A group of honoured guests from Alberta proudly wore specially Taylored green and white jerseys at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.
Family members of Saskatchewan Roughriders icon Neil J. (Piffles) Taylor — after whom Taylor Field was named in 1947 — were part of a sellout crowd that watched the home side improve its record to 8-1 by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 29-9.
“It’s awesome to be here and have ‘Taylor’ on our backs,” Quinn Ramsay, Piffles’ 19-year-old great-great-grandson, said with a smile during a pre-game interview in the AGT Lounge.
Plans for the trip had been in the works since the spring, with many of the arrangements being handled by Quinn’s mother, Jill, in conjunction with the Roughriders organization.
“We decided to go away for a weekend,” recalled Susan Black, Piffles’ granddaughter. “Jill said, ‘Why not go to Regina?’ ”
Especially for a game with a Family Day theme!
So it came to be, with a visit to the family’s Saskatchewan Beach cottage included on the agenda.
Many of Piffles’ relatives had returned to Regina in late October of 2016 for the final CFL game at historic Mosaic Stadium — which was known as Taylor Field from Sept. 6, 1947 to June 23, 2006.
“Some of our kids hadn’t been to a game here since they were babies,” Jill Ramsay said. “Now that they’re 18 and 19, they wanted to go to a game.”
Along with Black, Quinn Ramsay and Jill Ramsay, the nine-person travelling party consisted of:
• Corbin Reid (Piffles’ great-great-grandson).
• Andrea Reid (great-granddaughter).
• Meghan Degraw (great-great-granddaughter).
• Deven Sacrey (Meghan’s fiance).
• Bill Lariviere (Jill’s fiance — more on that later).
• Allison Lariviere (Bill’s daughter).
Everyone except Degraw and Sacrey, who reside in Fort McMurray, made the trip from Cochrane (near Calgary).
“It’s an awesome experience to be here with everyone and keep (Piffles’) legacy alive,” said Degraw, 24. “Every time, we learn more about the team and the field, so it’s super-educational.”
Piffles Taylor was an early-era Regina Rugby Club quarterback who lost an eye while serving his country as a fighter pilot in the First World War. He resumed his playing career after the Armistice.
Taylor served two terms (1932-37, 1940-41) as president of the community-owned football team. He was also the president of the Canadian Rugby Union in 1946.
He was 52 when he passed away at the family-owned Drake Hotel (now the Holiday Inn Express) in downtown Regina on May 24, 1947. Park de Young was named in his honour before the Roughriders’ season opener in September of that year.
Taylor was among the charter inductees into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame when it opened in 1963.
He has also been posthumously enshrined in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (1987) and the SaskTel Plaza of Honour (1993).
At the stadium renaming in 2006, the street in front of the main entrance was designated as Piffles Taylor Way.
“It’s definitely an honour for our family to be part of the history and have the Taylor name,” Degraw said. “We’re very proud in a humble way.”
The family landed in Regina with one engaged couple — Degraw and Sacrey — as part of the contingent.
Piffles’ party returned to Alberta on Sunday with a second engagement to celebrate.
Bill Lariviere proposed to Jill Ramsay at halftime of Saturday’s game.
“Bill wanted to make the proposal memorable and special,” said Jill, who met Bill three years ago.
“We are both Roughrider fans and since we had planned to be at this game, he thought it would be the perfect time to surprise me and propose.
“It was really special and I was totally surprised! I am so happy that all my family could be there. We feel so blessed by all the Roughriders staff that helped Bill make this happen and still keep it a surprise for me.”
