1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders season

The 1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders was the 75th season in the club's 79th year of existence. The team finished in 3rd place in the Canadian Football League's West Division with a 9–9 record. The Roughriders defeated the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final and then defeated the heavily-favoured Edmonton Eskimos who had finished with a CFL-record 16 regular season wins. Due to their West Final win, the Roughriders qualified for their first Grey Cup game since the club's loss in the 1976 championship game.

1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
Head coach	John Gregory
General manager	Alan Ford
Home field	Taylor Field
Results
Record	9–9
Division place	3rd, West
Playoff finish	Won Grey Cup
Uniform

In the 77th Grey Cup, the team faced the 12–6 Hamilton Tiger-Cats who had already defeated the Roughriders in both regular season matches. However, the Roughriders kept it a close game and ultimately won with a Dave Ridgway field goal to win the championship. It was Saskatchewan's first Grey Cup win in 23 years (since the 1966 Grey Cup), and only their second in team history.

Offseason

CFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School
1	2	Kevin Smellie	RB	Massachusetts
1	3	Andrew Thomas	CB	Massachusetts
1	4	Donovan Wright	CB	Slippery Rock
2	9	Dan Payne	DT	Simon Fraser
5	36	Rob Zimmerman	FB	Calgary
7	52	Kelly Trithart	LB	Saskatchewan
8	60	Greg Galan	QB	Saskatchewan

[1]

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Score	Result	Attendance	Record
Ex	Sun, June 25	vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (in Saskatoon, SK)	37–7	Win	1,500	N/A
A	Wed, June 28	vs. Edmonton Eskimos	28–24	Win	18,988	1–0
B	Tues, July 4	at BC Lions	30–13	Loss	38,492	1–1

[2][3]

Regular season

Standings

West Division

Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Edmonton Eskimos	18	16	2	0	644	302	32
Calgary Stampeders	18	10	8	0	495	466	20
Saskatchewan Roughriders	18	9	9	0	547	567	18
BC Lions	18	7	11	0	521	557	14

[4]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Score	Result	Attendance	Record
1	Wed, July 12	vs. Calgary Stampeders	32–29	Win	21,595	1–0
2	Tues, July 18	at BC Lions	42–37	Win	41,427	2–0
3	Fri, July 28	vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats	34–17	Loss	25,996	2–1
4	Wed, Aug 2	at Winnipeg Blue Bombers	29–27	Win	21,753	3–1
5	Mon, Aug 7	vs. Ottawa Rough Riders	58–22	Win	22,194	4–1
6	Fri, Aug 18	at Hamilton Tiger-Cats	46–40	Loss	19,336	4–2
7	Thu, Aug 24	vs. BC Lions	37–25	Loss	23,544	4–3
8	Wed, Aug 30	at Edmonton Eskimos	45–19	Loss	31,667	4–4
8	Sun, Sept 3	vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers	28–20	Loss	28,315	4–5
9	Sat, Sept 9	at Toronto Argonauts	29–24	Win	35,281	5–5
10	Sun, Sept 17	vs. Edmonton Eskimos	48–35	Win	24,776	6–5
11	Sun, Sept 24	at Ottawa Rough Riders	36–27	Loss	17,284	6–6
12	Sat, Sept 30	vs. BC Lions	32–30	Loss	25,013	6–7
13	Sun, Oct 8	at Calgary Stampeders	39–26	Win	30,174	7–7
14	Sun, Oct 15	vs. Toronto Argonauts	24–18	Win	20,953	8–7
15	Sun, Oct 22	vs. Calgary Stampeders	23–17	Loss	25,200	8–8
16	Sun, Oct 29	at Calgary Stampeders	34–19	Win	20,754	9–8
17	Sun, Nov 5	at Edmonton Eskimos	49–17	Loss	27,242	9–9

[2][3]

Postseason

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Score	Result	Attendance	Record
West Semi-Final	Sun, Nov 12	at Calgary Stampeders	33–26	Win	16,286	1–0
West Final	Sun, Nov 19	at Edmonton Eskimos	32–21	Win	35,112	2–0
Grey Cup	Sun, Nov 26	vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats	43–40	Win	54,088	3–0

Grey Cup

Teams	1 Q	2 Q	3 Q	4 Q	Final
Hamilton Tiger-Cats	13	14	3	10	40
Saskatchewan Roughriders	1	21	12	9	43

[5]

Grey Cup aftermath

For the Grey Cup celebrations, 18,000 fans showed up at Taylor Field, in minus 10 degree Celsius weather to welcome back the club.[6] A few weeks later, it was revealed that the playoff run nearly bankrupted the team. Instead of a projected $85,000 profit, the Riders lost $195,000 due to the cost of the three road games.[6] General Manager Al Ford declared that the team's debt increased to 1.6 million dollars.[6]

Awards and honours

• CFL's Coach of the Year, John Gregory
• Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player, Offence: Kent Austin
• Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player, Defence: Chuck Klingbeil
• Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian, Dave Ridgway

1990 CFL All-Stars

• WR – Don Narcisse
• LB – Eddie Lowe
• K – Dave Ridgway

1990 Western All-Stars

• RB – Tim McCray
• SB – Jeff Fairholm
• WR – Don Narcisse
• OG – Roger Aldag
• DT – James Curry
• DE – Bobby Jurasin
• LB – Eddie Lowe
• DS – Glen Suitor
• K – Dave Ridgway

References

1. "1989 CFL Draft". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
2. "1989 CFL Season Schedule & Scores". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
3. "1989 Saskatchewan Roughriders". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
4. "1989 CFL Season Standings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
5. "1989 Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
6. Weird Facts about Canadian Football, p.218, Overtime Books, First Printing 2009, ISBN 978-1-897277-26-3