THURSDAY COMMENTARY – READ MY LIPS
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)
It was with quite a bit of sadness when I learned of the passing of former Saskatchewan Roughriders President Fred Wagman this week.
What a character in Rider history, and in my life, Fred was.
I knew he was in his 80’s, had been in declining health the past number of years, but also knew he was still out and about, as recently as the Riders’ AGM last month. But he attended these functions simply as a fan, not as team President like he’d done a quarter century ago.
He was the central figure of one of the most pivotal moments in franchise history, and as usual, I was there, with a literal front row seat.
It seems like yesterday and it also feels like everyone would know this but as I get older, it’s become clear that these memories are held by a select few and the new fans are eager for us to pass them down.
So here goes …
It was the off-season before the 1997 CFL season and, again, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were at death’s door financially. It’s part of sports lore that the Riders held telethons to raise money from their fans but this was the last one.
As team President, Fred sat at the head table before a sea of microphones at Taylor Field and very famously said, “Read my lips!” If the team didn’t sell 200,000 tickets prior to the season, it would fold.
I was sitting probably 30 feet away from Fred at the news conference and in truth, I didn’t really believe that the Green & White were going to fold. (This was before they became known as ‘Canada’s Team’).
I didn’t think Mr. Wagman was fibbing either; I just knew that the Rider Nation would rally to save the franchise and that’s exactly what they did.
But Fred didn’t play around, and I admired that about him.
For decades Fred was also the boss at Cable Regina, which later became known as Access Communications. Coincidentally, I hosted a TV show there which began in 1995 known as In The Huddle, until 2021.
Habitually I’d run into Fred in the hallways and he always had a smile on his face and wanted to talk about the green team.
He was a man of his word, and got things done.
They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
Respect to him and similar to what Alberta said when Pierre Trudeau passed. If a person has nothing good to say then say nothing at all. Respect to you. I was there and if it means schooling the little hoppers then a counter point must be made. I was there. It was mid 90s and I worked for this guy. Absolutely not. This dude was everything wrong with the old Riders governance model. Anyone listen to 1990s SportsLine? – this was the old boys club and this was the reason the governance model changed and paved the way for Jim… Read more »
He was good to me.
Absolutey and good to many people – we don’t talk about the man or identify people with their vocation. That was just a very sensitive time in Rider history for many of us. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We see it now – take a fanbase for granted, do things willy nilly, cut corners and then wonder why people walk away. To quote Michael Jordan, “It became personal with me.” – working there is one thing, but clearly I’ll be picking up the mantle from John Frenzy when that opening becomes available. I was… Read more »
Last point. It was the NFL that bought those tickets and Hugh Campbell called and asked how serious. The Edmonton Eskimos averaged 40 thousand a game and they bought a massive amount
That same year bc was almost done and this is why the league has it where a player doesn’t sign long term. The deal was so NFL teams can pick them up….hi Nathan Rourke.
As for cable TV….I had a big satellite dish so cable was pfft.