RARE FOOTAGE: Riders and Edmonton put up 930 yards of offence in this 1981 football thriller
What do you get when you put Warren Moon, John Hufnagel and Joey Walters on the same football field?
A thrilling spectacle of the high scoring, fast paced action the CFL is all about.
And for many Rider fans, the rare footage CTV has found reveals an aerial showdown that saw fireworks between two divisional rivals.
It didn’t matter that Edmonton was in the midst of a dynasty led by Warren Moon, or that Saskatchewan was in the middle of an 11-year playoff drought.
In 1981, both teams clashed in a regular season match-up that went the distance in terms of entertainment.
On a Sunday afternoon in August, a Roughrider offence led by John Hufnagel and Joey Walters went into the difficult confines of Commonwealth Stadium (grass, not turf, along with those bland-looking maroon seats. Remember those?) to face a heavily favoured Edmonton squad.
Considering the strength of both teams on paper, the game could have been lopsided.
But the Riders came out with what appeared to be a playoff like performance.
John Hufnagel would go 17-32 for 405 yards in the air, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Dwight Edwards.
Despite spotting Edmonton a 13-0 lead after the first quarter, the Riders battled back to score 17 points in the second frame.
But a high-powered offence led by Warren Moon, combined with a stellar ground game featuring Jim Germany gave Edmonton a 26-17 lead at half-time.
In the third quarter, Hufnagel kept digging deep, and throwing deep. Deep to Joey Walters, who racked up six catches for 134 yards and three touchdowns.
By the end of the third quarter, the Riders were up 31-29.
But in CFL football lore, there are two sure things in life: Warren Moon, and pretty much any offence he commands.
Edmonton would rally for 15 points in the fourth quarter, capped off by a touchdown run from Jim Germany.
When the final gun sounded, Edmonton had won a memorable contest, 44-34.
Think the players were exhausted? Try the stats guy.
Both squads had combined for a total of 930 yards of net offence.
And Warren Moon has thrown for 418 yards in the victory.
Even though the Roughriders lost, and eventually missed the playoffs (again), it gave fans a classic contest to talk about.
One where they could watch their team on television (a rare event itself during those times) and see them compete with the best. And see the scoreboard operator get a workout.
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