Mitchell Blair
When the Canadian Football League awarded the Saskatchewan Roughriders the 2013 Grey Cup back in 2011, Riders president and CEO Jim Hopson knew he had quite the challenge in front of him. He had a football team that wasn’t very good and it was his desire to have his football team not only host the 101st version of the CFL championship, but win it. That is exactly what happened.
On a night no one in Saskatchewan will soon forget, the Roughriders won their 4th Grey Cup in franchise history by obliterating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in front of just under 45-thousand crazed members of the Rider Nation who were not going to see their team be denied.
There were many shining stars for the green-and-white on this night, but no one shone brighter than running back Kory Sheets. The Purdue University grad made life miserable on the Hamilton defence as he gained large chunks of yards ending with 197 yards making him the game’s MVP. He says this is a first.
“I’ve never won a championship outside of high school,” a nearly speechless Sheets said moments after he walked off the field. “I’ve always been on teams that just couldn’t cut it. I’m with a team now that is the cream of the crop. We knew we had a good football team coming into the season and even though we had some bumpy spots, we always knew we could do this. This is very satisfying.”
Satisfying is also the word Darian Durant used as he finally gets his hands on the Grey Cup in his 3rd attempt at it. As he took one champagne bath after another from happy teammates, he finally had the chance to sit back and relish in the victory.
“This makes up for 2009 and 2010 for one reason and that reason is we did it at home.” Durant said. “We did this at home in front of all these people. I asked them to come here and be loud and that is what they were even before we came out of the tunnel. They were ready in the warm-ups. There is nothing like playing here and this is simply the best. To have my name associated with Ronnie (Lancaster), Kent (Austin), and Kerry (Joseph) as quarterbacks who have brought this great franchise a title is a tremendous honour.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin reiterated after the game the pressure everyone thought he was under right from the start of the season until Grey Cup Sunday was something he never felt.
“I never felt pressure to win this game. I had more anxiety than pressure because we have worked so hard this year.” Chamblin said. “I just wanted to close this thing out in the right way.”
Chamblin also had a feeling before the game started it would be their day as he credited the fans for helping the home team out.
“The one thing that helped out the most was our fans,” Chamblin stated. “It was unreal. From pre-game warm-ups, I knew it was going to be ridiculous. I said to someone I’m glad I’m not in their shoes today.”
Craig Butler was one of many defensive players to have a strong game. He says being a Canadian and watching Grey Cups on TV to now winning the Grey Cup as a player is something he has dreamed of for a long time.
“Growing up in Ontario watching the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and watching the Grey Cup and playing the game made me want to be in this game and win it,” Butler admitted. “To beat my home-town team and get my hands on that trophy is everything I thought it would be and to win it in our stadium and celebrate in our room is incredulous.”
From a team that wasn’t very good when they were awarded the game to a team that is now back on the top of the CFL mountain is great, but winning Grey Cup 2013 isn’t enough as far as the team is concerned. It’s the 4th time in the last six years the team has been to the championship game which is something Hopson wanted when he took the team over in 2005. At that time, he said he wanted to emulate the Edmonton Eskimos of the 80’s that were the CFL’s model franchise at that time. He feels that has truly now happened.
“We have a solid core of guys and I feel real confident of what the future holds.” Hopson said. “American Sports Business Journal said this week the Riders are the new flagship of the CFL and that feels pretty good because it means we have reached our goal. We are only as good as our last game though and we won’t be giving this up without a fight in 2014.”
GAME NOTES:
-
The 197 yards rushing by Sheets sets a Grey Cup record that had been held by Johnny Bright of Edmonton who ran for 169 yards in 1956.
-
Geroy Simon caught two of three Darian Durant touchdown passes. They are the first two Grey Cup touchdown passes Simon has caught.
-
The Riders are the 3rd straight CFL team to win the Grey Cup at home as B.C did it in 2010 and Toronto in 2011.
-
There were many dignitaries at the game including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and award winning actor Tom Hanks
