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November 7, 2017

Ottawa vs. Saskatchewan – A Brief History

The Ottawa REDBLACKS will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL’s East Division Semi-Final on Sunday afternoon in a rematch of the 1976 Grey Cup.

Uh, sort of.

Of course, back in 1976 – November 28, to be precise – it was Rough Riders vs. Roughriders, with the REDBLACKS still nearly 40 decades away from existing. And exactly 40 years until they would win it again, with the modern-day incarnation of CFL football bringing the Cup back to the capital in 2016.

Since then, though, there hasn’t been a great deal of playoff history between the two teams. Or a whole lot of history in general, really. Some of that had to do with Ottawa’s departure from the CFL landscape for a while, and from the fact the two sides play in different divisions.

But in this modern era of CFL football, one that includes a West Division team crossing over to the East, a new chapter in Ottawa football is about to be written. On November 12 at 1 p.m., it will be Trevor Harris versus Kevin Glenn and/or Brandon Bridge.


Greg Ellingson and Diontae Spencer versus Naaman Roosevelt and Duron Carter (depending on which side of the ball the latter is used on, if not both). Taylor Reed and Antoine Pruneau versus Henroc Muamba and Samuel Eguavoen.

With less than a week to go before the REDBLACKS and Riders go head-to-head to determine who plays Toronto in the East Final, here’s a look at some of the history between the two clubs.

  • The Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 23-20 in the 1976 Grey Cup game, considered one of the most exciting CFL Championship games in history. It was the last Ottawa team to win it all until the REDBLACKS brought the Cup back to Ottawa last year.
  • Ottawa also defeated Saskatchewan in the 1969 Grey Cup game, winning 29-11 at Montreal’s Autostade on November 30. In all, Ottawa is 3-1 against Saskatchewan in championship games.
  • In their brief history, the Ottawa Renegades were 3-5 against Saskatchewan, going 2-2 at home and 1-3 in Regina.
  • The REDBLACKS are 3-5 all-time against Saskatchewan in the regular season. The two teams have never met in the playoffs.
  • The Ottawa Rough Riders were 20-33 all-time against Saskatchewan.


REDBLACKS connections in Saskatchewan

In a small league like the CFL, any playoff matchup is bound to feature players with connections to the opposition city. Here are a few:

  • The newcomer REDBLACKS selected Kevin Glenn in the 2014 expansion draft. However, Glenn was dealt out of Ottawa after the REDBLACKS signed Henry Burris as the club’s first starting quarterback in franchise history.
  • Regina native and REDBLACKS defensive lineman Zack Evans spent the first two years of his CFL career with Saskatchewan before coming to Ottawa for the REDBLACKS expansion season.
  • Saskatchewan running back Kienan Lafrance spent the last two seasons with Ottawa before joining Saskatchewan for the 2017 campaign. Lafrance was a key contributor in last year’s East Final, when the REDBLACKS defeated Edmonton.
  • Rookie REDBLACKS offensive lineman Evan Johnson is from Regina.
  • REDBLACKS defensive lineman Jonathan Newsome played with Saskatchewan before signing with Ottawa early in 2017.
  • The Roughriders recently signed running back Shakir Bell, who was in training camp with the REDBLACKS in 2017.