ROBSERVATIONS: Major milestone for Lauther … October birthday bonanza! … the Riders' 1934 air show … remembering Bob Faris

Yesterday at 12:32 PM

Brett Lauther kicked around the CFL before finding a home with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

While going 1,705 days between regular-season games, he auditioned for an assortment of teams, to no avail.

With that in mind, let's take a few moments to appreciate a much smaller number — 100 — that is of huge significance.

Lauther will suit up for his 100^th regular-season game when the Roughriders oppose the Edmonton Elks on Saturday (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM) at Commonwealth Stadium.

Leading up to the game, I semi-jokingly asked Lauther: Was it tougher to get to Game 5 or Game 100?

"It was a tough one, waiting five years for that fifth game," the personable placekicker replied, "but I wouldn't change a thing.

"I'm happy to be in green and white and everything happens for a reason. I'm thankful to still be playing today."

The former Saint Mary's Huskies standout — the pride of Truro, N.S. — made his CFL debut with Hamilton in 2013 after being drafted in the seventh round (53^rd overall).

He took part in four games as a rookie with the Tiger-Cats, on whose behalf he last saw regular-season action on Oct. 14, 2013.

Lauther spent the entire 2014 season on the Tiger-Cats' practice roster.

The following year, he began an extended tour of the CFL that included two stopovers in Saskatchewan (2015 and 2017).

Over that period, was there any point at which Lauther pondered what else he could/should be doing for a living?

"I still don't know what I want to do for a living," he said with a laugh.

"Yeah, there were so many ups and downs. I was doing so many different things. I'm thankful that the bosses or the employees I was working with for those years were very accommodating of me taking time off for football, being in and out, and for being in my corner the whole way.

"I'm just thankful to be playing. I don't like to reflect too much while I'm still in my career, but this (milestone) is probably something that's pretty special for everyone else."

That is to say, "everyone else" is worthier of commendation from the perspective of the invariably modest Lauther.

"I was thankful to be roofing with my cousin's company," said Lauther, 33, referencing Mark Bonnell.

"It was a grind. As thankful as I am for it, it probably took years off my life. He was super-supportive of me working in restaurants and bars as well.

"It was just a lot of different stuff to try to keep going and make sure I had hours to keep practising.

"There's a little bit of doubt along the way, too, but just having friends and family come out and push you and stay in your corner, that's why I'm going to hit 100 games."

Fittingly, that milestone will be observed in Edmonton — without the slightest snub intended toward Regina, Saskatchewan, or Rider Nation.

It was at Commonwealth Stadium, remember, where Lauther played his first (and, he feared, final) game of any description as a Roughrider.

Let's rewind to 2018, because cobwebbed historians are averse to the fine art of looking forward.

On March 19 of that year, Lauther signed with the Roughriders, whose incumbent kicker (Tyler Crapigna) had hit an impressive 86.4 per cent of his field-goal attempts over the previous three seasons.

As it turned out, though, Crapigna was sidelined by an injury early in training camp, opening the door for Lauther.

Presented with an opportunity to handle the placekicking in a game situation, he turned the pre-season opener into an eye-opener.

Lauther hit all four of his three-point attempts, including a 55-yarder, against the host Elks on May 27, 2018.

"I remember that game very well," he recalled, "and thought it was my last one.

"I was going to move on that year if I was released — which I was expecting to be — so I was just happy to play a game, pre-season or not."

Crapigna was once again ready for duty when the Roughriders completed their 2018 pre-season slate on June 8 against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.

Early in the second quarter, Crapigna drilled a 51-yarder. He followed up with a 55-yard kickoff that, surprisingly, turned out to be his final play as Roughrider.

Lauther handled the remainder of the Roughriders' placements at Mosaic Stadium, launching three kickoffs, booting a 28-yard field goal, and even punting twice (for an average of 44.5 yards).

Two days later, the Roughriders announced that Crapigna would undergo season-ending surgery on his kicking leg.

Although the circumstances were unfortunate, opportunity had finally knocked for Lauther.

He proceeded to make 54 of 60 field-goal attempts in 2018, earning West All-Star honours.

His accuracy rate (an even 90 per cent) is the Roughriders' second-best in a regular season, just behind the standard of 90.6 that Hall of Famer Dave Ridgway established in 1993.

Fast forward to 2024. Lauther sports the best field-goal percentage (83.1) of any Roughrider who has attempted at least 100 kicks.

He enters Saturday's game on an 18-for-19 roll. The only miss was on a desperation, last-play-of-the-game 60-yarder into a forbidding wind.

Tack on 10 converts, each attempted from 33 yards away, and he is 28-for-29 (96.6 per cent) over the Roughriders' last four games.

With 952 career points, he is closing in on another major milestone — 1,000!

For Brett Lauther, erstwhile roofer, the ceiling keeps getting higher.

OCTOBERobservation

Full disclosure: This one isn't mine, actually.

Eva Rennie — our Manager, Finance — approached me the other day and mentioned that October is a banner birthday month.

I instantly sought to emulate Eva by expertly working with numbers. The results …

• Twelve per cent of the Roughriders' SaskTel Plaza of Honour inductees were born in October — a month that consumes approximately 8.49315068 per cent of the year.

• Er, all of the above. (OK, I never professed to be at Eva's level. One calculation and I am exhausted. Medic!)

Consider, too, that the subjects of the two statues that are located just outside Mosaic Stadium were both born in October.

Ron Lancaster: Oct. 14, 1938-Sept. 18, 2008.

George Reed: Oct. 2, 1939-Oct. 1, 2023.

The rest of the October (Plaza of) Honour Roll is as follows …

Oct. 3:Three Plaza inductees — Fred Wilson (1892-1971), Mike Saunders (b. 1969) and Wes Cates (b. 1979).

Oct. 4: Johnny Bell (1921-1998); Kerry Joseph (b. 1973).

Oct. 6: Roger Aldag (b. 1953).

Oct. 8: Reg Whitehouse (1932-2008).

Oct. 14: Reggie Hunt (b. 1977). And Ronnie, of course.

Oct. 15: Ken Miller (1941-2024).

Oct. 17: Jack Hill (1932-2005); Larry Bird (b. 1945).

Oct. 19: Ken Preston (1917-1991).

Oct. 20: Paul Hill (b. 1945).

Oct. 25: Sully Glasser (1922-1986).

Oct. 29: Joey Walters (b. 1954).

Also worth celebrating is Richie Hall (b. Oct. 4, 1960), who will be eligible for enshrinement once he is no longer active in the CFL.

Another legendary October-born former Roughrider: 2023 Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee Solomon Elimimian (b. Oct. 21, 1986), who was named a West Division All-Star in his one season (2019) with the Green and White.

Now, let's examine the current roster to see if it, too, is October-heavy.

Highly technical answer from a professional wordsmith: Uhhhh … yeah!

Of the 80 players listed on Riderville.com, 14 of them — or 17.5 per cent — were born in October.

Belated birthday wishes to Marcus Sayles (Oct. 1, 1994), SaRodrick Thompson Jr. (Oct. 1, 1999), Dhel Duncan-Busby (Oct. 3, 1999) and Deontai Williams (Oct. 4, 1996).

Early birthday wishes to Albert Awachie (Oct. 7, 1992), KeeSean Johnson (Oct. 9, 1996), Thomas Bertrand-Hudon (Oct. 11, 1996), Joe Couch (Oct. 16, 1994), Braxton Hill (Oct. 22, 1999), Samuel Emilus (Oct. 25, 1997), Braydon Noll (Oct. 27, 1997), Antoine Brooks Jr. (Oct. 28, 1998), Ryquell Armstead (Oct. 30, 1996) and Adam Korsak (Oct. 31, 1997).

One more birthday of considerable import: The Roughriders — founded as the Regina Rugby Club — first played a game on Oct. 1, 1910.

32,872 DAYS AGO …

Sunday is the 90^th anniversary of the first aerial onslaught in Roughriders history.

The forward pass was not a major component of the arsenal until Oct. 6, 1934, when Walter (Oke) Olson erupted for 446 yards on 15 completions in a 29-9 victory over the host Saskatoon Hilltops.

Olson owned the Roughriders' single-game real-estate record until Nov. 11, 1963, when Lancaster amassed 492 passing yards in a playoff victory over the Stampeders in "The Little Miracle of Taylor Field."

The regular-season record established by Olson record was not topped until Aug. 5, 1983. That evening in Edmonton, Joe (747) Adams put up 483 yards.

Olson's 90-year-old passing-yardage total now ranks 21^st in Roughriders history.

The Roughriders' leading receiver in that 1934 game was Steve Adkins, who caught a then-unheard-of 11 passes for 231 yards.

Adkins' yardage standard was not surpassed until Aug. 5, 1983, when Chris DeFrance registered 260 yards while hauling in nine of 747's passes at Commonwealth Stadium.

Even now, Adkins ranks fifth in Roughriders history:

260 — Chris DeFrance (9 receptions) at Edmonton, Aug. 5, 1983.

255 — Andy Fantuz (10) vs. Calgary, Sept. 17, 2010 (OT).

244 — Jeff Fairholm (6) at Toronto, Sept. 26, 1992.

240 — Andy Fantuz (7) at Hamilton, Oct. 14, 2007.

231 — Steve Adkins (11) vs. Saskatoon Hilltops, Oct. 6, 1934.

The 11-catch game placed Adkins first on the All-Time list until Sept. 5, 1966, when Hugh Campbell caught 11 passes for 194 yards against the visiting Montreal Alouettes.

Adkins and Campbell shared the Club record until Freeman Johns III, in a dazzling debut performance with the Roughriders, made 12 receptions for 191 yards against Edmonton on Sept. 17, 1978 at Taylor Field.

Adkins is now in a 13-way tie for 17^th on the team's single-game receptions list.

Don Narcisse caught a team-best 15 passes versus the host Toronto Argonauts on Oct. 31, 1993 — another October day to remember!

BOB FARIS (1962-2024)

Bob Faris, who was a gift to the Saskatchewan sporting community, passed away on Sept. 27.

Only 62, he packed so much into that time.

It seemed like he was inexhaustible but, then again, what would you expect from someone who had a game like this?

Oct. 1, 1979: Faris scored all 11 of the Notre Dame Hounds' points in a Regina Intercollegiate Football League game against the Luther Lions.

The Regina Leader-Post described his contributions as follows: "Faris ran two yards for a touchdown, converted it with a kick and added a nine-yard single and a 31-yard field goal to the total."

Impressive, right?

Just wait …. there's more!

"He rushed four times for 17 yards, caught two passes for 38 yards, passed four times with one completion for 10 yards and averaged 25 yards on six punts."

The following June, he was the starting centre fielder for a Hounds team that won the Regina High Schools Athletic Association's baseball title.

He would later return to the local high school scene as a teacher and coach.

Well-known for time spent with the Miller Marauders football team, he received one of the RHSAA's 10-year coaching awards in 2006.

Four years later, he was among 12 people to be honoured by Regina Catholic Schools for outstanding commitment.

Every time our paths crossed, I felt better simply by having spoken with Bob.

It was on that basis that he appeared in the L-P once again — on March 20, 2013 in my weekly honour roll, "Nice people who deserve a plug."

The latest list of shout-outs is dedicated to the memory of a friend to all, Bob Faris.

ROLL CREDITS …

• Nice people who deserve a plug: Shiane de Jong, Pete de Jong, Samantha Milligan, Rolan Milligan Jr., Lyric Milligan, Peace Milligan, Loyal Milligan, Suni Milligan, Seth Way, Finley Govender, Brett Lauther, Shawn Bane Jr., A.J. Allen, Jack Coan, Greg Mayer, C.J. Reavis, Anthony Lanier II, Dr. Mike Nicholls, Nathan Schellenberg, Mike Woytowich, Kathleen McCrone, Jeremy Molnar, Hallee Mandryk, Morgan Campbell, Brit Dort, Anthony Vitale, Angie Reed, Georgette Reed, Keith Reed, Vicki Reed, John Maniatis, Carl Stankowski, Don Hewitt, Aaron Anderson, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, Eva Rennie, Pete Alonso, Anthony Partipilo, Juris Graney, Dave Thomas, Merlis Belsher and, with one final early birthday wish, Arielle Zerr (b. Oct. 10).