THE CANADIAN PRESS
Pro football has failed twice before in Ottawa, but Russ Jackson believes the CFL has got it right this time around.
On Tuesday, the CFL awarded a conditional expansion franchise to an Ottawa-based ownership group headed up by respected junior hockey owner Jeff Hunt. The condition is the ownership group securing a lease agreement at Frank Clair Stadium, which has been earmarked for redevelopment after the southside stands were condemned last fall.
The ownership group certainly believes that hurdle can be overcome. It committed to pay a C$7-million fee to the CFL for a franchise that’s not expected to play its first game until 2010, at the earliest.
This would mark the league’s third stint in the Canadian capital following the folding of the Rough Riders in ’96 and suspension of the Renegades franchise prior to the ’06 campaign.
Both the Rough Riders and Renegades faltered while being owned by American interests that neither called Ottawa home nor had close ties to the city, its business community and, most importantly, its fans.
Jackson notes that’s clearly not the case this time around, considering Hunt’s prowess in making his Ottawa 67’s OHL franchise successful in an NHL market. Also, his football partners Roger Greenberg, William Shenkman and John Ruddy are all prominent businessmen in the city.
“The big difference, in my opinion, is the fact they’re all local people,” Jackson said. “They are not out-of-towners, so to speak.
“I think if they’re going to have some success getting a franchise back there and having a successful franchise that it had to be people from the community that are known by the football fans and feel that it’s not another fly-by-night situation that they’ve had over the last decade.”
Neil Lumsden, a former CFL player and executive who helped the Ottawa Gee Gees win the ’75 Vanier Cup, agrees.
“I don’t think it’s necessary but it’s a good thing,” Lumsden said. “I think they (new Ottawa owners) are approaching it in the right way . . . . there isn’t a hurry to make money and get this thing going because of a stable ownership group.
“At the same time, Robert Wettenhall (the Montreal Alouettes’ American owner) isn’t from Montreal. He’s around but I don’t think he sticks his nose in things because he has good people there and having the right people in the right places is important.”
The Rough Riders enjoyed a long and storied 120-year history in Ottawa, some of their best years coming during Jackson’s illustrious 12-year tenure at quarterback.
Jackson, a Hamilton native, led the Riders to three Grey Cup wins (1960, ’68, ’69) in four appearances, was named the CFL’s outstanding player three times (1963, ’66, ’69) and captured top Canadian honours four times (’59, ’63, ’66 and ’69). Four years after retiring, Jackson was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Order of Canada.
David Loeb became the Riders’ owner late in Jackson’s career (1968, to be exact) and operated the franchise until 1977 when he sold it to CHUM founder Allan Waters. Under Loeb’s ownership, Ottawa won four East Division titles and four Grey Cup crowns.
But the franchise has reached only one Grey Cup since then (in ’81 despite a 5-11-0 regular-season record) and staggered through several ownership changes before folding in 1996. It was revived in 2002 under the Renegades name but lasted only three years before being suspended by the CFL after co-owners Bernie Glieberman and Bill Smith wouldn’t cover a projected $6-million operation loss.
Jackson believes Hunt and his partners are not only connected to the community but have the sports marketing and business acumen to succeed.
“I think so,” he said. “I think the only criticism you might hear from some people is you have three developers and are they here for football or future reasons when Lansdowne Park gets developed?
“I don’t look at it that way. I think they’re in it because they want football to be a success. Jeff Hunt isn’t going to be with a particular group that’s not in there for the right reasons.”
Jackson and Lumsden both agree Ottawa football fans shouldn’t be blamed for the CFL’s two prior failures there and fully expect spectators will return once the new team begins play.
“I think the fans were very supportive of the team because they not only had some pretty poor ownership but some pretty poor football teams on the field, too,” Jackson said. “Whenever they were called on to step forward they were always there. You don’t have to win a Grey Cup the first couple of years but you have to be competitive.”
Added Lumsden: “I don’t think you can ever blame the fan unless it’s a great stadium, you’re 12-6 and going to the playoffs every year and no one is showing up. I’ve been (to Frank Clair Stadium) many a time as a fan and it’s an awesome place to watch a game but it’s not a pleasant place to be if you want anything else other than sitting in the stands. And still, they’ve come. As long as the right people are put in the right places it’s going to be successful. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
And there’s no doubt in Lumsden’s mind that Ottawa can become a football town.
“Absolutely,” he said. “They wondered if Ottawa was going to be a hockey town (when Senators were re-born) . . . and until Eugene Melnyk stepped in I don’t think people believed it was truly a hockey centre and now I don’t think anyone would debate that.
“It’s not so much as where it is as how it’s done and who is doing it. It’s always about getting the right people, on or off the field.”
Still, Jackson admits the Ottawa ownership group face challenges outside of its stadium issue.
“No. 1, they have to get credibility with the people because there is a bit of a new generation coming along that needs to support football,” Jackson said. “Hopefully they can make inroads across the river in Quebec because football has certainly jumped leaps and bounds in the province of Quebec.
“I think A., they’ve got to come up with a competitive team and B., they’re going to have to look at the fact that some people have already spent their money in hockey tickets and that wasn’t the case in the past.”
The new Ottawa franchise still doesn’t have a team name. Predictably, Jackson makes no bones about his first choice.
“For the history of the franchise I hope they go back to Rough Riders,” he said. “It has been known as the Rough Riders, there’s a 100-year history related to the Ottawa Rough Riders.”
