It was a great weekend for all us Rider fans in Saskatchewan and across the country after that very defensive game Saturday night against the Bombers. The 21-6 win cemented the Riders in number one, which was the subject of hundreds of tweets Saturday night and Sunday morning. The ultimate test comes this Friday against the Calgary Stampeders in Calgary. This weekend I bumped into Charleston Hughes and I had the opportunity to congratulate him and the entire team on a great win.

It got me thinking about meeting a Rider player for the first time. For me, that happened at Windthorst School in the early 90’s. I estimate it was about 1993 when Dan Rashovich stopped by our class to talk to us about something. I don’t recall what the subject matter was because at 8 years old you’re more interested in the fact that player from the Saskatchewan Roughriders is in your school! Rashovich went on to have a great career with the Riders, playing 12 seasons with the green and white.

I’ve met many other Roughrider greats along the way including Don Narcisse, George Reed, Richie Hall, Andrew Green, Charleston Hughes, Zach Callaros and most recently, Cody Fajardo. It’s always exciting to meet these players and get to know them. Their love of the sport, the team, and this province is refreshing and infectious.