SASKATCHEWAN HAS BECOME A ‘SPECIAL PLACE’ FOR DURANT
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been eliminated from CFL playoff contention, but their magic number is still two.
Only two CFL games remain at Mosaic Stadium — formerly Park Hughes, Park de Young and Taylor Field — which became the Roughriders’ full-time home in 1936.
In fact, the team’s history on the site dates back to Oct. 15, 1921, when the Regina Rugby Club defeated the Moose Jaw Millers 31-4 at Park Hughes, which was adjacent to Park de Young.
And now, nearly a century later, the Roughriders are preparing for their penultimate home game on their traditional turf — Saturday afternoon’s date with the Montreal Alouettes.
“When you put it in perspective like that, it’s amazing,” Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant marvelled earlier this week. “To be here and to see that new (stadium) started from scratch, it’s just crazy where it’s come over the past couple of years.
“The time is winding down. I was kind of upset this morning when I was sitting in the hot tub and a drop of water just fell on my head from outside, so I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s time to go to the new stadium.’”
Those words were uttered by someone whose picture appears on the west-side facing of the old stadium.
The giant photo shows Durant on his greatest day as a professional football player, holding the Grey Cup above his head on Nov. 24, 2013.
For the Roughriders’ quarterback, the list of memorable moments extends much further ... to his introduction to the stadium in 2006 ... to his first home-field start in 2008 ... to Saskatchewan’s victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the 2009 West Division final ... to his touchdown pass to Jason Clermont in overtime of the 2010 West final against the B.C. Lions ... to another 2010 classic, a 54-51 double-overtime victory over the Alouettes ... to the 2013 West semifinal, in which Durant took over in the fourth quarter and memorably willed his team to victory over B.C . ... to 11/24/13.
Yet, his first impression was, “Man, what have I gotten myself into?”
Durant, after all, had previously played for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels before his stint with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens in 2005.
Mosaic Stadium must have looked like a practice field in comparison to the facilities south of the border. Nonetheless, Durant came to love the old place — despite the assorted leaks and imperfections — en route to becoming only the second quarterback to spend at least 10 seasons with Saskatchewan.
The other one, of course, is Ron Lancaster. His picture appears to the left of Durant’s on the west side of the stadium.
The similarities are many. Lancaster, like Durant, was an undersized quarterback whose CFL rights were first owned by Ottawa (the Rough Riders in the case of Lancaster; the Renegades for Durant).
Neither quarterback arrived with any fanfare. Lancaster was acquired in 1963 for the low, low price of $300. Durant was a negotiation-list player who was part of a blockbuster transaction — the Kerry Joseph trade, in essence — in 2006.
Despite the lack of fanfare, both quarterbacks eventually symbolized the Roughriders — underdogs who overcame the odds and the skeptics and became mainstays in a place far away from home.
Lancaster and his family quickly settled in Regina, residing on Emerald Park Road. Durant, who has an off-season home in Atlanta, clearly has an affinity for Saskatchewan. He is hoping to become a Canadian citizen.
“I’m working on it,” he said. “It’s still a long process. It also depends on this next deal and how that goes, when I have to turn it over to the powers that be, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction.” Ahh, yes, “this next deal.” Durant’s contract is to expire after the 2016 season. Roughriders head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations Chris Jones has said many times that he wants Durant to return. The Roughriders’ No. 4 has repeatedly and emphatically expressed a desire to stay in Regina — somewhere he never, ever expected to be just over a decade ago.
“It’s my life. It’s my world,” Durant said. “Saskatchewan is basically home for me. Of course, we all get away in the winter to get some warm weather, but this is home for me. This is all I know. This province has embraced me like I’ve been born here.
“It’s a special place and hopefully I can finish my career here.”