With the Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 inaugural Hot Wheels Game Day drawing closer, our noble objective is to drive interest by providing a thematic history.<\/p>\n
Fasten your seat belts as we dive into wheels, speed, etc., leading up to Sunday\u2019s collision with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).<\/a><\/p>\n BIG MAC ATTACK<\/p>\n Mac Speedie, a 2020 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a valued member of the Roughriders\u2019 receiving corps in 1953 and 1954.<\/p>\n As a first-year Roughrider, he was the team\u2019s runaway leader in catches (57), receiving yards (817) and touchdowns (seven, all via the air).<\/p>\n Speedie starred with the Cleveland Browns for seven seasons before signing with Saskatchewan on June 30, 1953.<\/p>\n NO DOUBTING THOMAS<\/p>\n Speedy Thomas was the Tiger-Cats\u2019 most productive receiver when they visited Taylor Field on Sept. 21, 1975. He caught eight passes for 95 yards in a 28-28 tie.<\/p>\n Before concluding his pro football career with eight appearances on behalf of the 1975 Tiger-Cats, Thomas played for the Cincinnati Bengals (1969-72) and New Orleans Saints (1973-74).<\/p>\n \u201cI got the nickname from my aunt,\u201d Louis Timothy Thomas III told Dick Forbes of the Cincinnati Enquirer in July of 1969. \u201cI used to crawl around a lot, and I crawled fast and would get into all sorts of trouble. One day, my aunt said, \u2018He sure is speedy, isn\u2019t he?\u2019 That\u2019s how it started.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents called me that, and my classmates, and hardly anyone calls me Louis now \u2014 except maybe for my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n Speedy Thomas had the NFL\u2019s longest reception in 1971 \u2014 a 90-yard touchdown against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.<\/p>\n Wearing No. 62 for the Eagles on Sept. 19, 1971: Defensive lineman Mike Dirks, who was a starter on the Roughriders\u2019 defence when Thomas and the Tabbies visited Saskatchewan four years and two days later.<\/p>\n GOLDEN WHEELS<\/p>\n Elbert Dubenion \u2014 nicknamed Golden Wheels \u2014 tried out for the Roughriders in 1959.<\/p>\n After starring at tiny Bluffton University, Dubenion signed with the Roughriders Jan. 23, 1958, just two days after being chosen by Cleveland in Round 14 of the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n Dubenion was conspicuous on the practice field during his one day at the Roughriders\u2019 training camp before returning to Ohio.<\/p>\n \u201cDubenion, who showed flashes of great speed in the two workouts in which he took part, was called home when his father suffered a serious heart attack,\u201d the Regina Leader-Post reported in its July 15, 1959 edition.<\/p>\n The story also cited Dubenion\u2019s brisk time in the 100-yard dash: 9.8 seconds.<\/p>\n Despite being expected back in Regina by week\u2019s end, he never did resurface in Riderville.<\/p>\n He signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1960 \u2014 leading up to the American Football League\u2019s inaugural season \u2014 and quickly became a star.<\/p>\n Over eight seasons with the Bills, Golden Wheels caught 294 passes for 5,294 yards and 35 touchdowns. He averaged 18.0 yards per reception.<\/p>\n The average yards per catch was an eye-popping 27.1 in 1964, when he caught 42 passes for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games.<\/p>\n Dubenion entered the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. The list of enshrinees includes two other former Roughriders players \u2014 Cookie Gilchrist (who rushed for 1,254 yards for Saskatchewan in 1958) and Rick Cassata (Ron Lancaster\u2019s backup in 1968).<\/p>\n The Buffalo sports shrine also includes former Bills offensive lineman Al Bemiller, whose grandson (Jake Dolegala) was a Roughriders quarterback in 2022 and 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n Dolegala will be part of the visiting team on Sunday.<\/p>\n WEST\u2019S WHEELS<\/p>\n