Robyn Jensen didn’t exactly ease herself into new responsibilities as curator of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.
Upon being hired in January, she immersed herself in preparations for two exhibitions — including one that will celebrate the shrine’s 60th anniversary (Oct. 31, 2026).
As well, Jensen was excited to pursue a passion project, exploring the histories of uniforms worn by athletes dating back to the formative years of organized sport in Saskatchewan.
The latter initiative necessitated countless hours spent in the Hall’s storage space, poring through the contents of archival boxes.
“As I began getting to know the collection, one object really stood out to me — a jersey belonging to Regina rugby player Al Urquhart,” Jensen said.
“I felt like it was trying to tell me something and I wanted to understand what that story was.”
The jersey, donated to the Hall long ago by a member of the Urquhart family, was worn by an original member of the Regina Rugby Club.
Urquhart was a mainstay with the RRC until shortly before the Club’s name was changed to the Regina Roughriders — a label that was universally used by November of 1924.
On Oct. 1, 1910, Urquhart played in the first match in franchise history, against the host Moose Jaw Tigers. He starred for the RRC before and after the First World War, playing 11 seasons in total before retiring from rugby after the 1922 campaign.
Over that time, he helped the Regina side win six Western Canadian titles. The team did not lose a regular-season match in any of his final eight seasons with the Club.
That is part of the story, but Jensen wanted to dig much deeper.
Hence the Urquhart influence on the Hall’s newly unveiled exhibit — On the Body: Sport, Memory and the Clothes Athletes Wore.
Urquhart’s jersey and pants are a prominent part of the display.
“What drew me in was the evidence of wear and repair,” Jensen said. “These earlier uniforms come from a time before mass production, when damaged garments weren’t replaced. They were fixed. Those repairs often happened at home, usually by women, and long before the era of professional equipment managers.
“That idea really stayed with me. Sport didn’t just belong to the athletes, but to the people who supported them, cared for the uniforms, and helped keep them in play.
“At the same time, I was interested in how the materials themselves evolved — how fabrics changed over time to better support movement, comfort and performance. And that is where this exhibition begins.
“Sport is not only played. It is worn.”
There are, of course, signs of wear. What else would you expect from a jersey that was first donned well over a century ago?
Jensen estimates that Urquhart’s sweater was manufactured in 1905, just one year before he moved to Regina.
“It’s possible that he brought the original jersey with him from Ontario,” Jensen said. “It’s hard to say.
“But it is made of a Worsted wool knit, a common material at the time valued for its durability but also prone to stretching, abrasion and wear — and this jersey shows that wear.
“Across the surface, there are areas of repair, most notably a woven darning technique where damaged sections have been carefully re-woven to stabilize the fabric. It’s not a quick fix. It’s skilled, time-intensive work.
“At this time, there were no replacement uniforms. Garments were maintained, re-used and extended through care and labour that often goes unrecorded in sport history.
“So what we’re looking at isn’t just the story of one athlete. It’s also the story of the people behind the scenes — the hands that repaired, maintained and kept these garments in play.
“It’s the traces of wear and repair, of wear and repair and use, that connect directly to the exhibition.”
The exhibition, which opened on Friday and runs until the end of June, traces the evolution of uniforms that are essentially “second skins,” in the words of Jensen, from the 1900s through today.
Also featured are jerseys worn by Roughriders legend George Reed and two prominent Saskatchewan-born NHLers — Doug Bentley and Dave (Tiger) Williams. Swimsuits — made of wool, unimaginable now — and speed skating uniforms are accentuated as well.
Urquhart was a man of many sports.
In addition to being a foundational member of a storied football franchise, he was a prominent lacrosse player. The Hall’s expansive collection, which consists of 20,000 artifacts and archival materials, includes two of his lacrosse sticks.
“He also sang in a choir and coached hockey,” Jensen pointed out.
Urquhart was 79 when he passed away in Regina on June 16, 1959.
An obituary, published in the Regina Leader-Post, noted that “he travelled a distance equal to 87 trips around the world” as an engineer with the Canadian Pacific Railway.
More information on Albert Alexander Urquhart is available by visiting the Hall (2205 Victoria Ave.) or its website (sasksportshalloffame.com).
