The Saskatchewan Roughriders are searching for someone to become one of the most recognizable figures in Canadian football, even if nobody will ever know who they are.
The team has posted a call for auditions for the next person to step inside the oversized shoes of Gainer the Gopher, the beloved mascot who has entertained Rider Nation for nearly five decades.
“Energy. Personality. Enthusiasm,” the Roughriders wrote in a job posting seeking the next performer. “If you can bring the hype and keep Rider Nation smiling, we want to see you.”
The role isn’t just about wearing a costume. The Riders describe Gainer as “one of the most recognizable ambassadors” for the club, someone responsible for high-fives, hugs, dancing, crowd work and representing the team at countless events across the province.
Applicants must be able to perform in front of large crowds, improvise while staying in character and handle the physical grind of wearing the costume during summer football games at Mosaic Stadium. They must also live in Saskatchewan, be at least 18 years old, and submit a three-to-five-minute audition video showing how they would bring the character to life.
In other words, they’re not just hiring a mascot — they’re hiring a legend.
Gainer first appeared in 1977, born from a simple idea: if the Calgary Stampeders had Ralph the Dog, the Roughriders needed a mascot of their own.
Don Hewitt knows that story better than anyone because he was the original Gainer. Hewitt, who spent three seasons inside the suit, said the most important rule of being Gainer was simple: nobody can know who you are.
“The number one thing about Gainer the Gopher is that Gainer should not be looked upon as a person in a suit. Nobody should know who you are. It destroys the mystique.”
For most of the first season, Hewitt managed to keep the secret. He didn’t even tell his closest friends. Eventually, though, the disguise cracked, not because of a loose zipper or a misplaced gopher head, but because of a football throw. Hewitt is left-handed. So was Gainer.
“My buddies figured it out because of how I threw the football. They said, ‘Nobody throws like that except Don.’”
Keeping the secret might have preserved the character's mystique, bu it didn’t help Hewitt’s dating life. Being a mascot sounds like a great way to meet people, particularly when cheerleaders surround you during games. But for the original Gainer, the costume turned out to be more of a romantic obstacle than an advantage.
“One of the hardest things about being Gainer the Gopher was that the cheerleaders didn’t like me,” Hewitt admitted.
That became painfully clear when one particular cheerleader caught his attention.
“There was one cheerleader I wanted to go on a date with, and when she found out I was Gainer the Gopher, I got shot down like that.”
For a single guy in his twenties, it was a tough break. While the dating game wasn’t kind to Gainer, the mascot did manage to get into a confrontation with a hockey legend. During a Grey Cup parade in Toronto, Hewitt found himself standing in the rain with former Toronto Maple Leafs star Eddie Shack. It didn’t go smoothly, according to the former CTV sports director.
“Eddie Shack started hurling insults at Gainer the Gopher,” Hewitt recalled.
For a while, Gainer kept his composure, but eventually the insults crossed the line.
“Gainer the Gopher finally got a little tired of it,” he said.
The two nearly came to blows before cooler heads prevailed. Hewitt laughs about it now, but at the time, the situation was serious.
“Eddie Shack didn’t know Gainer was left-handed,” Hewitt joked. “That would have been a problem.”
Since that debut season in 1977, Gainer has become part of the fabric of Roughriders football. According to the team’s official lore, the gopher was one of 38 children born to Dwayne and Agnes Gopher of Parkbeg, Saskatchewan. Over the decades, Gainer has appeared at thousands of Rider games, Grey Cups and community events.
Now the Riders are searching for the next person to carry on the character, someone willing to sweat through summer games, improvise in front of thousands and keep the secret identity intact. If Hewitt has one piece of advice for whoever gets the job, it’s this: treat Gainer like a real character.
“You’re not a person in a suit. You’re a giant gopher from Parkbeg, Saskatchewan.”
If the next Gainer is lucky, they’ll entertain generations of fans. If they’re unlucky? Well, they might get chirped by a hockey legend and still have trouble getting a date.
