History
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Players Alumni Association Inc. has had a long and proud history. Football is the ultimate team sport. Successful outcomes are established through healthy relationships built on Trust, Honesty, Respect, Hard Work and Sacrifice. These qualities are what form the unique brotherhood that professional football demands and create the legacy of forever friendships.
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Players Alumni Association Inc. had its vision birthed during the 1979 football season when the first ever and very successful "Rider Pride Rally" was catered to and organized by former Rider players. It was this event that inspired the idea of creating a formal organization. Several meetings followed as the framework for a constitution came together. On October 18th, 1980 former Roughriders players gathered at the Molson House to officially launch the Saskatchewan Roughrider Players Alumni Association and its first executive was formed, consisting of the following members:
President - Bill Clarke
1st Vice President - Ralph Galloway
2nd Vice President - Gino Wlasiuk
3rd Vice President - Pete Martin
Secretary-Treasurer - Larry Bird
Homecoming Game Chairman - George Reed
Membership Chairman - Don Walsh
The original 13 members who made up the 1980 Alumni roster were: Gord Benton, Jim McFaul, Jack Arnett, Scotty Bisset, Bill Clarke, Ralph Galloway, John Bell, Sully Glasser, Adam Faul, Don Walsh, Wayne Pyne, Gino Wlasiuk and Larry Bird.
On December 20th, 1980 a special meeting was held at the Regina Plains Hotel, to discuss the planning of the next major Alumni event which would be entitled "The Homecoming". It was decided that Sunday, July 12th, would be the big day and Bill Clarke would act as Alumni liaison to the Roughriders Management Committee.
On February 19th, 1981 the "Saskatchewan Roughrider Players Alumni Association Inc." was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the province of Saskatchewan. The primary objective of the Alumni would be and always has been to:
promote good fellowship amongst its members
secure and retain relationships with all those who are members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club
assist the Roughriders Football Club in all of its endeavours.
assist any other organization in the promotion of charitable, educational or any other benevolent objects as the Alumni sees fit.
This giving spirit has been the driving force of the Alumni through the years.
In 1993, the Roughrider Alumni organized their first Charity Golf Tournament in Regina to raise funds for the various charities they support. The “Roughriders Alumni Charity Golf Classic" would continue to be held annually and will forge into its 24th edition in 2017. The Alumni Golf Classic remained the only Alumni event until 2013.
2013 was a pinnacle year for the Roughrider Alumni. A new vision was cast on the premise that if the Association wanted to give more it had to become more. An aggressive campaign began with a focus on growing membership and more alumni-sponsored events. A new executive was put in place to lead this charge. This included Terry Bulych as President, Dan Rashovich as Vice President and Rob Pyne as Treasurer. 2013 would become the perfect year to launch this new vision, with Saskatchewan hosting the 2013 Grey Cup.
Life got very busy for the Roughriders Alumni as 2 additional events were added to the calendar.
The Saskatoon Roughrider Alumni Charity Golf Classic event was created to bring the Province-wide fan base even closer and to raise even more for local charities. It is in its 10th edition as of 2023.
The Whiskey and Wine Festival was organized and is held in the Fall each year.
The commitment and hard work paid off; the success was unprecedented and the Roughrider Alumni will continue to work hard to be relevant ambassadors for minor football throughout the province while continuing to look for partnering opportunities with benevolent charities. Rider Nation is who we are! Let's continue to celebrate this incredible relationship!
