First meeting | September 12, 2004 Blue Bombers 27, Roughriders 24 |
---|---|
Latest meeting | September 9, 2023 Blue Bombers 51, Roughriders 6 |
Next meeting | September 7, 2024 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 19 |
All-time series | Blue Bombers lead, 12–7 |
Largest victory | Roughriders: 55–10 (2009) Blue Bombers: 51-6 (2023) |
Smallest victory | Roughriders: 25–24 (2012) Blue Bombers: 27–24 (2004) |
Longest win streak | Blue Bombers: 4 (2019-present) |
Current win streak | Blue Bombers: 4 (2019–present) |
The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the Sunday before Labour Day at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan (previously held at Taylor Field), there is usually a rematch on the following weekend between these two rival prairie teams at IG Field (previously held at Canad Inns Stadium) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The "Banjo Bowl" moniker was coined by Blue Bombers board member David Asper in early 2004, inspired by an infamous comment made by Bombers placekicker Troy Westwood in the week prior to a 2003 Western Division Semi-final game between the two teams. Westwood was quoted in the media as saying that people from Regina were "a bunch of banjo-pickin' inbreds." [1] He later apologized halfheartedly for those comments, saying that "the vast majority of the people in Saskatchewan have no idea how to play the banjo." [2] This further fuelled the Winnipeg–Saskatchewan football rivalry and has made the rematch game even more of an event. The game is sponsored by the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation. The game has been sold out every year since 2005. As of the 2022 season, Winnipeg leads the series 11–7.
As on Labour Day weekend when many Winnipeg fans visit Regina to support the Bombers, many Saskatchewan fans visit Winnipeg the following weekend to support the 'Riders. Many come, tongue-in-cheek, with banjos.
Despite not being an official event, the Canadian Football League website promotes the game by referring to it as "Banjo Bowl" in some of its online coverage [3] as does the league's official television broadcaster, TSN. [4] In 2013, the Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, joined in the spirit of the event by posting a video on his YouTube channel making reference to the rivalry and the Banjo Bowl game. [5] The Riders themselves have avoided the use of the title "Banjo Bowl" in official communications, referring to the game as the "Labour Day rematch". [6]
Year | Date | Winner | Score | Venue | Attendance | TV | Roughriders QB | Blue Bombers QB | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | September 12 | Blue Bombers | 27–24 [7] | Canad Inns Stadium | 27,160 | Sportsnet | Henry Burris | Kevin Glenn | |
2005 | September 10 | Roughriders | 19–17 [8] | Canad Inns Stadium | 29,653 | CBC | Marcus Crandell | Kevin Glenn | |
2006 | September 10 | Blue Bombers | 27–23 [9] | Canad Inns Stadium | 30,026 | TSN | Kerry Joseph | Kevin Glenn | |
2007 | September 9 | Blue Bombers | 34–15 [10] | Canad Inns Stadium | 29,783 | TSN | Kerry Joseph | Kevin Glenn | |
2008 | September 7 | Roughriders | 34–31 [11] | Canad Inns Stadium | 29,770 | TSN | Michael Bishop | Kevin Glenn | |
2009 | September 13 | Roughriders | 55–10 [12] | Canad Inns Stadium | 29,533 | TSN | Darian Durant | Michael Bishop | |
2010 | September 12 | Blue Bombers | 31–2 [13] | Canad Inns Stadium | 29,533 | TSN | Darian Durant | Steven Jyles | |
2011 | September 11 | Roughriders | 45–23 [14] | Canad Inns Stadium | 30,518 | TSN | Darian Durant | Buck Pierce | |
2012 | September 9 | Roughriders | 25–24 [15] | Canad Inns Stadium | 30,077 | TSN | Darian Durant | Joey Elliott | |
2013 | September 8 | Blue Bombers | 25–13 [16] | Investors Group Field | 33,500 | TSN | Darian Durant | Justin Goltz | |
2014 | September 7 | Roughriders | 30–24 [17] | Investors Group Field | 33,234 | TSN | Darian Durant | Drew Willy | |
2015 | September 12 | Blue Bombers | 22–7 [18] | Investors Group Field | 35,156 | TSN | Brett Smith | Matt Nichols | |
2016 | September 10 | Blue Bombers | 17–10 [19] | Investors Group Field | 33,234 | TSN | Darian Durant | Matt Nichols | |
2017 | September 9 | Blue Bombers | 48–28 [20] | Investors Group Field | 33,134 | TSN | Kevin Glenn | Matt Nichols | |
2018 | September 8 | Roughriders | 32–27 [21] | Investors Group Field | 33,134 | TSN | Zach Collaros | Matt Nichols | |
2019 | September 7 | Blue Bombers | 35–10 [22] | IG Field | 33,134 | TSN | Cody Fajardo | Chris Streveler | |
2020 | Not played due to COVID-19 | ||||||||
2021 | September 11 | Blue Bombers | 33–9 [23] | IG Field | 33,234 | TSN | Cody Fajardo | Zach Collaros | |
2022 | September 10 | Blue Bombers | 54–20 [24] | IG Field | 33,234 | TSN | Cody Fajardo | Zach Collaros | |
2023 | September 09 | Blue Bombers | 51-6 [25] | IG Field | 32,343 | TSN | Jake Dolegala | Zach Collaros | |
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at Princess Auto Stadium.
The Labour Day Classic is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend. Labour Day weekend, roughly 12 or 13 weeks into the CFL season, is known for its matchups that do not change from year to year, unlike other "rivalry" weeks of the CFL schedule. Labour Day weekend is also one of typically two weeks in the CFL schedule that the league plays on a Monday. Multinational Balkrishna Industries' OK Tire brand is the presenting sponsor of the event as of 2022.
Kevin Glenn, Jr. is a former American professional Canadian football quarterback. He was originally signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football for the Illinois State Redbirds and high school football at Detroit St. Martin de Porres. Glenn is a journeyman quarterback who is the only player to ever have had his rights held by every team in the CFL.
The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 51st season for the Canadian Football League. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL was no longer aired on broadcast television in Canada. As of 2008, TSN was available in approximately 8.8 million of Canada's 13 million households. Montreal hosted the 96th Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium on November 23, when the championship was won by the Calgary Stampeders.
Darian Bernard Durant is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. By the end of his college career, he held school records for completion percentage, touchdowns, passing yards, total offense and completions. Durant was signed as a free agent by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2006, and became the club's full-time starting quarterback in 2009. He was named a CFL West Division All-Star in 2009 and 2013. Durant was the starting quarterback when the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 101st Grey Cup in 2013 on their home field. Durant also played for the Montreal Alouettes in 2017. His brother Justin played in the National Football League as a linebacker.
Gene Makowsky is a Canadian politician and former Canadian football offensive lineman who has been a member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly representing the riding of Regina Gardiner Park since 2016 and prior to that representing the riding of Regina Dewdney.
Weston Dressler is an American former professional Canadian football slotback who played for 11 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He spent the majority of his career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders with whom he won a Grey Cup championship in 2013. Dressler is a two-time CFL All-Star and a four-time CFL West All-Star and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie in 2008. He had also been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL). He played college football for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.
Zachary J. Collaros is an American professional Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Collaros won the 107th Grey Cup and 108th Grey Cup as the starting quarterback with the Blue Bombers when they defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in both games. He had previously won the Grey Cup as the backup quarterback with the Toronto Argonauts in the 100th Grey Cup. Collaros played football at the University of Cincinnati, and has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts.
Cody Michael Fajardo is an American professional football quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The 2012 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 55th season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders finished the season in third place in the West Division with an 8–10 record, improving upon their 5–13 record from 2011. The Roughriders qualified for the playoffs and lost to the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Semi-Final.
The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League.
Craig Dickenson is a professional football coach who is a senior consultant for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has also served as the head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for four seasons. He has coached professional football since 2000 and won a Grey Cup championship with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 2008 and with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015.
Mosaic Stadium is an open-air stadium at REAL District in Regina, Saskatchewan. Announced on July 12, 2012, the stadium replaced Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field as the home field of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was designed by HKS, Inc., in joint venture with B+H, the architects of record. Preliminary construction on the new stadium began in early 2014, and it was declared "substantially complete" on August 31, 2016. The stadium is owned by the city of Regina and operated by the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL).
The 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 56th season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders improved upon their 8–10 record from 2012 and made the playoffs for the second straight season, while hosting their first playoff game since 2010. After defeating the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders in the playoffs, the Roughriders qualified for their fourth Grey Cup appearance in seven years and first ever at their home stadium. The team defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the 101st Grey Cup en route to winning the franchise's fourth championship. With the added seats at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, the Roughriders led the league in attendance for the first time, with an average of 37,503 fans attending each regular season game.
The 2014 CFL season was the 61st season of modern-day Canadian football. It was the 57th Canadian Football League season. Vancouver hosted the 102nd Grey Cup on November 30. The league expanded to nine teams with the addition of the Ottawa Redblacks, giving the CFL nine teams for the first time since the 2005 season. As a result of the expansion, the schedule shifted to a 20-week regular season plus three weeks of playoffs ; the season started on June 26, 2014.
The 2017 CFL season was the 64th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 60th season of the Canadian Football League. The regular season began on June 22 and concluded on November 4. The playoffs commenced on November 12 and concluded on November 26 with the Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders to win the 105th Grey Cup.
Jermarcus "Yoshi" Hardrick is a professional gridiron football offensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion as a member of the 107th Grey Cup champions and is a two-time West Division All-Star receiving the honour in 2017 and 2021. He played college football for the Fort Scott Greyhounds before joining the Nebraska Cornhuskers for two years to finish his college playing eligibility.
The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regina, and the first to be held at the new Mosaic Stadium as opposed to Taylor Field.
The history of the Saskatchewan Roughriders dates to 1910 when they were founded as the Regina Rugby Club and became charter members of the Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union. The team changed their name to the Regina Roughriders in 1924 and became charter members of the Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1936. They began using their current moniker in 1946 and adopted it officially in 1950. The Roughriders became a charter member of the Canadian Football League when it was founded in 1958.
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