The Ottawa Junior Riders are a
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...
team based in the
Nepean
Nepean may refer to:
Places Australia
*Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia,
**Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia,
**Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality
*Nepean Highway, Victoria
*Nepean Island (Norfolk Island) ...
area of
Ottawa that plays in the
Quebec Junior Football League The Quebec Junior Football League (QJFL) is a junior Canadian football competition held in Quebec, Canada since 1970, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football Leagu ...
. The Junior Riders play at the
Nepean Sportsplex
Nepean Sportsplex is a sports facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 1701 Woodroffe Avenue north of the Ottawa Greenbelt, near the former Confederation High School along OC Transpo routes 74 and 75 in the former city of Nepean. Th ...
, but have previously called
Frank Clair Stadium
TD Place Stadium (originally Lansdowne Park and formerly Frank Clair Stadium) is an outdoor stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the ...
at
Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a urban park, historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located on Bank Street adjacent to the Rideau Canal in The Glebe neighbourhood of central Ot ...
their home.
History
The team began operations in 1995 as the Gloucester Redskins, and operated as such until the conclusion of the 1996
QJFL season. With the folding of the
CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
's
Ottawa Rough Riders, the Gloucester Redskins changed their name to the current Ottawa Junior Riders and changed their colors from burgundy, yellow and white, to the current red, black and white. The organization began competing in the
Quebec Junior Football League The Quebec Junior Football League (QJFL) is a junior Canadian football competition held in Quebec, Canada since 1970, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football Leagu ...
in 1995, and did so until the end of the 2000 season. In 2001, the Ottawa Junior Riders began play in the
Ontario Football Conference
The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...
of the
Canadian Junior Football League. The Ottawa Junior Riders played in the
CJFL until the end of the 2005 season, when they returned to the QJFL for the beginning of the 2006 season. Although the team did not garner much success in the
OFC/
CJFL, they have won nine QJFL Championships over their time in that league (1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2018, 2019). Upon their entry into the QJFL, the Junior Riders had developed a rivalry with the
Ottawa Sooners, but the Sooners moved to the CJFL in 2009. The Junior Riders again left the QJFL after the 2013 season, but returned to the league for the 2017 season.
Coaches
Dean Dorsey
Dean Dorsey (born March 13, 1957 in Toronto, Ontario) is a retired Canadian football placekicker in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Toronto.
Dorsey took over kickin ...
1995-1998
Dan Murphy 1999-2002
Andy McEvoy 2003
Luigi Costanzo 2004-2009
Max Palladino 2010-2017
Rob Bento 2018-present
Notable former players
Scott Gordon, a Defensive Back for the
Edmonton Eskimos.
Pat Fleming, played Punter for the
Ottawa Renegades
The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league d ...
,
Hamilton Tiger-Cats and
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
.
Lenard Semajuste played Fullback for the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
.
Ettore Lattanzio, played on the Defensive Line for the
Ottawa Redblacks
The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Starting ...
Hall of Fame
The following is a list of Players, Coaches and Builders who have been inducted into the Ottawa Junior Riders Hall of Fame.
Bob Brazeau - Equipment Manager - Builder
Sue Brazeau - General Manager - Builder
Dave St-Pierre - Statistician - Builder
Teresa Gilchrist - General Manager - Builder
Karen Cameron - Trainer - Builder
Dean Dorsey
Dean Dorsey (born March 13, 1957 in Toronto, Ontario) is a retired Canadian football placekicker in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Toronto.
Dorsey took over kickin ...
- Head Coach - Coach
Dan Murphy - Head Coach - Coach
Eddie Ghantous - RB - Player
Scott Gordon - DB - Player
Steve Kasouf - LB - Player
Tucker McCabe - QB - Player
Devin Murphy - DB - Player
Richard Tremblay - WR - Player
Curtis McCausland - OL - Player
Casey Bergeron - OL - Player
Aaron Snow - OL - Player
Dexter Ross - DL - Player
Joe Costanzo - RB - Player
Brandon Mahon - OL/LB - Player
Defensive tackle Nicholas Rouleau
External links
QJFL Website (French)Junior Riders Official WebsiteCanadian Junior Football League official websiteicholas Rouleau Junior Riders defensive tackle and best defensive player of the league in 1995
Sources
* https://web.archive.org/web/20081018230316/http://www.jrriders.highfivesports.ca/
* http://capitalregionfootball.info/index.php?pr=Junior_-_Jr_Riders
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080109042838/http://www.emmediateweb.com/jrriders/jrhistory.asp
{{Ontario Sports
Jun
Quebec Junior Football League teams
Sports clubs established in 1995
Former Canadian Junior Football League teams
1995 establishments in Ontario