Jack Abendschan won one championship but was responsible for two 1966 Grey Cup rings.
One for himself. Another for Tom Beynon.
Abendschan and Beynon were offensive linemen with the 1966 Saskatchewan Roughriders — the first title-winning team in franchise history.
Abendschan had debuted with the Roughriders the previous year. In 1966, he was named an All-Star guard for the first of seven times.
Beynon, by contrast, did not join the Green and White until Sept. 7, 1966. At one point, he did not expect to be with the team beyond September.
Chosen sixth overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 1965 CFL Draft, Beynon earned a mechanical engineering degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. He then decided to return to school and study law at Western University in London, Ont.
Year 1 of law school exhausted his savings. Hence the decision to play pro football, with the objective of earning money that could be earmarked for further studies.
“While I loved football, my first goal was to complete my law education,” Beynon recalled in 2006, “and I was blinded by my passion to achieve that goal.”
He was on track to accumulate enough funds to resume law studies in late September. Then a complication: His CFL rights were transferred from Hamilton to Saskatchewan.
Beynon loved his new surroundings and was therefore distraught over the notion of leaving his teammates — especially Abendschan, who quickly became a close friend.
“Jack, when we go east this weekend, I am not coming back,” Beynon confided on Sept. 19, 1966, as the Roughriders prepared for road games against the Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Rough Riders.
The two linemen also got together the next evening, at a long-shuttered south Regina nightclub.
“Around midnight, a well-dressed person that Jack knew came over and joined our table,’’ Beynon recalled.
The dapper individual was Harold Pick, a prominent Regina lawyer and an ardent Roughriders fan.
“Oh,” Pick said to Beynon, “aren’t you the kid from the east that didn’t want to go to law school out here?’’
Well, not exactly.
“I wanted to transfer to the law school in Saskatoon,” Beynon replied. “However, they didn’t think that the commute from Regina was something that a student could undertake and go to school and play football as well.”
They left it there for a few minutes. Then, as Pick prepared to leave the establishment, he turned to Beynon and said: “If you really want to try to get into the law school, be at my office at five o’clock this morning and we will talk about it.”
Having just received a business card from Pick, Beynon’s head was spinning.
“Sounds like maybe you’ve got a friend that might be able to help you,” said Abendschan, who had orchestrated the meeting with Pick.
On little sleep, Beynon sat down with Pick and began what would be a life-altering conversation.
Pick, an influential member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan, said he would use his contacts to try to arrange a transfer to the U of S.
Pick had Beynon sign an agreement declaring that, when feasible, he would commute from Regina to Saskatoon for the remainder of the football season. Beynon also promised his attendance record would be perfect during the off-season.
Pick proceeded to contact the dean of the U of S law school. Beynon, fingers crossed, carried a hopeful attitude into a late-afternoon practice with the Roughriders.
As the workout neared its conclusion, Pick dropped by the practice field. He sought out Beynon and said: “You’re in. You’ve been accepted. Classes start tomorrow.”
What a moment.
“Jack was standing behind me with a grin from ear to ear,’’ Beynon concluded. “He was the author of my good fortune.”
Good fortune was abundant for Beynon, who shared in the Roughriders’ 1966 championship celebration.
He also played for Saskatchewan in the 1967 Grey Cup Game before being traded to Ottawa on March 27, 1968. The deal was tied into a job offer he had received from a law firm in the nation’s capital.
Beynon then helped the eastern Riders win back-to-back Grey Cups. He also spent the 1970 season with Ottawa before devoting himself entirely to a career at law.
What a career it was!
On top of his day-to-day responsibilities, he found time to study corporate restructuring and acquisitions at Harvard.
He earned a master’s degree of law in intellectual property from York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School … at age 65!
Well into his 70s, he was still practising law in Waterloo, Ont.
Beynon’s 82nd birthday was approaching when he died on June 26, 2023.
Abendschan — a 2012 inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame — was three days shy of 83 when he passed away on Monday in Lubbock, Texas.
The two gentlemen had last visited in person on July 7, 2006, during a 40th-anniversary reunion of the 1966 Grey Cup team.
The calendar of events began with a Thursday evening reception and concluded with breakfast on Sunday.
From the first hug, Abendschan and Beynon were inseparable. Just like old times.
SIGNATURE MOVE
Upon hearing the sad news about Abendschan, long-time Roughriders fan Lyle Stecyk reached out with a story that captures the kindness of No. 53.
Lyle sent me a photo of a yellowed sheet of loose-leaf paper, signed by every member of the 1974 Roughriders (Abendschan included).
“When I was 10 years old, two Roughriders were travelling the province, doing community service, and they came to Hubbard School,” Lyle explained. “One was Jack Abendschan and the other was Tim Roth. We were in awe. These guys were larger than life and we could not believe they were in our school.
“The next day, I wrote a letter to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, thanking them for coming, and asked for some player autographs. About two weeks later, I got a letter in the mail from Jack Abendschan, who included some pictures and a full page of player autographs. I could not believe it. I was so excited that when I opened the envelope, I ripped the top off the paper inside.
“From that day on, I was a fan of Mr. Abendschan and became a lifelong fan of football and the Roughriders.”
There was another piece of paper in the envelope.
Abendschan had sent a handwritten note: “Coach Payne asked me to get these autographs and send them to you. Hope you like the pictures.”
Signed, Jack.
ONE MORE FROM JACK
The funniest Jack Abendschan story dates back to the 1966 Grey Cup pre-game player introductions at Empire Stadium in Vancouver.
“It’s interesting,’’ Abendschan mused from Abilene, Texas as the 2006 reunion loomed. “We go through a whole season and go to the Grey Cup and win it, and one of the first things that anybody ever says about my part in that game is when I slipped and fell during the introductions.
“It had been raining and they had those planks (over the mud). It was natural turf and the track was muddy. I was going to jump the mud puddle and land on the wood, and my cleats slipped on the wet wood and I fell right on my butt.
“That’s what you call infamous.”
Alas, there isn’t any video evidence. The CBC telecast showed Abendschan trotting on to the soggy field before switching to a shot of the Roughriders’ centre.
With Ted Urness visible on the screen, you can hear the crowd erupt — presumably in response to Abendschan’s wipeout.
AMELIE IS FAMILY
A most eventful internship with the Roughriders concluded on Friday.
Amelie Sarauer’s term in the Roughriders’ Communications department included a 25-17 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
Another highlight of an unforgettable season: Getting to know Amelie.
We chatted for the first time in late April, at a getting-to-know you lunch arranged by our wonderful Director of Communications, Arielle Zerr.
Some of my favourite memories of the 2025 season date back to training camp in May. Hanging out in Saskatoon with Arielle and Amelie — the “A” team — was a daily privilege. (My middle name is Alan, by the way, so I kind of fit into the “A” team.)
Amelie, who is from Saskatoon, could not wait to introduce us to her dog (Nala).
When we returned to Regina, Amelie wanted to meet my world-class growler. A talented photographer, Amelie also wanted to take some pictures of my beloved Candy.
We soon got together in Wascana for a photo session, a walk around the lake — I needed directions — and another photo session.
The second, unscheduled shoot said it all about Amelie.
During high school graduation season, one immaculately attired teenaged couple visited the park and began to pose for selfies.
Camera in hand, Amelie approached the soon-to-be Grade 12 grads and volunteered to take their picture. She spent 10 minutes with them, capturing brilliant images with the sunset as a backdrop.
Amelie then requested an e-mail address and sent the couple an assortment of photos — free of charge.
She didn’t approach them for commercial purposes. She just did it to be nice.
That small snapshot captures Amelie Sarauer.
ROLL CREDITS …
Nice people who deserve a plug: Marjorie Abendschan, Lyle Stecyk, Robert A. Walker, Tim Walker, Campbell Peter Godber, Craig Campbell, Leslie Kingdon, Dr. Dennis Hendricksen, Amelie Sarauer, Brian Beblow, Sherry Beblow, Randy Beattie, Jessica Gelowsky, Gord Pritchard, Dale Derkatch, Tristan Frei, Ken Schneider, Andrea Costanza, Kyle McFetridge, Ryan Dureau, Frank Kovacs, Nicole Kaminsky, Cheryl Ranganadhan and, turning 40 on Monday, Corey Mace.