SSHOF To Unveil Intriguing Exhibit

The Saskatchewan Roughriders were born as the Regina Rugby Club in 1910, but the football team’s first uniforms predate the team by five years.

On the Body: Sport, Memory and the Clothes Athletes Wore is the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame’s newest exhibit. It explores sport history through the garments inductees and athletes wore in competition, focusing on uniforms and outfits from the 1920s to the 2020s.

One of the highlights of the exhibit is Al Urquhart’s Regina Rugby Club uniform. Curator Robyn Jensen’s research has shown that Urquhart’s jersey was actually manufactured by Spalding in 1905.

This ‘original Rider’ had the longest career of any of the 1910 players, spending 11 seasons with the Regina Rugby Club.

“The Sports Hall’s textile collection includes jerseys, pants/shorts, jackets, toques, hats, mitts, gloves, and shirts, each shaped by the needs of athletes in motion. For ‘On the Body: Sports, Memory and the Clothes Athletes Wore’, I’ve selected pieces with especially compelling stories. I’ve explored Al Urquhart’s jersey from the Regina Rugby Club and compared it with George Reed’s Saskatchewan Roughriders jersey,” Jensen said.

On The Body  opens on Friday, March 20, and reveals how sport history is preserved not only in records and achievements, but in its fabric shaped by motion, impact, and memory.

“Worn areas, repairs, and manufacturing labels reveal where clothing met the body in motion.

Together, they show how athletes and makers adapted the materials and technologies of their era, offering insight into the lived experience of sport. From early wool sweaters to modern performance fabrics, these garments show how sportswear has always worked in partnership with the body, while preserving memory and history,” Jensen said.

Other featured artifacts include Doug Bentley’s jersey from when he captained the Chicago Black Hawks. Game-worn jerseys from Reed and former Toronto Maple Leaf Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams will also be on display. Each of these artifacts shows the physical style of its wearer, with the mending visible on the jersey. Swimsuits and speed skating uniforms will also be featured, highlighting the technological advancements in fabrics and sport science.

The exhibit also celebrates the completion of the SSHF’s textile project that saw our textile collection stored in a new space to provide easier access and ease of care for these historic artifacts.

Through the Heritage Canada Grant, the SSHF was able to hire a curatorial assistant to complete the textile project. The construction work for the project was done by Blair Patterson of Son of Patter Enterprises.

On the Body will be on display through the spring at the Hall of Fame during its regular operating hours. It is the first of several exciting exhibits and events planned as the Hall of Fame celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2026.

(Matthew Gourlie/SSHOF Communications)