By: Don Campbell
Photo: Scott Grant – Image Communications
Alvin “Skip” Walker was enjoying a rare day off from managing Hoover’s Cooking, the restaurant in the heart of Austin, Texas, known for its “Honest-To-Goodness Good Texas Cooking”, when the conversation turned to the last CFL playoff game ever played in Ottawa.
The two-time CFL rushing leader and Ottawa Rough Riders standout was completely unaware he was even part of often seemed destined to be the last CFL playoff game hosted in Ottawa.
It wasn’t exactly yesterday, way back on November 13, 1983, with 28,524 on hand at Lansdowne Park to witness it, never thinking how long it would be before another playoff game in the Capital.
“Really?” asked Walker, in his slow Texas drawl. “Really?” he asked a second time in almost disbelief that Ottawa has never hosted another playoff game . . . at least until later this month when the Ottawa REDBLACKS host either the EAST final or semifinal.
“That’s a lot of years . . . that’s 30-some odd years ago,” said Walker. “I used to have a highlight reel around here of the ‘82 and ‘83 seasons in Ottawa … you know to show the kids that ‘hey dad did play a little football you know’ . . . way back when. I know if I got it out it would trigger a lot of memories.
“But I just remember it being so disappointing cause we lost. I just couldn’t break loose that day . . . I couldn’t break that big play.
“But we never thought it would be the last playoff game (in Ottawa).”
Walker is now 61 and has never been back to Ottawa since the end of the 1984 season, his last of three in a Rough Riders uniform.
Courtesy of former Rider teammate Rick Sowieta, he does have a couple of REDBLACKS t-shirts and he will be cheering them on Saturday to clinch first in the East.
He just can’t believe 32 years has passed between Ottawa home playoff games.
The previous year, in 1982, Walker set a then CFL playoff rushing record with 253 yards in a 30-20 win over Hamilton in the East semifinal only to lose the next week 44-7 in Toronto.
Walker was named player of the game in the semifinal and wouldn’t accept the award until every member of the offensive line joined him. The line included Larry Tittley, Val Belcher, Tim Hook, Rudy Phillips and Kevin Powell and his record stood for 15 seasons until Mike Pringle rushed for 264 in a 1997 playoff game.
“They called my name for player of the game and I told them I was NOT player of the game . . . that my offensive line was,” said Walker. “So I made them wait until the line came back out.”
But the next year, the 8-8 second-place Riders couldn’t even get past 5-10-1 Hamilton even though they led late in the game until a punt return by the Tiger-Cats Keith Baker set up a game-winning touchdown.
Who knew then almost two generations of Ottawa football fans would never know what all the fuss of playoff football was about?
And who would have thought 32 seasons later fans would be re-visiting the 1982 Rough Riders season?
It really wasn’t all that special a group what with four wins at home and four on the road. The club ranked 8th in offence and 8th in defence but some how found a way to .500.
Led by future U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts at quarterback, the club wasn’t particularly explosive on offence though the unit did feature the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Linemen Award winner in guard Phillips, who along with allstar tackle Powell opened holes for Walker to win his second straight CFL rushing title, leading the league in all three major rushing categories.
On defence, the club was led by the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award winner in end Greg Marshall along with allstar tackle Garry Dulin.
The Riders opened that ’83 season winning a squeaker, 26-25, then proceeded to lose five straight, including a 44-4 blowout at home to the Edmonton Eskimos.
But right around SuperEx in late August the team seemed to jell with back-to-back wins at Edmonton and home to the B.C. Lions, and following a 29-28 loss in Regina September 9th, the Riders reeled off five straight wins between September 25th and October 23rd to climb the standings in the East.
That streak was enough to nail down second behind the 12-4 Toronto Argonauts and five points ahead of both the Tiger-Cats and Montreal Concordes.
“I remember ’83 that it was my first time playing with J.C.,” said Walker. “J.C. came back . . . he had been in Ottawa in ’81, then sat out ’82, and came back in ’83 and I got to play with “The Man’ . . he was that.
“And with J.C. we did a lot more passing but we still ran a lot too.”
The Riders still ran enough that Walker set a Riders single-season rushing mark with 1,431 yards.
And he will be cheering from Austin.
“What they are doing it great,” said Walker. “It’s cool.
“I have seen pictures of (TD Place) and I am going to get on back up there . . you know before I get too old. I just want to walk into that stadium again and take it all in.”
