In adherence to today’s Dad’s Night Out theme, we begin with a cheesy joke.
A “Dad joke”!
This is an admittedly corny preamble to an epic about father-son ties in Saskatchewan Roughriders history.
One of those connections pertains to Canadian Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Clyde Brock, whose son Matt was an NFL defensive lineman for eight seasons.
In other words, Matt was … (wait for it) … a chip off the old Brock.
Once you are finished convulsing in laughter, you are cordially invited to dive into a retrospective that piggybacks on the Roughriders’ recently unveiled theme for the 2023 regular-season home opener.
A June 16 game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) has been dubbed Dad’s Night Out. Tickets for the Friday night contest, to be held on Father’s Day weekend, go on sale Monday, April 24.
Throughout Roughriders history, which dates back to 1910, there isn’t a familial football thread quite like this one …
THREE GENERATIONS!
The Urness family’s ties to the Roughriders began 97 years ago.
Al Urness was a middle wing and inside wing for the then-Regina Roughriders from 1926 to 1931. For one season (1930), Al and his brother Harold were teammates.
In 1937, Al returned to the field for a final season. Training camp was looming when, on June 27 of that year, his twin sons — Ted and Jack — were born.
Jack Urness debuted with the Roughriders in 1958, his first of two seasons as a quarterback and halfback with the Green and White.
Ted arrived in Riderville in 1961 and began a 10-season career. He was the CFL’s All-Star centre in each of his final six seasons.
In 1987, Ted rejoined the community-owned team as a member of the executive committee.
At the time, Mark Urness — Ted’s son — was midway through a five-year career as a Roughriders offensive lineman.
Everything merged quite nicely in 1989.
For starters, Ted was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Ted and his father were then jointly enshrined in the SaskTel Plaza of Honour.
That all led up to Nov. 26, 1989 — 23 years to the day after Ted helped Saskatchewan win the first Grey Cup championship in franchise history.
The second Cup-winning team included none other than Mark Urness, whose final game was the Roughriders’ 43-40, title-clinching victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
A few months later, Ted and Mark Urness became the first father-son combination in Roughriders history to receive Grey Cup rings.
One more tidbit: Sixty years before Saskatchewan’s 1989 Grey Cup victory, Fred Goodman — the uncle of Ted and Jack — began a five-year stint with the Regina Roughriders.
THE SAME NAME
Steve Molnar and Steve Molnar played for the Roughriders.
The senior Steve was an outside wing with the Western Interprovincial Football Union team in 1941.
Steve Jr. was a fullback with the Roughriders from 1969 to 1978. Most memorably, he rushed for 144 yards to help Saskatchewan defeat Edmonton 23-13 in the 1976 Western Conference final.
Steve’s final CFL season began when his brother, running back Tim Molnar, attended training camp. Tim was selected by Saskatchewan in the eighth round of the 1978 draft. Tim is an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
PYNE TREE
The Roughriders-related family tree is also of interest with respect to the Pyne family.
In 1939, brothers Wayne and Fran Pyne debuted with the WIFU’s Regina entry.
Wayne and Fran were both three years into their tenures with the team when play was interrupted due to the Second World War.
Fran played for the All-Services Roughriders in 1943 and was also part of the traditional non-military version in 1947.
As for Wayne, he returned to the Roughriders in 1946 to begin an eight-season run.
The Roughriders’ 1950 season opener was 13 days away when, on Aug. 13, Wayne became the proud father of Rob Pyne.
Rob, a defensive back, attended training camp with the Roughriders in 1970 and 1971 before playing for the team in 1972 and 1973.
ANDERSON AND ANDERSON
Regina-born Wayne Anderson was a halfback with the Roughriders for one season (1952) after graduating from the Saskatoon Hilltops.
Another proud Hilltop — Wayne’s brother, Paul — toiled on the Roughriders’ defensive line from 1953 to 1958.
Wayne was into his third year as a retired Roughrider when, on Aug. 15, 1961, his son Mike was born in Regina.
Mike Anderson, who attended San Diego State, was claimed by the Roughriders as a territorial exemption in 1984. He went on to spend 12 seasons with the team, earning West Division All-Star honours in 1988 and being named an All-Canadian in 1994.
Mike entered the Plaza of Honour in 1994.
Also of note: Mike Anderson and Mark Urness were teammates on the Roughriders’ 1989 championship team.
ROCKY II
Two Lloyd Henrys lined up at a receiver’s spot for the Roughriders.
Lloyd Sr. played in one game with Saskatchewan, catching one pass for 18 yards against the Calgary Stampeders on Sept. 16, 1979 at Taylor Field.
Lloyd Jr., popularly known as Rocky Henry, caught 82 passes for 966 yards and four touchdowns over 26 games in Green and White.
Most notably, he registered 62 catches for 698 yards and two majors in 2002.
DYNAMITE DUO
Eddie (Dynamite) James was a star ball-carrier with the Roughriders in 1928, 1929 and 1931. He also starred for Winnipeg during a gridiron career that was honoured in 1963 when he was among the first group of inductees into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Which brings us to Kid Dynamite — Gerry James.
Born in Regina, Gerry was a standout running back and kicker with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a decade before signing off as a CFLer with the Roughriders in 1964.
He joined his father in the Hall in 1981.
TWO TARES
Howard (Tare) Rennebohm first suited up for the Regina Rugby Club in 1916. He rejoined the team in 1919, after the First World War, and was a mainstay through 1926 as the franchise evolved into the Regina Roughriders. He subsequently served on the team’s executive and as the equipment manager.
He entered the Plaza of Honour in 1991.
Howard Rennebohm Jr. — also known as Tare — played for the Roughriders from 1945 to 1948.
LENIUS LINEAGE
Brayden Lenius, who is entering his fourth season with the Roughriders, was born in Regina due to his father’s connection to the team.
Troy Dickey, also a receiver, played in one game with the Green and White (on Sept. 10, 1995 in Winnipeg).
While in the Queen City, Dickey met Brayden’s mother — Shauna Lenius. Brayden was born in Regina on Dec. 19, 1996.
Dickey starred for the University of Arizona Wildcats in the 1994 Fiesta Bowl, catching two touchdown passes.
In late December of 2017, Dickey travelled to Arizona to watch Brayden play for the University of Washington Huskies in the Fiesta Bowl, only to suffer a fatal stroke shortly before the game.
Read more about Lenius and his journey to the Roughriders here.
PAPA PIFFLES
Neil J. (Piffles) Taylor is a legendary figure in Roughriders history — the gentleman after whom Taylor Field was named in 1947.
After playing for the Regina Rugby Club, Piffles joined the team’s executive. He was the president of the team from 1931 to 1936, and again in 1940.
His son, Sam Taylor, was on the Roughriders’ executive throughout the 1950s. He was the team’s president in 1958 and 1959.
ED OF THE FAMILY
The Roughriders’ all-time player register includes the senior and junior versions of Ed McQuarters.
The elder McQuarters was named the CFL’s outstanding lineman in 1967, his second of nine seasons on the Roughriders’ defensive front.
Ed Jr. was a fourth-round draft pick of the Roughriders in 1984. A standout at Minot State, he attended training camp with the Roughriders in 1985 and was on the practice roster two years later.
Ed Jr. (also known as Eddie) made his CFL debut in 1987, when he played in two games with Winnipeg. He suited up four more times as a guard for the Blue Bombers in 1988 — the same year in which his father entered the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
JAUCH TALK
Joey and Jim Jauch both practised or played for the Roughriders when their father was on the team’s coaching staff.
Ray Jauch was a Roughriders assistant coach from 1991 to 1993 before spending the following two seasons as the head coach.
Jim, a defensive back, was on the practice roster in 1991. He had also attended training camp in 1989.
Joey, a receiver, played in five games with Saskatchewan in 1994 and dressed for 16 contests the following year. Also in 1995, he succeeded the retired Glen Suitor as the holder for placekicker Dave Ridgway.
FATHER-MORE … ER, FURTHERMORE …
- Bob Pelling, a Roughriders receiver from 1947 to 1953, was ecstatic in 2005 when his grandson — linebacker/long snapper Mike Mahoney — joined the team.
- Offensive lineman Scott McNeill carried on a family tradition by carrying the Roughriders’ colours. He was on the practice roster in 1993 and 1994. His father, Jack McNeill, was the team’s assistant general manager from 1976 to 1978.
- Pat Schnitzler and his son, Tom, both attended training camp with the Roughriders. Pat, a former linebacker with the U of S Huskies, was an invitee in 1984. In 2017, Tom Schnitzler — then a defensive lineman with the Hilltops — worked out with the Green and White as a territorial junior.
- Comparably, Hilltops grads Brent and Evan Turkington were both training-camp attendees. Brent, a safety, was part of the proceedings in 1987. His son Evan, a receiver, was put through the paces in 2015.
- Bruce Lipinski, a standout defensive back with the junior Regina Rams, attended the Roughriders’ training camp in 1979. His son, Joel Lipinski, played in nine games for the 2009 Roughriders.
- Former CFL quarterback Sam Garza was an assistant coach with Saskatchewan before, during and after his legendary father-in-law — Cal Murphy — was a member of the coaching staff. Kindly Cal was the special teams and running backs coach (1997), offensive co-ordinator and running backs coach (1998) and head coach (1999). Garza was an assistant coach, focusing on the offensive side of the ball, in 1988, 1997, 1998, and 2004. Garza is married to Murphy’s daughter, Barb.
EXTRA POINTS
- Carlton Lance, who registered three interceptions (including a pick-six) for the 1993 Roughriders, is the father of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. He was drafted third overall by the ’Niners in 2021.
- Jimmy Kemp was a Roughriders quarterback in 1996 — at the same time his father, former CFL/AFL/NFL quarterback Jack Kemp, was the running mate with Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole. Coincidentally, the 1996 Roughriders also had a Dole-Kemp ticket. Bill Dole was the team’s offensive line coach at the time.
- Steve Belichick, Bill’s father, was a guest coach at the Roughriders’ training camp in 1958.
- Former Roughriders receiver/cornerback Duron Carter is the son of former NFL star pass-catcher Cris Carter.
- In 2013, Cris Carter joined Mike Singletary (a 1998 inductee) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Defensive lineman Matt Singletary, Mike’s son, was on the Roughriders’ practice roster in 2012.
- Legendary Roughriders receiver Hugh Campbell is the father of B.C. Lions head coach Rick Campbell and Stampeders director of football administration Molly Campbell.
- While coaching at Whitworth University in Spokane, Hugh Campbell recruited linebacker Rick Dundas, whose father Ron was a receiver and linebacker with the Roughriders from 1956 to 1960. Campbell was Edmonton’s head coach when that team selected Rick Dundas in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1978 draft. Later that year, Rick joined the Roughriders. He played in four games with the 1978 Roughriders and two more in 1979. Rick’s brother, linebacker Reiny Dundas, was Saskatchewan’s eighth-round draft choice in 1983.
- Former Roughriders quarterback (1987 to 1993) and head coach (2007) Kent Austin is the son of 1958 Heisman Trophy candidate Bill Austin. Bill rushed for 15 touchdowns in eight games with Rutgers in 1958. He was sixth in Heisman voting.
- The Roughriders’ lone touchdown during Austin’s first game as head coach was scored by running back Henri Childs. He caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Kerry Joseph in a 16-7 victory over the host Montreal Alouettes on June 29, 2007. Henry Childs, Henri’s father, was an NFL tight end from 1974 to 1984. Especially notable was a seven-year stay with the New Orleans Saints, into whose Hall of Fame he was inducted in 1994.
- In the 1989 Grey Cup game, Kent Austin threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Fairholm. During the 1970 Grey Cup game, which was also played in Toronto, Jeff was in the stands when his father (Larry Fairholm) helped Montreal win a title.
- Robert Woods, a two-time 1,000-yard receiver who has caught 623 passes for 7,604 yards and 37 touchdowns since becoming an NFLer in 2013, is the son of a former Roughriders hopeful. Robert Woods Sr. tried out for Saskatchewan in 1981 after catching 35 passes for 500 yards and two touchdowns over eight games with Winnipeg in 1980. With the Houston Oilers in 1978, Woods had caught six passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was an 80-yarder. That long-distance play helped Houston register a 17-12 victory over New Orleans and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 1969. The Saints’ leading receiver? None other than the previously referenced Henry Childs, who caught five passes for 80 yards.
- Steve Bukich, who tried out for the Roughriders in 1979, emulated his father by playing quarterback. Rudy Bukich was an NFL signal-caller from 1953 to 1968. With the Chicago Bears, he led the NFL in completion percentage (61.9) in 1964. Two years later, he threw a career-high 21 touchdown passes for Chicago.
- Like Rudy Bukich, Frank Tripucka was a prominent passer south of the border. Tripucka was inducted into the Denver Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 1986. In fact, the Broncos had retired Tripucka’s number (18) before he gave permission for it to be used once more when Denver signed Peyton Manning in 2012. Tripucka’s son, Kelly, emulated his father by starring athletically for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Kelly’s forte was basketball, however. He played in the NBA from 1981 to 1991. Kelly was late in his pro basketball career when, in 1989, his father entered the Plaza of Honour — alongside proud fathers such as Ed McQuarters, Al Urness and Ted Urness.
