Ron Lancaster: 1938-2008 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Ron Lancaster was born in Fairchance, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 1938. He and his family moved to Clairton, Pennsylvania, when he was very young and he grew up there. He played quarterback for his high school football team, and after graduation he moved to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenburg University.

He quarterbacked the Wittenberg Tigers and took them to two Ohio Conference championships in 1957 and 1958.

Answer: The Ottawa Rough Riders

After finishing University at Wittenberg, Ron was disappointed that none of the NFL teams showed any interest in him, but he wasn't surprised because of his size. He accidentally saw a CFL game on T.V. one day. He really didn't know anything about Canada or the CFL, but he heard that the Ottawa Rough Riders were looking for second string quaterback, so he packed his bags and headed to Ottawa.

He made the team and played second string for three seasons before being traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Answer: Russ Jackson

In 1962, Russ Jackson, realizing that Ron Lancaster was as good a quarterback, if not better than himself, worried about his job. Although he and Lancaster remained good friends, Jackson wasn't happy with the way the team used them both as quarterbacks. He spoke to head coach Frank Claire, and Ron was traded for a bottle of Scotch. The rest is history.

Answer: The Saskatchewan Roughriders

Ron Lancaster joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1963. Coach Bob Shaw and Lancaster didn't hit it off and Shaw didn't believe that Lancaster was a good quarterback. He was determined to prove him wrong, and he did. He led the team in the 1963 season from a last place team to the playoffs.

In a two game, playoff tournament against the Calgary Stampeders, where the most points in two games won the tournament, Lancaster took the team to victory by one point. They had lost the first game 35-9, but came back to win the second game 39-12.

They didn't make it to the Grey Cup that year however, losing to the B.C. Lions in the Western Conference Final. From 1963-1978 under Lancaster, the Saskatchewan Roughriders made it to the Western Conference Final 12 times and to the Grey Cup five times, but winning the Cup only once in 1966. Even so, Rider fans never had any less than an exciting season.

Answer: The Little General

Lancaster had a reputation for never giving up. Although he was a small man, he knew the game very well and led his players with confidence and a strong, sure hand, which earned him the name "The Little General". That name stuck with him all throughout his football playing career, and to the the day he died.

Answer: 23

Not long after he retired, his number was also retired by the club. It is one of only eight retired numbers in the team's history. The others include four players who were killed in a tragic plane crash in British Columbia in 1956; #40 (Mel Beckett), #55 (Mario DeMarco), #56 (Ray Syrnyk) and #73 (Gordon Sturtridge) as well as three other Roughrider greats; #34 (George Reed), #36 (Dave Ridgway) and #44 (Roger Aldag).

Answer: Most passing touchdowns and most passes intercepted

He held the regular season record for most passing touchdowns at 333, and most passes intercepted at 396. 396 is a lot of interceptions, but in Ron's words, "stats are for losers". He held many other records in the playoffs and Grey Cup games and received numerous awards over his career, including "Most Outstanding Player" in 1970 and 1976, and "Most Outstanding Coach" in 1996 and 1998. Ron also led the Saskatchewan Roughriders to 50 fourth quarter come-from-behind victories.

He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1982, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, and the Wittenberg University Athletic Hall of Honour in 1985.

Answer: Saskatchewan Roughriders, Edmonton Eskimos, and Hamilton Tiger Cats

He coached the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1979 and 1980 after he retired as a player. He was unsuccessful in coaching them to any higher than 5th place in the Western Conference, and thus quit coaching for 11 years. In 1991, he took the job as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos, and coached them until 1997.

He won the Grey Cup in 1993 and took them to another Grey Cup in 1996. During his years in Edmonton, the team never ranked lower than second place. In 1998, he left Edmonton to coach the Hamilton Tiger Cats until 2006, and also took them to two Grey Cups, winning one.

Answer: CFL Color Commentator

For the 11 years between coaching the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Eskimos, Ron Lancaster was a color commentator for the Canadian Football League (CFL) on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). It is said that he was one of the best. He was also a member of the CBC team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, covering basketball.

Answer: Heart attack

Ron Lancaster was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder in 2004. He underwent treatment and seemed to have beat the disease, but in August of 2008, he was again diagnosed with cancer, this time in his lung. He was determined to beat that as well and started immediate treatment.

The week before his death, he was on the golf course with former friends and CFL players, Damon Allen, Danny McManus, and Rob Hitchcock. He seemed to be doing well, but on September 17, 2008, He suffered a heart attack and passed away. Mark Cohn, CFL Commissioner, released this statement after the passing of Ron Lancaster; "Our league has lost its Little General, and our country has lost a giant of a man. Ron Lancaster is deeply loved across Canada, as a CFL player, coach, broadcaster and mentor, but most of all as a true friend.

His career spanned eras, bridged west and east, and delighted our fans."