for Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in Lou Marsh Trophy voting.
We decided to meet on Saturday at 1:15 p.m., in front of the Lancaster/reed statues, outside Mosaic Stadium.
I showed up, punctually, at 1:18 p.m.
The afternoon's agenda called for me to do the interview, squeeze in a walk around Wascana Lake, and head to a 3 o'clock optometrist's appointment. Blink, please.
However, the wide-ranging conversation with Ian was so enjoyable that our yak session did not conclude until shortly after 2 p.m. No longer did time allow for a lap of the lake, but there remained a burning desire to go for a walk.
So I went for a walk … around Mosaic Stadium … and around the site of the original Mosaic Stadium — previously known as Taylor Field, and Park de Young, and Park Hughes.
Memory Lane is lovely at this time of year.
Considering the events of 2020, a year ravaged by COVID-19, I could only take a long look through the bars at the new stadium's south entrance and pine for the days — not so long ago in actuality, but seemingly in another lifetime — when the Saskatchewan Roughriders, University of Regina Rams, Regina Thunder, Regina Riot and the stars of the Regina Intercollegiate Football League played on the premises.
Let's not forget the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen. World-class soccer. The Toronto Raptors, on the giant screen. Garth Brooks. Bryan Adams. Noah Picton to Mitch Picton. Touchdown ...
Crossing Elphinstone Street, I approached the Roughriders' old practice field. I thought of the railbirds — diehards who sat outside the fence at every practice — and a simpler time.
When Roy Shivers was the Roughriders' general manager, he would chat with the railbirds every day. He took a sincere interest in their lives, to the extent that he knew when one of them was absent on a particular day, and always inquired as to why. He treated them like royalty.
I, too, was once a railbird.
In September of 1980, I was so excited that Joey Walters was rejoining the Roughriders, following a tryout with the NFL'S San Francisco 49ers, that I rode my bike to the practice field after my Grade 11 classes at Campbell Collegiate.
Bart Johnson and his younger brother, Dwight, also were there. The latter was, and still is, a huge fan of Roughriders receiver Dwight Edwards.
Edwards, who was injured at the time, was watching practice on the east end of the field. My friend Dwight decided to seize the opportunity to meet his favourite player.
“I had to get his autograph because I am Dwight Edward Johnson,” Dwight recalled on Saturday. “I thought it was too cool that we were almost named the same.”
So Dwight simply headed to the east side of the practice field, hung a sharp right, and walked over to Edwards — during practice!
Nobody seemed to mind … least of all Edwards, who obligingly provided his signature to a virtual namesake.
It didn't hurt that Dwight, then 13, was resplendent in a green and white jersey, bearing Edwards' surname and number (33).
“I do not recall anyone saying anything or attempting to halt my mission — the only time I can say that while on a football field,” noted Dwight, who was a touch football teammate in 1989 when, just once, we played on Taylor Field.
“Or maybe I was so focused on the prize that I ignored what was going on around me or being said to me.”
A return to the practice field was surprisingly sentimental — a fun journey en route to the Taylor Field site.
I never realized how expansive it was until the grandstands and the playing surface were all gone.
Now it is a vast, deserted pasture, surrounded by fences, the offences and defences having long departed.
As the only person within those fences, I marvelled at the fact that so many people used to visit this tract of land that it was once the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, with as many as 55,438 residents.
Three Grey Cup games were played here, including the Roughriders' 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-cats on Nov. 24, 2013. Darian Durant memorably held the championship trophy above his head. The lengthy list of eyewitnesses included Tom Hanks.
And now … nothingness.
Lots of snow. Clumps of dirt. Pieces of debris, here and there. A manhole cover or two, as opposed to Cover 2.
Ronnie and George played here. Glenn Dobbs, the star quarterback, once pitched in to help the fans paint the stadium's fences.
Ron Atchison and Reg Whitehouse. Gene Makowsky and Roger Aldag. The kicking leg of Dave Ridgway. The rubber-legged dance of Don Narcisse. The touchdown dance of Paul Williams.
Rock Perdoni. Rock Preston. Rocky Butler. Rocky Henry.
Al Urness. Jack Urness. Ted
Urness. Mark Urness.
Jack Hill. Stewart Hall. Otha J. Hill. Efrem Hill. Hemorrhoid Hill.
Mario Demarco, Ray Syrnyk, Gordon Sturtridge and Mel Becket — tragically lost in a Dec. 9, 1956 air crash.
The north end zone was nicknamed Hughie's Haven, in honour of legendary receiver Hugh Campbell.
Jeff Fairholm ended up in the south end zone, completing a 107-yard scoring connection with Kent Austin on Labour Day weekend, 1990.
Ray Elgaard crushing would-be tacklers. Yours truly crushing the concession fare of Earl Stuart.
The distinctive voices of Roy Brown and Evan Bray, piped over the public-address system. Halftime dog shows.
John Candy signing autographs on the sideline, in 1991.
Power outages. So many power outages.
The electricity in the stands. Denizens of the press box.
High school football tripleheaders. High school football triple burgers. Laughs shared with the stats crew and our great friends. Oh, how we miss Brian Saip and Jerry Orban.
Gordon Currie coaching the Rams to one more national junior title, in 1976. Lenny Knoll to Gerry Fellner (eight times for 245 yards), Maurice Butler, Greg Fieger and Randy Labatte. Frank Mccrystal with an interception as the Rams defeated the Hamilton Hurricanes to win the Armadale Cup.
The score: 45-23. (Hamilton tended to lose by that score when a championship was at stake in Regina.)
Of course, I thought of Mom. I thought of our vantage points — and my view from Section 10, Row 10, Seat 10 (overlooking the 10-yard line!) and Section 204, Row 14, Seat 23. (I chose No. 23 because of Ronnie. Nobody else ever owned that seat.)
Time flew by so quickly, over the years and during my solitary stroll. It was time to head back to the car, the optometrist's appointment looming.
Very soon, I was staring straight ahead — toward an eye chart — while feeling so good about looking back.