Harold Edwards Urness (June 23, 1937 – December 29, 2018) was an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

from 1961 to 1970.

CFL career

Urness played in three

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 ...

s for the Roughriders, winning one in

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 i ...

, the

54th Grey Cup The 54th Grey Cup was hosted at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 26, 1966. The Saskatchewan Roughriders won their first Grey Cup after 53 years of competition for this trophy, after losing eight times. With Eagle Keys as ...

against the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

, losing two, the 55th Grey Cup of

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

against 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 Fiel ...

, and the

57th Grey Cup 57th Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League's championship game, was played November 30, 1969, and the Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 29–11 before 33,172 fans at Montreal's Autostade. It was the first time since 19th G ...

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 ...

against Ottawa again. Except for his rookie year, he and the Roughriders never missed the playoffs. Urness was an All-Star center six years in a row and was inducted into the

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 t ...

in 1989. Al Urness, Ted’s father, spent seven seasons with the then-Regina Roughriders. Beginning in 1928, he played for the team in five consecutive Grey Cup games. Al’s brother, Harold Urness, played for the Riders in 1930 and 1931. Fred Goodman, Ted’s uncle, was a member of the Roughriders from 1929 to 1933. Jack Urness, Ted’s brother, was a quarterback with the Roughriders of 1958 and 1959. On November 26, 1989, Ted and his son Mark Urness (5 years with the Riders) became the team’s first father-son Grey Cup championship duo.

Post-football career

After football, Ted served as the Chairman for the Saskatchewan Liquor Control Board, and long serving General Manager for Redhead Equipment in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. He died on December 29, 2018 at the age of 81.

References

External links

* * 1937 births 2018 deaths Arizona Wildcats football players Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian football offensive linemen Sportspeople from Regina, Saskatchewan Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Roughriders players {{Canadianfootball-offensive-lineman-stub