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The Ottawa Rough Riders were a
Canadian Football League 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 c ...
team based in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the
Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, in which they won five Grey Cups. The team's fortunes waned in the 1980s and 1990s, and they ultimately ceased operations following the 1996 season. Five years later, a new CFL team known as the Ottawa Renegades was founded, though they suspended operations in 2006. 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). Starti ...
, which own the Rough Riders intellectual properties, joined the league in 2014.


Team facts

:Founded: 1876 :Folded:
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
:Formerly known as: Ottawa Football Club (1876–1897), Ottawa Rough Riders (1898–1913, 1931–1996), Ottawa Senators (1925–1930). :Nickname: The Red and Black (French: Le Rouge et Noir) :Home stadium: Frank Clair Stadium, formerly called Lansdowne Park until 1993 :Uniform colours: Red, black, and white :Helmet design: Black background with a face of a Rough Rider with a log driver's (rough rider's) pike in the background. : Ontario Rugby Football Union regular season championships: 3 — 1898, 1900, 1902 : Quebec Rugby Football Union regular season championships: 1 — 1905 : Eastern regular season championships: 19 — 1908, 1925, 1926, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978 : Canadian Dominion Football Championship appearances: 4 — 1898 (won),
1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
(won), 1902 (won), 1905 (lost) :
Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
finals appearances: 15 — 1925 (won), 1926 (won), 1936 (lost),
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...
(lost), 1940 (won),
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...
(lost),
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
(lost), 1951 (won),
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
(won),
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...
(lost),
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...
(won),
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
(won), 1973 (won), 1976 (won), 1981 (lost)


History


1876 – 1930

The Ottawa Football Club was organized on Wednesday, September 20, 1876, where they won the first game they played on September 23 against the Aylmer Club at
Jacques-Cartier Jacques-Cartier is an electoral district in the West Island of Montreal, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It is the only provincial electoral district in Quebec with an Anglophone majority. It notably includes th ...
Square. The team's colours were cerise, grey, and navy blue. The club adopted the name Ottawa Rough Riders on Friday, September 9, 1898, and changed its team colours to red and black. Since then, red and black have been Ottawa's traditional sporting colours. Although in later years the name was said to derive from logging (or more specifically, the logdrivers who guided timber down the rivers), the team based its colours on
Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
in the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
, which, with the date of the renaming, suggests that the name also comes from the war. The team changed its nickname to Ottawa Senators from 1925 to 1930. Ottawa's first Canadian championship came in 1898. The Ottawa Football Club transferred from the Quebec Union to the Ontario League that season. The Riders defeated the Hamilton Tigers 15–8 for the Ontario championship, then defeated Toronto Varsity, the Intercollegiate champions 7–3 and defeated Ottawa College 11–1 to win the Canadian championship. In those days, Ottawa athletes played in multiple sports and the Riders had athletes famous in other sports, such as
Harvey Pulford Ernest Harvey Pulford (April 22, 1875 – October 31, 1940) was a Canadian athlete at the turn of the twentieth century, winning national championships in ice hockey, lacrosse, football, boxing, paddling and rowing. A highly regarded defenceman w ...
and Frank McGee. The Riders and Ottawa College were the Canadian champions for the next several years, with the Riders defeating Brockville 17–10 in 1900, and defeating Ottawa College 5–0 in 1902, College being the 1901 Canadian champions. The Riders moved back to the Quebec Union, winning the 1903 Quebec championship, in a year where there was no playoff for the Canadian title. In 1905, Ottawa won the Quebec title, only to lose to the Toronto Varsity team 11–9 in the Canadian championship. The club absorbed the Ottawa St. Pats when the Riders helped found the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union in 1907. The Riders won the IRFU championship in 1909 over the Hamilton Tigers, but lost in the Canadian final in Toronto to Toronto Varsity. The Riders declined and became uncompetitive during the 1910s, attributed to the First World War, and the lure of salaries in professional ice hockey meaning athletes chose hockey over football in Ottawa. During the decline of the Riders, another Ottawa team, Ottawa St. Brigids, was on an ascent. St. Brigids, which played in the Ottawa City league, and later the Ontario league, was developing top talent. In 1923, St. Brigids and the Riders merged, with St. Brigids manager Jim McCaffery becoming the manager of the Riders. McCaffery was a member of the Riders executive for several decades. The team won the Grey Cup in 1925 and 1926, a time when they were known as the ''Ottawa Senators''. In 1925, Ottawa defeated three-time defending champion Queen's in the Eastern semi-final. Ottawa then defeated Winnipeg 24–1 in the championship, held in Ottawa, and defeated Toronto Varsity 10–7 in Toronto in 1926. The team was led by top players such as Eddie Emerson, Joe Tubman, Joe Miller, Jess Ketchum, Jack Pritchard, Harold Starr and Don Young.


1930 – 1950

The Riders went back into a decline after the championships. Again, another Ottawa team, the Ottawa Rangers, was developing talent and enjoying success, winning the Quebec title. The Riders absorbed the Rangers in 1933, getting Rangers stars Andy Tommy, Arnie Morrison and "Fat Quinn'. That same year the Riders added more talent, bringing in American imports "Windy" O'Neil and Lorne Johnson. In 1935, the Riders added Roy Berry who was mysterious about his origins. The Riders defeated the Toronto Argonauts in the final two games of the Big Four schedule to deny Toronto the Big Four championship. On November 19, 1935, Toronto's '' The Mail and Empire'' accused the Riders of using an illegal player in those matches. Editor Edwin Allen stated "Roy Berry" was an alias for Bohn Hilliard, a
Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin (variously Texas or UT) in the sport of American football. The Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivisio ...
er who had played semi-professional baseball. In February 1936, Amateur Athletic Union of Canada president W. A. Fry announced the suspension of nine members of the Ottawa team due to the Roy Berry incident. In 1936, the Riders won the Big Four title defeating the Hamilton Tigers 3–2. The team progressed to the Eastern final against the Sarnia Imperials. The Imperials won the game 26–20 in a frozen battle held at Toronto's Varsity Stadium. Since there was no western challenge that year, the Imperials became Canadian champions. The highlight of Rough Rider Joe Zelikovitz's football career came in the Big Four game in Hamilton against the Hamilton Tigers on October 15, 1938, when he set the Big Four record with seven interceptions, a record that still stands unofficially compared to the CFL. The Riders next won the Big Four and Eastern title in 1939, but lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 8–7 in the Grey Cup game, held in Ottawa. In 1940, the Riders won the Big Four and Eastern titles, defeating Toronto Balmy Beach. The win over Balmy Beach carried the Canadian title, as the west refused the Canadian Rugby Union code. The Big Four went out of existence during the Second World War, but the Riders were able to field a club in the Eastern Rugby Football Union, along with Balmy Beach, Montreal and the Argonauts. The Riders won the 1942 ERFU title over the Argonauts, but again lost to the Blue Bombers in the Canadian final, 18–16 at Varsity Stadium. The ERFU folded and the Riders continued in the Ottawa City league until 1945 when the Big Four was restarted. During the Riders' time in the Ottawa City league, another team from Ottawa, the
Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...
won the Ontario title, and in 1948 the Trojans were absorbed into the Riders.


The 1950s

The Rough Riders were pioneers in international play in the 1950s. In 1950 and 1951, Ottawa hosted the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
in exhibition games; the Giants won both times, and NFL-CFL matches were not attempted again until 1959. In the first season of the CFL, the Ottawa Rough Riders and the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...
made history when they played the first regular season
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 ...
game at
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
's Municipal Stadium on September 14, 1958 as
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...
defeated
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
, 24–18. The
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the CFL East Division, East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based i ...
had played the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Buffalo in an exhibition game in 1951, and the Argonauts later faced the Calgary Stampeders in another exhibition game in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
in 1992; and several CFL games with at least one Canadian team occurred in the United States during the CFL USA era of the early/mid 1990s.)


The 1960s and 1970s

The 1960s and 1970s were the Rough Riders' glory years. With General Manager
Red O'Quinn John William "Red" O'Quinn (September 7, 1925 – April 21, 2002) was a gridiron football end. Early years John William "Red" O'Quinn, Jr. was born in Bluett Falls, North Carolina. He graduated from Asheboro High School in Asheboro, North ...
and Coach
Frank Clair Frank James Clair (May 12, 1917 – April 3, 2005) was an American gridiron football player, coach, and executive. Nicknamed "the Professor" for his ability to recognize and develop talent, he served as a head coach in the Canadian Football L ...
at the helm along with players
Russ Jackson Russell Stanley Jackson (born July 28, 1936) is a former professional Canadian football player. Jackson spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a member of ...
, Whit Tucker,
Ron Stewart Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as a coach. He spent the first half of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ...
, Tom Clements, and Tony Gabriel, the Riders were one of the CFL's best teams. Winning the Grey Cup in 1968 & 69 to finish out the decade and then 3 more under Clair's helm as GM including their last victory in 1976, where Tony Gabriel made the game-winning touchdown catch in the end zone in a 23–20 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Rough Riders' final appearance in the Grey Cup game was 1981 against the heavily favoured
Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Comm ...
. The game started out as a shocker when the Riders jumped out to a 20–1 halftime lead over the Eskimos. But a controversial double interference call against Riders receiver Tony Gabriel late in the game proved to be costly, as the Eskimos, led by backup quarterback Tom Wilkinson, came from behind to beat the Riders 26–23 on a game-winning field goal by kicker Dave Cutler, giving the Eskimos their fourth (out of five) consecutive Grey Cup championship.


1980s and 1990s

Throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s, except for two even (.500) records (8–8 in 1983 and 9–9 in 1992), the Riders struggled with losing seasons, poor ownership, mismanagement, and decreased fan support. In 1988, Jo-Anne Polak was named the co-General Manager of the Rough Riders. She became the first woman in CFL history to be appointed to an executive post, and the first female General Manager of any professional sports franchise in North America. Three years later, the team was purchased by Detroit businessman Bernard Glieberman and his son Lonie Glieberman, who became team president, for a dollar. The team changed its logo from a simple block "R" to a double flaming red and silver "RR", and added silver to their traditional red and black colours. Despite a promising year in 1992 the bottom fell out in 1993, when the Gliebermans began making noise about moving the Rough Riders to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. The CFL, obviously, did not take kindly to Glieberman's suggestion, but allowed him to split the Rough Riders into American and Canadian halves. The American half became an expansion franchise known as the Shreveport Pirates under Glieberman's ownership. The Canadian half retained the Rough Riders name, colours and history under the ownership of modern Ottawa Senators co-founder Bruce Firestone. This arrangement is similar to the arrangement made by Art Modell and the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
made later in the 1990s. For the 1994 season the team unveiled its final logo design with the team colours changing from black, silver, and red, to dark navy, red, and gold. The colour changes proved to be unpopular as the team dropped dark navy in favour of a return to black for the 1996 season. Despite the ownership changes, neither Ottawa nor Shreveport played well. In 1995, after a lengthy bankruptcy process in ownership, the Riders were purchased by Chicago businessman and minor league sports entrepreneur
Horn Chen Horn Chen (July 22, 1932 – December 7, 2015) was an American businessman and minor league sports entrepreneur. He was the founder of the Central Hockey League, which began to play in 1992. Chen was also a minority owner of the Columbus Blue Jack ...
, who did not attend a single Riders game. In the dispersal draft of Las Vegas Posse players, Ottawa management drafted
Derrell Robertson Derrell Robertson (September 22, 1967 – December 5, 1994) was an American college football player from Tyler, Texas who played for Mississippi State University in 1988 and 1989. After college, Robertson signed with the Las Vegas Posse of the ...
, who had died the previous December. Following the 1996 season, years of poor ownership and mismanagement took a toll on the Rough Riders franchise that ultimately led to its folding after a storied 120 years. After the Rough Riders folded, the CFL moved its easternmost-West Division team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, back to the East Division for a second time to take Ottawa's place and to balance out the divisions (they played in the East from 1987 to 1994, and the Bombers stayed in the East Division from 1997 to 2001; it returned there upon the folding of the Renegades from 2006 to 2013).


Two Riders

For much of the team's history, it played in the same league as the Saskatchewan Roughriders, confusing many, and also attracting general ridicule to the CFL for being a league with only eight or nine teams, but two of them being named "rough riders" (spelled identically although configured differently; also, the Saskatchewan team's nickname has a well-documented derivation that has nothing to do with the Spanish–American War or logging). For a time, both clubs shared the same colours of red and black until 1948, when the Saskatchewan team became green and white, which remain their colours to this day. The teams had historically belonged to separate leagues ('unions') until the CFL was formed in 1958. When the CFL was formed, they were allowed to keep their long-standing names; Ottawa was frequently known as the "Eastern Riders" while Saskatchewan was referred to as either the "Western Riders" or "Green Riders". On four occasions, the two teams met in the
Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
(1951, 1966, 1969, and 1976); Ottawa won all but the 1966 meeting, which was also Saskatchewan's first Grey Cup in team history. The Riders vs. Riders matchups were often confusing for fans. Errors were occasionally made on the official scoreboard and commentators often got confused.


Ottawa Renegades

A CFL franchise in Ottawa was absent for the next five years until 2002, when the city regained a CFL team, named the Renegades. Although sentiment arose toward resurrecting the Rough Riders name, Chen expected payment for the rights to it; the new franchise declined the request, and went with a 'fresh' name for the new team. The team also faced financial problems, ceasing play after the 2005 CFL season. The Saskatchewan Roughriders opposed the CFL's application to register "Ottawa Rough Riders" as a trademark, and the league abandoned the application in 2016.


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). Starti ...

In 2008, a partnership of five Ottawa business leaders acquired the Ottawa CFL franchise rights with the intent of relaunching professional football in Ottawa. The CFL also acquired the Rough Riders intellectual properties from Chen. Because the Saskatchewan Roughriders enforced their trademark on the Rough Riders name, Ottawa's new franchise was required to choose a new name. It took the field in 2014 as the Ottawa Redblacks. Despite being denied the use of the Rough Riders nickname, the Redblacks do pay homage to the Rough Riders. The Redblacks' primary logo is a stylized version of the block "R" used by the Rough Riders from 1975 to 1991. The currently-used "R" is set within the outline of a saw which is an acknowledgement of Ottawa's logging heritage. In the Redblacks' first home game, they retired the 10 player numbers that the Rough Riders had retired. For a few years, the CFL did not acknowledge the Redblacks (or for that matter, the Renegades) as the Rough Riders' successor in the same way it considered all three incarnations of the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...
as a single franchise. However, according to the 2017 CFL'' Guide and Record Book'', the CFL now recognizes all three Ottawa-based clubs that played in the CFL or its predecessors–the Rough Riders, the Renegades, and the Redblacks–as "a single entity" dating to 1876 for record-keeping purposes, with "two intervals of non-participation (1997–2001 and 2006–2013)."


Seasons


Players of note


Retired numbers


Canadian Football Hall of Famers

* Damon Allen * Less Browne * Jerry "Soupy" Campbell * Tom Clements *
Abe Eliowitz Abe Eliowitz (November 10, 1910 – November 19, 1981) was a star football player in American college football and in the days before the Canadian Football League. He also played college baseball. Early life and education Eliowitz attended Mich ...
*
Eddie Emerson Edward Kramer Emerson (March 11, 1892 – January 27, 1970) was a star football player in the Canadian Football League for twenty-two seasons for the Ottawa Rough Riders. Fondly known as the "Iron Man" of football, Emerson led his team to two G ...
* Tony Gabriel * Tony Golab * Condredge Holloway *
Russ Jackson Russell Stanley Jackson (born July 28, 1936) is a former professional Canadian football player. Jackson spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a member of ...
* Ron Lancaster * Ken Lehmann * Dave McCann (player, coach) *
Rudy Phillips Rudolph Phillips is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played seven seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Ottawa Rough Riders. He played college football at North Texas University. He won the CFL's ...
*
Silver Quilty Sylvester Patrick "Silver" Quilty (February 8, 1891 – December 2, 1976) was a Canadian football player, referee, coach and sport administrator. As a player, he won the Yates Cup in 1907 with the Ottawa Gee-Gees football team, and was credit ...
* Moe Racine * Bob Simpson *
David Sprague David Shafer Sprague (August 11, 1910 – February 20, 1968) was a star football player in the Canadian Football League for eleven seasons for the Hamilton Tigers and the Ottawa Rough Riders. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of ...
*
Ron Stewart Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as a coach. He spent the first half of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ...
* Dave Thelen * Andrew Tommy *
Joe Tubman Robert Joseph Tubman (August 18, 1897 – November 29, 1975) was a Canadian football player and referee and Ottawa businessman. He was a member of two Grey Cup championship teams. Playing career Tubman was a star football player in the Canadian F ...
* Whit Tucker *
Kaye Vaughan Charles Kaye Vaughan (born June 30, 1931) is a former professional football player, a lineman with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League for twelve seasons. He won the CFL's Outstanding Lineman Award in 1956 and 1957 and is a ...


Other stars

* Margene Adkins * Danny Barrett *
Billy Joe Booth Billy Joe Booth (April 7, 1940 – June 30, 1972) was an American-born Canadian football player. He played professional football with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League from 1962 to 1970. A graduate of Louisiana State U ...
* Dan Dever * Edward M. Joyner Jr. * Tom Laputka *
Marc Lewis Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system ...
* Donnie Little *
Dexter Manley Dexter Keith Manley (born February 2, 1959) is a former American football defensive end for the Washington Redskins, Phoenix Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He also played in the Canadian Football Lea ...
* Rohan Marley *
Gary Mccoy Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Unit ...
* James A. McGee * James A. McKinstry *
Shawn Moore Shawn Levique Moore (born April 4, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavali ...
* Bo Scott * Ron Simmons * Alvin Walker * Vic Washington *
J. C. Watts Julius Caesar Watts Jr. (born November 18, 1957) is an American politician, clergyman, and athlete. Watts was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and later played professionally in the Canadian Football League. He served in ...


Head coaches

*
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have b ...
(1904–1911, 1913, 1921–1922) * Doc Galvin (1912) *
Reverend Father Stanton Reverend Father William J. Stanton (July 1, 1880 – January 1, 1937) was a Canadian football coach and missionary. He was the head coach of multiple of the Ottawa Gee-Gees, Ottawa Gee-Gees teams from the 1900s to 1915 and the head coach of the Ot ...
(1913) * Eddie Gerard (1914) *
Frank Shaughnessy Francis Joseph "Shag" Shaughnessy (April 8, 1883 – May 15, 1969) was an American athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both baseball and football and was an executive in baseball, football and ice hockey. He was born in the United S ...
(1915) * Dave McCann (1919, 1924–1927, 1931–1932) *
Silver Quilty Sylvester Patrick "Silver" Quilty (February 8, 1891 – December 2, 1976) was a Canadian football player, referee, coach and sport administrator. As a player, he won the Yates Cup in 1907 with the Ottawa Gee-Gees football team, and was credit ...
(1920, 1923) * Walter Gilhooley (1928) * Joe Miller (1929) *
Dr. Andy Davies Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...
(1930) * Wally Masters (1933–1934, 1948–1950) *
Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...
(1935–1936) *
Ross Trimble W. Ross Trimble (1908 – March 24, 1950) was a Canadian football player and coach, who was the head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders for 6 seasons (1937–1941, 1945). They appeared in 3 Grey Cups while Trimble was coach, winning 1. Trimble also ...
(1937–1941, 1945) * George Fraser (1942, 1946) *
Sammy Fox Samuel Simon Fox (May 4, 1918 – April 11, 2004) was an American football end who played one season for the New York Giants. He was the head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1947. Early life Sammy Fox was born on May 4, 1918 in Washington D ...
(1947) *
Clem Crowe Clem F. Crowe (October 18, 1903 – April 13, 1983) was an American gridiron football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Saint Vincent College (1926–1931), Xavier University (1936–1943), and the Univers ...
(1951–1954) * Chan Caldwell (1955) *
Frank Clair Frank James Clair (May 12, 1917 – April 3, 2005) was an American gridiron football player, coach, and executive. Nicknamed "the Professor" for his ability to recognize and develop talent, he served as a head coach in the Canadian Football L ...
(1956–1969) * Jack Gotta (1970–1973) *
George Brancato George Brancato (May 27, 1931 – October 22, 2019) was an American/Canadian gridiron football player and coach. Both an offensive and defensive player in college, he played five games for the Chicago Cardinals during the 1954 NFL season. He rus ...
(1974–1984) * Joe Moss (1985–1986) * Tom Dimitroff (1986) * Fred Glick (1987–1988) * Bob Weber (1988) *
Steve Goldman Steven E. "Steve" Goldman (born 1945) is an American financial advisor and former gridiron football coach. He is a Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor with UBS. From 1989 to 1991 he was head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadi ...
(1989–1991) *
Joe Faragalli Joe Faragalli (April 18, 1929 – April 10, 2006) was a gridiron football player and coach who had most of his success in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Faragalli played guard at Villanova University from 1950 to 1953, and was the team c ...
(1991) *
Ron Smeltzer Ron Smeltzer is a retired American and Canadian football coach who served as the head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1992 to 1993. Early life Smeltzer was born on October 29, 1941 in York, Pennsylvania. When he was 17 he joined the Unite ...
(1992–1993) * Adam Rita (1994) *
Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known fo ...
(1995–1996) * John Payne (1996)


General managers

*
Jimmy McCaffrey Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * Jimmy (2008 film), ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * Jimmy (1979 film), ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melat ...
(1923–1959) *
George Terlep George Rudolph "Duke" Terlep (April 12, 1923 – May 17, 2010) was an American football player, coach, and general manager who was on a college national championship team at Notre Dame in 1943 and won another championship while playing for the ...
(1960–1962) *
Red O'Quinn John William "Red" O'Quinn (September 7, 1925 – April 21, 2002) was a gridiron football end. Early years John William "Red" O'Quinn, Jr. was born in Bluett Falls, North Carolina. He graduated from Asheboro High School in Asheboro, North ...
(1963–1969) *
Frank Clair Frank James Clair (May 12, 1917 – April 3, 2005) was an American gridiron football player, coach, and executive. Nicknamed "the Professor" for his ability to recognize and develop talent, he served as a head coach in the Canadian Football L ...
(1970–1978) * Jake Dunlap (1979–1982) * Don Holtby (1983–1986) * Paul Robson (1987–1988) *
Jo-Anne Polak Jo-Anne Polak (born 1959) was the general manager of the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1989 to 1991. Upon her appointment, Polak became the first woman executive in the Canadian Football League and the first woman general manager to lead a North Ameri ...
(1989–1991) * Dan Rambo (1992–1993) *
Ron Smeltzer Ron Smeltzer is a retired American and Canadian football coach who served as the head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1992 to 1993. Early life Smeltzer was born on October 29, 1941 in York, Pennsylvania. When he was 17 he joined the Unite ...
(1993) * Phil Kershaw (1994) * Garney Henley (1995–1996) *
Leo Cahill Leo Cahill (July 30, 1928 – February 15, 2018) was an American head coach and general manager in the Canadian Football League, much of it spent with the Toronto Argonauts. Early life Cahill was born on July 30, 1928 in Utica, Illinois and lat ...
(1996)


Media personnel

''
Ottawa Journal The ''Ottawa Journal'' was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1885 to 1980. It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the ''Ottawa Evening Journal''. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the ...
'' sports editor
Bill Westwick William George Westwick (August 2, 1908June 19, 1990) was a Canadian sports journalist. He wrote for the ''Ottawa Journal'' from 1926 to 1973, was mentored by Basil O'Meara, then served as the paper's sports editor from 1942 until retirement. W ...
poked fun at the team rather than criticize during their struggles in the mid-1950s. When coach Chan Caldwell suggested that the team could practice on a train ride to an away game by attaching a railway
flatcar A flatcar (US) (also flat car, or flatbed) is a piece of rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck mounted on a pair of trucks (US) or bogies (UK), one at each end containing four or six wheels. Occasionally, flat cars designed to carry ...
filled with dirt, Westwick played along with the joke although the plan never happened. A fellow journalist recalled that and Westwick reported on the idea with "brilliant clarity and memorable hilarity". Newspaper journalist
Eddie MacCabe Edward William Joseph MacCabe (January 15, 1927May 22, 1998) was a Canadian sports journalist and writer. He began in journalism with the ''Ottawa Journal'' in 1946, briefly wrote for the ''Montreal Star'' from 1951 and 1952, then returned to t ...
regularly reported on the Rough Riders, travelled with the team, and was the link between the players and the Ottawa community, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Notable radio broadcasters for the Rough Riders include Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Ernie Calcutt and John Badham.


See also

* Ottawa Rough Riders all-time records and statistics *
List of Canadian Football League stadiums The following is a list of stadiums in the Canadian Football League. Current stadiums ;Notes Map of current stadiums Future stadiums Neutral site stadiums ;Notes Former stadiums Defunct team stadiums See also * List of stadium ...
*
Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about ...
*
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 ( ...
*
List of Canadian Football League seasons This is a list of Canadian Football League (CFL) seasons, including seasons in Canadian football prior to the CFL's founding in 1958. Pre-CFL seasons CFL seasons Early CFL (1958–1986) After the merger of the Big Four and WIFU, the first 29 ...
* Comparison of American and Canadian football


References

{{Navboxes, titlestyle= background:black; color:white; border: 2px solid #D21209, list1= {{Ottawa Rough Riders seasons {{Navboxes, title=Grey Cup Championships, titlestyle= background:black; color:white; border: 2px solid #D21209, list1= {{13th Grey Cup {{14th Grey Cup {{28th Grey Cup {{39th Grey Cup {{48th Grey Cup {{56th Grey Cup {{57th Grey Cup {{61st Grey Cup {{64th Grey Cup Rou Defunct Canadian football teams Sports clubs established in 1876 Sports clubs disestablished in 1996 1876 establishments in Ontario 1996 disestablishments in Ontario