{"id":107468,"date":"2025-08-30T08:56:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T08:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/107468\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T08:56:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T08:56:12","slug":"48-hour-primer-labour-day-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/107468\/","title":{"rendered":"48-Hour Primer | Labour Day Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

We could bust out the thesaurus and then sit here staring at the ol\u2019 laptop for eons trying to come up with the right words to paint a picture that best describes the annual Labour Day Classic showdown between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n

These two Prairie rivals \u2014 long-standing foes which comprise the Canadian Football League\u2019s most-heated rivalry \u2014 have knocked heads on Labour Day weekend for 59 years in Regina now, with their rabid fan bases regularly filling old Taylor Field and now Mosaic Stadium and frothing at the mouth as witnesses. Even better, with the Banjo Bowl now a regular feature in Winnipeg a week later as part of a double-header, it\u2019s also the perfect advertisement for the league and three-down football.<\/p>\n

And while we may struggle to find the proper descriptions for everything that makes the weekend, the game, the rivalry so iconic, the Labour Day Classic\u2019s spirit might be best be captured by this billboard the Blue Bombers have bought and strategically placed in two locations in downtown Regina for the last week.<\/p>\n

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The club has done this before, too, with a billboard in 2017 featuring Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith \u2014 two former Roughriders who joined the Blue Bombers \u2014 accompanied by the caption, \u2018It\u2019s only a six-hour drive to Winnipeg.\u2019<\/p>\n

And back in 2011 when the Blue Bombers \u2014 then 7-1 on the season \u2014 met the 1-7 Roughriders this billboard, including the records of the two teams, was featured prominently in Regina:<\/p>\n

\u2018We love our Saskatchewan neighbours. They\u2019re just a little backwards.\u2019<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll only quietly mention here the Blue Bombers lost both those Labour Day Classics because we don\u2019t want to ruin the narrative, but the Roughriders have countered with their own billboards over the years, too \u2014 all part of what helps fuel this rivalry.<\/p>\n

Now, yours truly has been fortunate enough to cover a pile of the Labour Day Classics for three different newspapers and now the last eight at bluebombers.com, with Sunday\u2019s showdown the 33rd I\u2019ll have seen in person with countless more as a fan.<\/p>\n

And so, if you\u2019ll indulge me, what follows is a collection of Labour Day Classic memories culled in this piece we\u2019ll call our \u2018Regina Monologue.\u2019<\/p>\n

Most memorable Labour Day Classic as a fan: 1978
\nBLUE BOMBERS\u00a0 31 ROUGHRIDERS 29
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Ralph (Dieter) Brock and Richard Crump, 1978<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers, then 3-4, and Roughriders \u2014 a woeful 1-6 \u2014 were hardly West Division powerhouses back in \u201978, the year that Edmonton began their five consecutive Grey Cup championship dynasty. But what made this one special was the quarterback matchup featured two future hall of famers with Ralph Brock (before he changed his name to Dieter) facing the legendary Ron Lancaster.<\/p>\n

Brock threw for 270 yards and a TD to Gord Patterson while Lancaster had 321 yards passing and two touchdowns. The game was played in extreme heat, 35C, and afterward and Bombers defensive backs Vince Phason and Reggie Pierson were taken to hospital by ambulance when the team\u2019s flight returned to Winnipeg. The game\u2019s deciding play came on a club record 103-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and our house erupted in celebration.<\/p>\n

(Kudos to Joe Pascucci for the video)<\/p>\n

OTD In Blue Bombers History. Sept 4, 1978 in a Labour Day clash v the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Richard Crump takes a handoff at the Bomber 7 yard line and outruns everyone in green for a team record 103 yard touchdown run as the Bombers go on to defeat the Roughriders 31-29 pic.twitter.com\/g4sBa0pLnM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Pascucci (@Pascucci015) September 4, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

Most memorable Labour Day Classic as a reporter: 2016
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Justin Medlock celebrates his game-winning kick with teammates in \u201916<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers had started the season 1-4 before switching starting quarterbacks from Drew Willy to Matt Nichols in late July. Winnipeg won its fifth straight in the last Labour Day Classic played at Taylor Field in Regina and, in the process, ended an 11-game LDC losing streak.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg built a 19-3 lead in the second half, courtesy a Nichols to Quincy McDuffie 82-yard touchdown and four Justin Medlock field goals. But the Riders rallied to tie the game at 19-19 on the strength of a Darian Durant TD strike to Caleb Holley and then a Durant short scoring run.<\/p>\n

And, in typical Labour Day Classic fashion, that\u2019s when things got a bit nutty.<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers, leading 25-19 after two more field goals, had intercepted Durant at their own five-yard line late in the game and the ensuing Medlock punt was returned for a touchdown by Kendial Lawrence for an 85-yard TD with 1:09 left in the game. But the Bombers then rallied as a pass-interference call on a deep Nichols pass put them into Riders territory and helped set up Medlock\u2019s game-winning 43-yard field goal with no time remaining.<\/p>\n

All that aside, what made the game so memorable was this layer \u2014 the Blue Bombers\u00a0had been informed just a few hours before kickoff that long-time executive and diehard fan Jerry Maslowsky had passed away from cancer at the age of 58. The Bombers had already planned to wear \u2018JM\u2019 decals on the back of their helmets and TSN had put together a tribute for Maslowsky, hoping it would lift his spirits.<\/p>\n

Heard in the Bomber locker room after the win: \u201cThat one\u2019s for Jerry\u201d, a thought that was echoed later by head coach Mike O\u2019Shea.<\/p>\n

\u201cJerry would have loved that.\u201d<\/p>\n

TRENDS, BIG WINS, BLOWOUT LOSSES, NAILBITERS<\/p>\n

This will be the 60th LDC held in Regina. Some background:<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers have won three of the last four LDC, the lone loss in that stretch a 32-30 loss in OT in 2023. Prior to that the Riders owned Labour Day, with an 11-game winning streak from 2005-15 and having won 14 of 15 over a stretch from 2005-19.
\nWinnipeg\u2019s biggest LDC win was a 31-point victory in 1997 (43-12)
\nSome of the Blue Bombers most lopsided losses have occurred in the LDC, including a 52-0 loss in 2012 \u2014 the first game after Paul LaPolice had been fired \u2014 another 52-point loss in 1995 (56-4) and a 44-point loss in 1990 (55-11).
\nA dozen LDCs have been decided by a field goal or less, including four of the last five.
\nZach Collaros is 7-1 in his career in Labour Day starts, including his days in Hamilton and Saskatchewan. That ties him with Bo Levi Mitchell for the most wins by a quarterback in LDC starts.<\/p>\n

CLASSIC NUMBERS<\/p>\n

All of this comes courtesy my compadre Rob Vanstone with the Roughriders \u2014 a man who can go deep down a CFL history rabbit hole like no other:<\/p>\n

All-time Blue Bombers Labour Day Classic TDs:<\/p>\n

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Milt Stegall<\/p>\n

9: Milt Stegall<\/p>\n

5: James Murphy<\/p>\n

4: Joe Poplawski<\/p>\n

3: Jeff Boyd, Dieter Brock, Richard Crump, Nic Demski, Mike Holmes, Robert Mimbs, Michael Richardson, Chris Streveler<\/p>\n

2: Derick Armstrong, Lorne Benson, Justin Goltz, Rick House, Gerry James, Bud Korchak, Leo Lewis, Sean McGuire, Brady Oliveira, Gord Paterson, Willard Reaves, Adarius Bowman, Kenny Lawler, Mike Sellers, Perry Tuttle<\/p>\n

1:\u00a0Darvin Adams, Michael Allen, Gerald Alphin, Neill Armstrong, Greg Battle, Steve Beaird, John Bledsoe, Eric Blount, Jason Boltus, Jocelyn Borgella, Chris Brazzell, Ed Breding, Brian Brohm, Grant Carter, Greg Clark, Dexter Dawson, Bob Deegan, Terrence Edwards, Mel Embree, Scott Flagel, Timothy Flanders, Nic Grigsby, Nick Hallett, Andrew Harris, Mack Herron, Warren Hudson, Alfred Jackson, Henry Janzen, Tim Jessie, Don Jonas, Jerry Jones, Khari Jones, Rick Koswin, Bob LaRose, Loyd Lewis, Cameron Marshall, Quincy McDuffie, Gerry Palmer, Kamau Peterson, Fred Reid, Charles Roberts, Joseph Rogers, Gord Rowland, Mitch Running, Dalton Schoen, Tom Scott, Geroy Simon, Jeff Smith, Andy Sokol, Troy Stoudermire, James Sykes, Kenbrell Thompkins, Ron Vaccher, Gerald Wilcox, Drew Willy, Ed Williams, Ronald Williams, Drew Wolitarsky<\/p>\n

And, again courtesy Rob, a list of every Blue Bombers QB who has thrown a TD pass in the Labour Day Classic:<\/p>\n

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Matt Nichols<\/p>\n

Johnny Gardiner, Jack Jacobs, Bill Todd, Joe Zaleski, Ken Ploen, Hal Ledyard, Ron Johnson, Don Jonas, Chuck Ealey, Dieter Brock, Nickie Hall, Tom Clements, John Hufnagel, Tom Muecke, Roy Dewalt, Sean Salisbury, Tom Burgess, Danny McManus, Matt Dunigan, Keithen McCant, Reggie Slack, Shawn Moore, Terry Dean, Kevin McDougal, T.J. Rubley, Kerwin Bell, Khari Jones, Kevin Glenn, Brad Banks, Michael Bishop, Buck Pierce, Steven Jyles, Alex Brink, Joey Elliott, Justin Goltz, Drew Willy, Brian Brohm, Matt Nichols, Chris Streveler, Zach Collaros.<\/p>\n

QUOTABLE<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s special because of the atmosphere and the passion around it. It\u2019s the rivalry, the two fan bases and what it means to people. That\u2019s what everyone gets fired up for on this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Blue Bombers guard Pat Neufeld, a Regina native who also began his career with the Roughriders<\/p>\n

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