Picking best linebacker in Roughriders history
Roughrider who grew up in Saskatchewan helped the team win first Grey Cup in 1966
There was a fine line between the linebackers.
Just one point separated Wayne Shaw and Eddie Lowe in voting for the best linebacker in Saskatchewan Roughriders history, as determined by a panel consisting of three football historians — Bob Calder, Tom Fuzesy and yours truly.
Shaw barely got the nod, continuing a trend of one-point margins. Earlier, Gene Makowsky (offensive lineman) and Bobby Jurasin (defensive lineman) posted narrow victories.
The first three winners — Ron Lancaster (quarterback), George Reed (running back) and Ray Elgaard (receiver) — were unanimous selections.
This is the sixth of 11 best-of polls, which will eventually list (appropriately enough) 110 names in conjunction with the Roughriders’ 110th anniversary.
In the days and weeks to come, we will also rate the top 10 defensive backs, special-teams players, builders and early-era players (1910 to 1945).
To conclude the series, the top 10 players in Roughriders history will be ranked.
All three panellists listed 10 people in each category. A first-place vote is worth 10 points, a second-place vote is worth nine, etc.
And now ... the linebackers!
1. Wayne Shaw (28 points)
A 1994 inductee into the Roughriders’ Plaza of Honour, Shaw was a West Division allstar in six of his 12 CFL seasons, receiving that honour in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1971. He was also an all-canadian in 1967, one year after helping Saskatchewan win the first Grey Cup championship in franchise history. A strong case can be made that Shaw, who grew up on a farm between Bladworth and Davidson, belongs in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
2. Eddie Lowe (27)
Lowe established a close relationship with iconic University of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Paul (Bear) Bryant before joining the Roughriders in 1983. Lowe went on to spend nine seasons in Saskatchewan, earning distinction as a CFL all-star in 1989. That same year, he helped the Roughriders win their second Grey Cup. In the 1989 West final, a blitzing Lowe forced a fumble that Dave Albright returned 62 yards for a game-changing touchdown as Saskatchewan upset the Edmonton Eskimos 32-21. Lowe, who had sacked Eskimos quarterback Tracy Ham for a fiveyard loss on the previous play, entered the Plaza in 1995.
3. Reggie Hunt (20)
“The Reaper” spent six seasons (2002 to 2007) with the Roughriders, helping the team make the playoffs each year. A four-time West all-star, he also made the CFL’S dream team in 2003. That same season, Hunt registered 16 defensive tackles — a league single-game record that endured until the Hamilton Tiger-cats’ Simoni Lawrence amassed 17 stops last season. A 2014 Plaza of Honour inductee, Hunt helped the Roughriders win the 2007 Grey Cup.
4. Wally Dempsey (19)
Dempsey, who was inducted into the Plaza alongside Lowe in 1995, was a key member of the Roughriders’ original Grey Cup team. Dempsey had two stints with Saskatchewan (1965 to
1969, plus 1971), helping the team reach three Grey Cup games in four years at one point. Twice a West all-star (1968, 1969), he was an all-canadian in 1968.
5. Roger Goree (14)
One of the great waiver pickups in CFL history, Goree was cast aside by the Calgary Stampeders in July of 1975, even though he had been a West all-star in 1973 and a CFL all-star the following year. So began a six-season stay in Saskatchewan, where Goree made two more West all-star teams (1976, 1977) in addition to being an all-canadian in 1976. He entered the Plaza in 1998.
6. Jerrell Freeman (12)
Despite spending only three seasons in Saskatchewan, Freeman left a lasting impression. He had a team-high seven sacks — including three in one game — in 2010. The next year, he was named the West Division’s outstanding defensive player and a CFL all-star.
7. John Wozniak (11)
Wozniak entered the Plaza in 2005 in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the Roughriders from 1953 to 1956. He was an allstar in three of those seasons.
8. Maurice Lloyd (10)
In 2007, Lloyd was named a West all-star during a season in which he helped the Roughriders win a Grey Cup. He was a CFL all-star the following year.
9. Cleveland Vann (7)
Vann, a 2000 Plaza enshrinee, was an impactful middle linebacker from the moment he joined the Roughriders in 1976. He was named the outstanding defensive player in the 1976 Grey Cup.
10: Derrick Moncrief (6)
Moncrief capped the 2019 season, his third as a Roughrider, by being named to the CFL’S all-star team.
Also receiving votes: Dan Rashovich (5), Dave Albright (2), Jackie Mitchell (2), Neil Habig (1), Bill Manchuk (1).