BURGESS, FARTHING AND FONG TO BE INDUCTED

By Rob Vanstone, Leader-PostSeptember 18, 2009


REGINA — Tom Burgess cherishes his Grey Cup memories with “Saskapeg.’’
Burgess was part of a CFL championship team for the first time when he helped the Saskatchewan Roughriders capture the title in 1989. But he did not play in a league final until the following year, when he quarterbacked the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to victory.


“When I think about the pinnacle of my career, I don’t think about one over the other,’’ Burgess said. “I think about those two years.’’


The five years Burgess spent as a Roughrider are to be applauded tonight when he is formally enshrined into the team’s Plaza of Honor. The 45-year-old resident of Phelps, N.Y., is to be inducted alongside Dan Farthing and Norm Fong. Burgess is to presented for induction by former Roughriders defensive lineman Bobby Jurasin.


Farthing was a slotback with the Roughriders from 1991 to 2001. Fong was the team’s equipment manager for 30-plus years before retiring after the 2008 season. Burgess had two stints with the Roughriders (1987-89, and 2004-05).


Burgess played an instrumental role in the Roughriders’ 1989 championship season without setting foot on the field during a 43-40 Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He watched from the sideline as Kent Austin threw for 474 yards and three touchdowns.


One week earlier, Burgess had come off the bench in relief of an injured Austin and helped Saskatchewan upset the heavily favoured Edmonton Eskimos 32-21 in the West Division final. Edmonton entered that game with a 16-2 record — still the best in CFL history — but two third-quarter touchdown passes by Burgess contributed to the Roughriders’ monumental upset victory.


Nonetheless, Austin had recovered from a knee injury in time for the Grey Cup and was named the starter by head coach John Gregory.


“It was a very bittersweet kind of feeling,’’ Burgess reflected Thursday after arriving in Regina. “On the one hand, you’re the Grey Cup champions. On the other hand, I didn’t appear in the game. As an athlete, you want to be challenged in the biggest game. You ask, ‘Can I be a champion? Can I play the best in the biggest game?’ Here I am, right on that doorstep.


“Don’t get this wrong. I didn’t feel I deserved it. I would have loved to have been named the starter, but I didn’t feel I deserved it. If I take a step back and say, ‘The rational decision is . . .,’ John Gregory made the right decision. Kent should have started. I was there to be backup, and he should have had every confidence that I could have done the job. He played it right. Obviously he did, because we won.’’


Even from the sideline, Burgess played a role in the victory. He identified a weakness in the Tiger-Cats’ secondary and suggested that Austin call for a long pass to Jeff Fairholm. Austin acted on the suggestion and promptly hit Fairholm for a 75-yard major.


Burgess had a major decision to make during the following off-season. As the 1990 season neared, Roughriders general manager Alan Ford approached Burgess and sounded him out about the possibility of a trade. Ford realized that Austin and Burgess were bona-fide CFL starters and deserved to play. Burgess indicated that he would be amenable to a deal and ended up being shipped to Winnipeg in the spring of 1990.


Austin went on to throw for 20,720 yards and 125 touchdowns over the next four seasons. Burgess made a smooth transition to life as the Winnipeg quarterback, completing 18 of 31 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns in the Grey Cup as the Bombers routed Edmonton 50-11. He was an easy choice as the offensive MVP — the same award Austin had won one year earlier.


“After winning that Grey Cup and getting that feeling, it sort of released all of that bittersweet feeling from the ’89 Grey Cup and sort of allowed me to feel much more open and celebratory about what a great team that was,’’ Burgess said. “It got rid of some of that old luggage and that feeling of, ‘Geez, I wish I had played in it.’ So now when I think about it, I just think that those two years were a wonderful time.’’


The same description applies to a 20th-anniversary reunion of the 1989 Roughriders, who reconvened in July. Now Burgess is back in Regina for another special occasion.

“It’s kind of amazing,’’ Burgess said. “I hadn’t been back since I left in ’95. It’s not that I didn’t expect at some point to come back. Life moves on, you do other things, and all of a sudden here we are 14 years later and I’m back twice. It’s kind of a neat thing.


“The ’89 Grey Cup weekend in July was great. I got to see guys that I hadn’t seen in 15 or 20 years. They all looked great. I had a great time catching up with everybody. That was a wonderful thing. I’m here again for an event that I’m a little overwhelmed that I’m one of the centrepieces of.’’


rvanstone@leaderpost.canwest.com