Saskatchewan Roughriders

Canadian Football League Team

Last modified: 2022-12-23 by rob raeside
Keywords: canadian football league | saskatchewan | roughriders | football |
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    image by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

On this page:

• Introduction: Saskatchewan Roughriders Franchise
• Saskatchewan Roughriders Logos
• Saskatchewan Roughriders Commemorative Flags
• Saskatchewan Roughriders Throwback Flags
• Saskatchewan Roughriders Fan Flags

• Canadian Football League (CFL)
• Canadian Sport Flags
• Canada: Index of Pages

Introduction: Saskatchewan Roughriders
(Regina Rugby Club 1910-1924, Regina Roughriders 1925-1945, Saskatchewan Roughriders 1946-Present)

     The Saskatchewan Roughriders (fan nicknames: Riders, the Green and White, Jolly Green Giants) are a professional Canadian football team whose home is in Regina, Saskatchewan. They compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). They began as the Regina Rugby Club in 1910 and are now the fourth-oldest professional gridiron football team still in existence in North America. Only the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL are older. They are also North America's oldest community-owned professional sports franchise which has played continuously in the same city. Interestingly enough, the original idea was for the team to be a rowing club, but when three-down football became popular in Saskatchewan, they changed to Rugby-Football. Wearing their original colours of gold and purple, the Regina Rugby Club lost its first game, 7-6 to Moose Jaw. The team changed their name to the Regina Roughriders and colors to black and red in 1924. When their rival clubs in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon folded, they became a provincially owned and operated club under their current name of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1946. The team also changed its colours from black and red to green and white in 1948. The team Mascot is "Gainer the Gopher." They played their home games at Taylor Field between 1936-2016, but in 2017 moved to the newly constructed Mosaic Stadium.
     The team draws fans from across Saskatchewan and Canada who are affectionately known as the "Rider Nation." They have finished first in what is now the West Division eight times and have won the Western championship a record 28 times. They have played in the CFL championship 19 times, but only won the Grey Cup four times.
     "There are two theories on where the name "Roughriders" came from. One states that it derived from members of the North West Mounted Police who were called Roughriders because they broke the wild horses used by the force. The other states there was a Canadian contingent that fought with Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War. Roosevelt's troops became known as the Rough Riders. Following the war, the Canadian troops returned home, with some of them settling in Ottawa and the rest moving west. The colours worn by Roosevelt's infantry were red and black." (source)
     The Riders' biggest rival is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and games between the two are often sold out. The Roughriders Football Club and the city of Regina have played host to the Grey Cup three times, including the 101st Grey Cup where the Roughriders won the cup.
Sources: Wikipedia: Saskatchewan Roughriders,  Saskatchewan Roughriders,  Wikipedia: Canadian_football and Profootball Network.
     Note: Be aware that there are a host of manufacturer's variants of these and other fan flags being marketed for Roughriders fans. This includes garden flags, banners, and pennants.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Saskatchewan Roughriders Logos

1951-1965    1966-1984    1985-2015    Since 2016
images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022  (source)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have had four primary logos since 1951. But for you enthusiasts, I recommend you visit this website to see and learn more about it.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Saskatchewan Roughriders Commemorative Flags

      images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

These two vertical commemorative flags celebrate the four Grey Cup championships (1966, 1989, 2007, and 2013) of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the equivalent of four American NFL Superbowl victories.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

     images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo and this photo.

There are naturally also individual horizontal flags honoring their Grey Cup championship victories and division titles. The first example honors their victory in the Grey Cup Championship Number 109 and the second example honors their total Grey Cup wins to date.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

     image by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo.

This first commemorative flag gives a nod to one of the team's main sponsors the Pilsner Brewery, and to the "13th man".  Like the 12th man in a 11-player professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL), it is a reference to the Saskatchewan Roughrider's fans and their enthusiastic support and crowd noise shown during games.
The second example here uses Saskatchewan's short nickname "Riders" and refers to it's fan base as a "nation" on this flag remembering their successful 2013 championship run for the Grey Cup.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

image by Randy Young, 18 December 2022
Based on this photo.

In 2010 the Saskatchewan Roughriders celebrated their 100th year with this commemorative flag. Not many sports franchises can make that claim, especially when one has played continuously for the same city. Something to be proud of indeed.
Pete Loeser, 18 December 2022

Saskatchewan Roughriders Throwback Flags

     images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo and this photo.

A throwback or retro flag uses one the older Saskatchewan Roughriders logos in its design. Naturally they can also be an actual antique flag, rather than one of modern manufacture. These are two examples of these type flags.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Saskatchewan Roughriders Fan Flags

Fan Flags are commercially manufactured flags either officially approved or licensed by a team or, unfortunately, in some cases, they might be illegal "ripoffs" being sold. There are also non-commercial handmade fan variants also in use. We attempt to show only licensed flag designs here. They come in many styles, and many manufacturer variants exist.
Roughriders Fan flag designs are available with various horizontal strip patterns and design elements, but these flags all use some common design elements: a team logo (two basic types used since 1968), and the team colours of Green and white. "Go Green and White!"
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Logo Motif Flags

     images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo and this photo.

     image by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo and this photo.

    
Based on this photo and this photo.

     images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo.

image by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo.

Roughriders Helmet-style Flags

     images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo.

A popular hybrid mix introduces a team helmet-style into the design.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

    images located by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Helmet-style flags done in the team colors on different field designs are made for most CFL teams and have become very popular in recent years. Here are two examples.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

     image located by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Roughriders Man Cave Flags

     images by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022
Based on this photo.

These two Roughrider fan flags are less for displaying at games or on flag poles, but more for the walls of home "man cave." The "Sundays are for Bombers" type flag is being made for other CFL teams, naturally used with varying team names, days, and colors.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Roughriders Canadian National Flag Variant

image by Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

A modified Canadian Maple Leaf flag design like this in team colors has been reported in use.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

Roughrider Pilsner Flags (Sponsor Variants)

Commercially made Saskatchewan Roughriders Flags acknowledging sponsors or special events exist, these two specifically for the Pilsner Brewery using the brand's "White Rabbit" and "Pilsner Flag" logos. The first flag uses the "13th Player" logo and the second flag also features the 1966 retro Roughriders logo.
Pete Loeser, 14 December 2022

This design is similar to a Canadian pale, with the field the same dark green as the Roughriders' team colors. The vertical bars on the hoist and fly are created by rows of miniature white rabbits, one might even say they are semé of white rabbits, with the 1985 team logo centered in the green pale. In the canton is the red "Pil Country" logo for Pilsner, one of the main sponsors of the team.
Randy Young, 18 December 2022

The second flag is similar to the first except it uses the the 1966 logo with a white rabbit field covering the whole flag background and gives a shout to the Roughriders "13th Player."
Pete Loeser, 23 December 2022