RIDER 1989 REUNION

The star quarterback won’t be there because he works for Ole Miss and has other football duties now. The clutch receiver won’t be there because he has a family wedding to attend.

As for the man they called Robokicker, he won’t be at Saturday’s 20th anniversary celebration either. He said he has “a previous commitment” and can’t get away even to salute one of the most remarkable stories in CFL history.

But there are those among the 1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders who aren’t sure that’s the case. They worry about Dave Ridgway.

Why haven’t they heard from him in the last two, three years? Is he okay financially? Is it true he had to sell his Grey Cup ring?

Tracked down by e-mail, Ridgway provides a phone number and the right time to call. He is polite yet guarded. He points out that neither quarterback Kent Austin nor receiver Don Narcisse will be part of the reunion gala and that he had made alternate plans well before the Riders’ event was finalized.

(Austin and Narcisse informed team officials early on they couldn’t come. Ridgway never gave a definitive answer until it was assumed he wasn’t coming.)

As for his teammates’ queries and concerns, Ridgway said of himself and his family: “We’ve been through some tough times. I’ll get out of it on my own. I’m fine.”
They were three of the most miraculous playoff victories ever strung together. The first was highlighted by a late 50-yard touchdown run to eliminate the Stampeders in Calgary. The second saw the Riders defeat the 16-2 Edmonton Eskimos on their home field. Then came the grand finale – Saskatchewan versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 77th Grey Cup, the first to be played in what was then known as SkyDome.

That game – a 43-40 heart-popper – ended with Ridgway kicking a 35-yard field goal to give the Riders only their second Grey Cup championship in team history.
For doing that, Robokicker and his teammates earned lasting renown.

Although he ended up scoring more than 2,300 points over 14 seasons, the Cup-winning field goal became Ridgway’s signature, the boot that propelled him into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Just the thought of all that drama is enough to delight those who fashioned it.
“I still get goosebumps when I think about that game,” said former Saskatchewan defensive back Richie Hall, who will be head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos in Saturday’s league game against the Riders.

“It’ll be a bittersweet moment being there. I’ll get to see my old teammates but then I’ll have to try and win a game at a place that was very special to me.”

Ridgway ended his career with the Riders, then eventually went to the United States, where he was once a director of operations for a telephone-manufacturing company in Colorado. He currently lives “somewhere in the midwest” and insisted he’s had plenty of opportunities to recall The Kick of all his kicks.

“It’s something I’ve seen a lot,” he said. “It was relived numerous times from 1989 to 1995. I have some memorable [CFL] moments that I just finished putting on a DVD. I’m doing it for my sons and hopefully at some point they’ll enjoy watching it. My oldest son told me last fall that my name came up in college football. He goes to Bowling Green State. That’s a big rival for the school I went to [University of Toledo].

“It’s funny how that goes.”

It’s funny how life goes, too. One minute you’re the star of the show, the next you’re knee deep in tough times doing your best to trudge along. There are former Saskatchewan players who would do anything for any of their teammates, but they understand the dilemma. Theirs is a prideful existence, no one wants to intrude if he’s not asked to do so, and Ridgway made it clear he is not asking for anything.

Still, when the first of the 1989 Riders arrive in Regina tomorrow, when they play golf together and sign autographs for fans, there is bound to be talk of, “What’s Ridgway up to these days? Why isn’t he here?”

And those questions will go unanswered.
Ridgway understands that and wanted this understood in return: “It was one of the all-time great Grey Cup games ever played. I hope the guys enjoy themselves.

“I’m fine,” he added. “That’s all I want to say."


RIDERS TO BE ATTENDING

ROUGHRIDERS CELEBRATE 1989 GREY CUP BY BRINGING HOME THE LEGENDSThe Saskatchewan Roughriders are very pleased to announce they will be welcoming back members of the 1989 Grey Cup Championship team this weekend. They will be honoured at halftime during Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos at Mosaic Stadium.Rider fans will get a chance to meet and get autographs from members of the 1989 team prior to the game. The team will be on the practice field directly across from Mosaic Stadium from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm on Saturday, July 25th.

There will be 1989 reunion autograph cards presented by Harvard Broadcasting provided to the first 10,000 people free of charge.

Alumni in attendance will include: Dave Albright, Roger Aldag, Mike Anderson, Jeff Bentrim, Rob Bresciani, Tom Burgess, Steve Crane, Shawn Daniels, Wayne Drinkwalter, Ray Elgaard, James Ellingson, Jeff Fairholm, John Hoffman, Larry Hogue, Bryan Illebrun, Milson Jones, Bobby Jurasin, Chuck Klingbeil, Gary Lewis, Eddie Lowe, Mark Guy, Tim McCray, Ken Moore, Dan Payne, Bob Poley, Dan Rashovich, Harry Skipper, Vic Stevenson, Glen Suitor, Jeff Treftlin, Mark Urness and Brian Walling.