Thursday, December 23, 2021

Cumberland Panthers Announce 2022 Commitments

I'm enjoying what the Cumberland Panthers are doing on Instagram these days. Similarly to how universities name their incoming commitments, the Panthers are making a point of letting us know who intends to be on their senior university team in the OSFL next summer.


There's a general Panthers account but also one specific to the Senior Varsity team, which is worth a follow.

As for Jaylen specifically, here is his 2021 highlights video.


Back when I was able to attend Myers Riders or Cumberland games simply as a fan, it was often brought to my attention how unusual that was. I'd get asked which kid I was there to watch and the answer of  "all of them" seemed to confuse the person asking. 

But that was the honest truth. I like being able to say that I watched Brendan Gillanders at Sir Wilfrid Laurier prior to his time with the Gee-Gees and the REDBLACKS, for example. Why do we love our "local" REDBLACKS yet make so little effort to support them when they're on their way up?

I appreciate that the Panthers are getting player names and faces out there for a little recognition. For that matter, good on them for continuing to keep the team's name and logo in view during the offseason. There is no downside to this.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

July 9th, 1992: Toronto Argonauts 42 @ Ottawa Rough Riders 53 (OT)

Hearing new REDBLACKS GM Shawn Burke make mention of former Rough Riders GM Dan Rambo, along with copying the summary of the highest-scoring game in Riders history a few days ago, brought back fond memories of the contest below. It remains one of the best games I've ever seen, in person or on television.

Rambo had been named general manager at the end of 1991. It resulted in controversy immediately.

The head coach at the time, Joe Faragalli, was convinced that he would be retained for the 1992 season. Faragalli had been hired following an 0-4 start to the 1991 season and turned the team's fortunes around somewhat, winning seven of its remaining 14 games to reach a 7-11 record.

Rambo, instead, publicly stated that he would seek to interview candidates for the position, drawing Faragalli's ire. He would later hire Ron Smeltzer to replace Faragalli. 

Rambo also made it clear that salaries would need to be cut. Several popular veterans were released or asked to take reductions in pay.

It was all quite chaotic, but arguably less so than when the Riders finally took the field against the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts.




The final score might seem unusual by today's set of rules. How does a team win by 11 points in overtime?

At the time, teams played two five-minute mini-halves to settle a tie game. It was a great system, in my opinion, that didn't put so much emphasis on winning a coin toss as the current one does. 

This team would go on to post a 9-9 record. For a while there, it looked like after many years of ineptitude, the Rough Riders might become a solid franchise again, but it was not to be.

The Gliebermans fired Dan Rambo at the end of May of 1993, a few days before the start of training camp, and the club reverted to their laughingstock status in short order. They could only manage a 4-14 record in 1993 and Lonie Glieberman has since admitted that firing Rambo on little more than rumours was the biggest mistake he made while in charge of the Rough Riders. 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

"REDBLACKS Usher In New Era, Name Shawn Burke Franchise's Second General Manager"

The Ottawa REDBLACKS and OSEG are proud to announce that Shawn Burke will become the second general manager in franchise history.

A native of Guelph, Burke comes to Ottawa after nearly 15 years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, most recently serving as Senior Director of Player Personnel and Co-Manager of Football Operations for 2021’s Grey Cup runners-up.

“Today, we begin a new era of REDBLACKS football,” said President and CEO Mark Goudie, “We ran an extremely inclusive and in-depth GM search process that showcased the high calibre of football minds in our game. I am tremendously excited to experience the passion Shawn will bring to our team, and to RNation. On behalf of the OSEG ownership group — Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy, John Pugh and Bill Shenkman, we’re thrilled to welcome Shawn Burke to Ottawa.”

“I am also extremely appreciative of the excellent and professional job that Jeremy Snyder did in stepping up as our Interim GM, when we needed him.”

Prior to joining the Tiger-Cats – where Burke served in several key roles, including Assistant GM, Director of Football Operations, Director of Football Administration and Director of Community Relations and Communications – Burke spent three years with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.

In addition to his core duties with the Tiger-Cats – who have appeared in the Grey Cup game the past two seasons – Burke has also been responsible for such tasks as negotiating player contracts, and administrating the salary management system, among others.

“I’m incredibly excited to join the Ottawa REDBLACKS and the entire OSEG Family,” said Burke. “I’d like to thank Roger Greenberg and the entire ownership group, Mark Goudie and Adrian Sciarra for giving me this great honour and responsibility. RNation, we’re going to hit the ground running — let’s get to work!”

Nov 1st, 1975: Queen's 27 @ uOttawa 56

While tracking down details of the 1975 Ottawa Rough Riders season, it struck that I'd done very little of the same for that year's University of Ottawa team, considered among the best in the history of the sport at that level.

For now, we'll start with their first playoff victory on the way to the national championship following an undefeated regular season. The other games leading up to that historical victory will get their own posts over time.


Gee-Gees' Jeff Avery receives a Jim Colton pass as Bill McIver moves in. - Mike Pearce, Citizen


Saturday, December 18, 2021

Sept 7th, 1975: Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31 @ Ottawa Rough Riders 56

I'm currently adding results from the 1975 Rough Riders season and happened upon the highest points total put together by the club in a single game. This was a nice find made all the sweeter by the fact that a) I wasn't actually looking for it and hadn't planned to and b) it was dropped on Hamilton.








I don't believe that the team has broken that scoring record. I've found games in which they scored in the low 50s but not over 56, even with overtime.

It seems rather modest as a record for a team with a 120-year history. You'd think that at some point they'd have gone against a completely overmatched opponent and notched more than 56 points. Montreal's record, for example, is 82 points (also against Hamilton, hilariously, in 1955). Toronto's is 70 and they also scored 68 in another game.

Hamilton's record is 67 but it came against Saskatchewan. Any Tiger-Cat success is loathsome in and of itself but if it's at least directed against Saskatchewan, there's that silver lining.

It's shocking that Ottawa never crossed that 60-mark against one of the shitty pre-Alouettes Montreal teams, for example, but evidently that simply hasn't taken place. Ah well. But at least the record was set against Hamilton and for that we should be appreciative.  

Sept 1st, 2014: Carleton 33 @ Waterloo 14

With the two eras of Carleton teams now having separate pages, I thought I'd add some of the results for the current incarnation.

I added 2014's. This includes a victory in the first game of the season which was also the team's first since its return. That's certainly noteworthy so here's a partial recap of it, from the September 2nd, 2014, edition of The Record. Full version here.

Waterloo Warriors defender Matt Macera can't bring down Carleton Ravens Tunde Adeleke in the second half of Waterloo's loss last week  DAVID BEBEE / KITCHENER STAFF GRMP

The Ravens — yanked out of mothballs last season following 15 years in the cedar chest — survived the 18 penalties called against them for 220 yards on Monday.

But Carleton wasn't about to quibble with the outcome. With their million-dollar budget and roster of young game-breakers, the Ravens will use Monday's triumph as a stepping stone on the fast-track to respectability.

...

The Warriors, tagged with 14 penalties of their own, were more concerned about their lack of execution when it mattered.

Waterloo's first drive, a 10-play, 50-yard excursion ended abruptly on Carleton's 10-yard line when Warriors pivot Jamie Cook lobbed an interception to Justin Howell.

...

Ravens running back Jahvari Bennett scampered for 120 yards on Monday.

Carleton quarterback Jesse Mills threw two touchdown passes on the day, including a 39-yard strike to Andrew Ellis late in the first quarter to give the visitors a 10-0 cushion before 1,955 fans.

The Ravens built a 12-1 lead before Warriors linebacker/tight end Brendan Conway hauled in a four-yard TD pass from Cook for Waterloo's only touchdown.

Carleton conceded a safety late in the half and took a 12-11 lead into the locker-room at the break.

But the hosts wilted badly in the second half, scoring once, a Caleb Girard 16-yard field goal.

Eh eh eh! Make sure to mention that million-dollar budget! 😆

Another standout: Nate Hamlin had eight solo tackles. It's interesting to look back and see three defensive backs with heavy contributions in this game, arguably quite pivotal to the team's fortunes, go on to have pro careers in Hamlin (BC Lions), Adeleke (Calgary, Hamilton) and our very own Justin Howell.

RB Marley Patterson caught Mills' other touchdown pass. It was his only catch of the day, going for ten yards, but he also contributed an additional 57 yards on the ground on eight carries.

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Oct 5th, 1974: uOttawa 23, Carleton 22

This was not a Panda Game contest between these two universities but it had some significance nonetheless. While the article below does not make mention of it, it was billed as a hundred-year anniversary tribute to the first football game played, between McGill and Harvard, in late October 1874.

Appropriately enough, its conclusion provided a spotlight on a uniquely Canadian rule. 



Ah, the single point, you long-misunderstood, delightful bastard! May you live forever!

Are you among those who think that awarding a single point for a missed field goal is rewarding failure? If so, you are incorrect. 

The single point rewards field position and getting the ball across the goal line at the conclusion of the play. You don't get a point for doinking the ball off the goal post or for a kick that falls short of it, yet those are still missed field goals. 

This is also why the defending team can avoid giving up the point by running the ball out of the endzone. If successful, at the conclusion of the play, the ball had not crossed the line. Therefore, no point.

The closer the offense is to the goal line, the more difficult the run back. You either drove the ball in position or recovered a turnover to make this possible so it is field position that is rewarded, not missing the field goal attempt.

When you've kicked it through the back of the endzone, obviously you had to cross the goal line to do so, so again, you've earned a point. You wouldn't be able to do this from your own 20-yard line. 

With that in mind, think of a successful field goal as awarding an additional two point for the added precision of getting it between the goal posts.

A lot of people don't care for this rule. That's certainly an opinion that anyone can be entitled to, but I've noticed that many of those who don't care for it also don't actually understand it (and become defensive when you point that out to them). 😋 

You can argue that skill and talent has improved to the point that the accomplishment is no longer reward-worthy, that's one thing. But stating that teams get rewarded for "missing a field goal" is ridiculous.

I wish the CFL (in particular) would direct the time spent considering doing away with the single point towards educating fans as to its actual purpose instead.

Monday, December 13, 2021

The 1955 Red Feather Tournament: St. Patrick's 27, East York 01

In 1954, some complained when St. Patrick's did not get an opportunity to play Nepean for the right to represent the region in Toronto in the annual Red Feather Tournament.

In 1955, things fell into place a little more nicely. St. Patrick's opened the season with a couple of wins  and it just so happened that they were going to play another undefeated team a few days prior to the tournament representative being chosen. That team was Fisher Park, and though St. Pat's only won by a score of 01-00, it was enough to perceive them as worthy of being our flag-bearers, so to speak, and to make the trip to Toronto. 


St. Patrick's actually had one more game at home to settle prior to making the trip and it turned out to be against the previous year's "controversial" Red Feather Tournament participant, Nepean.  Referred to as a "tune up" match, St. Patrick's won that game as well, with a more convincing score of 13-00.



Their selection thus further justified, the following St. Pat's team headed for Toronto.


The trip alone was something of an adventure. 


Undaunted by a near-tragedy, the kids dominated their opposition...


...And yet were not recognized as tournament champions. Bloor is mentioned in the article above because they were given that honour, partially based on a 28-00 victory against a school from Timmins.

And so again an Ottawa rep excels at the tourney but the prize is awarded to another club. St. Patrick's didn't appear to be too broken up about it, however; they went on to successfully defend their 1954 senior championship and in doing so, extend their undefeated streak to 17 games.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

"REDBLACKS' DeVonte Dedmon crowned CFL's top special teams player"

OTTAWA - Ottawa REDBLACKS standout kick returner DeVonte Dedmon has been named the 2021 John Agro Special Teams Award recipient as the CFL’s most outstanding special teams player.

The awards were announced Friday night in Hamilton during the lead up to Sunday’s Grey Cup game between the Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The award, as voted on by his peers, recognizes Dedmon after a breakout season. The 26-year-old racked up a combined 2,841 return yards across punts and kicks, along with three touchdowns in the return game. With his third return major, against the Toronto Argonauts on November 6, Dedmon became the fastest player in CFL history to reach five career return touchdowns, in just 15 games. On offence, he posted 65 rushing yards and a touchdown, to go with 98 receiving yards.

Dedmon was the REDBLACKS’ unanimous nominee for the award. He was named an East Division All-Star upon the conclusion of the regular season.

A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Dedmon signed a one-year contract extension with the REDBLACKS on November 2, 2021. 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Aug 25th, 1973: Rough Riders 30 @ Montreal Alouettes 03

I'm continuing to add game results from past Rough Riders seasons and have just hit 1973. This season will culminate with the team's second-last Grey Cup victory. 

The beginning of the season did not give cause to believe that it would conclude with celebration. The team lost its first four games and looked inept offensively much of the time. Things would turn around, starting with the victory in Montreal below.


In advancing through the 60s, I've added a few more game summaries of the two university teams, the Sooners and the league in which those very same Sooners had their start, the IJFL. You can access all of that in the respective pages above.