Import #1 (and #2)

Recording results from the 1957 Rough Riders season earlier today produced two points of interest. Unexpectedly, one of them was from 25 years prior.

The first (and current to that article) notable event came in a convincing road victory against Toronto. Ottawa won 55-14 and in doing so, it appeared as though Bobby Judd had a record-setting play. Judd ran back a missed field goal 112 yards for the game's first score, a rather rare occurrence. 

It was said to be a record-setting play but...not so fast! The record book just didn't quite go far enough, it would seem. And in investigating that play, the Ottawa Citizen brought up the other detail that got my eye. 

I wish the above article's writer was properly credited but I'm sorry to say that's not the case.

It is the reference to "first two imports" in the second paragraph that I found interesting. It never occurred to me to try to find out who the first American Rough Rider was, let alone the second. Yet that information just fell right into my lap. Sweet!

Wally Masters is an Ottawa Hall of Fame inductee so tracking down his career is relatively easy. I posted his obituary about 13 months ago here.

Swede Carlsen is a whole other deal. As you may have guessed, "Swede" is more of a nickname. I believe his first name is actually Rolf but I've seen it spelled in the more traditional English manner of "Ralph" as well.

That's going to be a bit more problematic for research purposes but nevertheless, knowing he and Masters are the team's first official import (i.e. American) players is a neat new piece of trivia.

Just Added: Wally Masters

The Rough Rider Coaches page displays win-loss records for most of the coaches throughout the team's history, even if some of the official data from the early years is somewhat questionable.

My plan was to provide a spotlight on the more accomplished gentlemen on the list (don't expect me to elaborate on Fred Glick much, for example). Unfortunately, the best accounts of one's career often take the form of an obituary.

Such is the case with Mr. Wally Masters. I did not originally intend to include any sort of more detailed biography about him, frankly, being more preoccupied with the Cup winners.

However, while Master never did win a Grey Cup as a coach, he is a member of the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. Also, it is true that the page was meant to be specific to Rough Rider coaches but Masters' coaching of the 1947 Ottawa Trojans to the ORFU championship certainly should not be discounted.

Read on, from the July 12th, 1992, Ottawa Citizen.