Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/590580
12 HOME GAME PLAYBOOK SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2015 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS GREY CUP HISTORY CELEBRATION TIME The 1990 Grey Cup champions and many more former Winnipeg Blue Bombers and their fellow CFL alumni will be out in force during the 103rd Grey Cup Festival in Winnipeg Nov. 25 - 29. Be sure to drop by Grey Cup Festival Headquarters at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 26 - 28, from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Free attractions include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit, with championship rings and other memorabilia. The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame exhibit Manitoba's Gridiron Greats features photos and artifacts related to late, great Blue Bombers Coach Cal Murphy's Grey Cup teams, as well as the 1950 Mud Bowl, the 1962 Fog Bowl and other memorable moments. Check out the Pin Collectors' table, pick up Grey Cup merchandise and collect autographs at Autograph Alley. The Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Fan Fest, on Thursday, Nov. 26 at Club Regent Event Centre, is another hot spot for autograph seekers. The free event features players, alumni and mascots from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., and you can share in a red carpet experience as guests arrive for the Shaw CFL Player Awards. While you're out and about at festival events, you may want to pick up a Grey Cup 50/50 ticket for what promises to be a large payout. Tickets will be sold at Festival HQ and other venues over three days. The draw will be held at the Grey Cup Game and proceeds from ticket sales will be directed to youth football programs. IT'S BEEN 25 LONG AND OFTEN FRUSTRATING YEARS SINCE THE WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS LAST WON A GREY CUP. D on't bother reminding Rick House about just how long it's been. House was a member of the last Bombers squad to win a Grey Cup, way back in 1990. After putting down roots in this city in the mid-1980s, he's witnessed firsthand all of the collective hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth Bomber faithful have endured in the intervening years. And there's nothing House and his former teammates would love more than to see that torment end with the Bombers winning another championship. "I live in the community and it's really tough (to see). I've watched over the years as any number of coaches and executives and players have poured their heart and soul into it," he says. "It would be way, way better for Winnipeg and all of the alumni that are back in town … to have the Bombers back winning Grey Cups and being a force to be reckoned with. Everybody wants that. We want this team back on top and competing year in and year out for the championship. It's been such a long time and the fans have suffered so much." Bomber fans looked like they were in for a long season in 1990 as the team headed into training camp that spring. They were coming off a disastrous 7-11 campaign in '89 that saw them lose seven consecutive games to end the regular season before falling to Hamilton in the Eastern Final. And with questions about the offence following the departure of quarterback Sean Salisbury the previous year, pundits questioned the team's ability to make the playoffs, never mind challenge for the Grey Cup. Following the arrival of QB Tom Burgess in a trade with Saskatchewan and the presence of an all- star cast of characters on defence that included linebackers Tyrone Jones, James West, Greg Battle and Paul Randolph and defensive backs Ken Hailey, Rod Hill and Less Browne, the team exceeded nearly everyone's expectations by going 12-6 during the regular season. They followed that up by knocking off Toronto in the Eastern Final to earn a trip to the Grey Cup in Vancouver, where they met their arch-rivals, the Edmonton Eskimos. Just like they had all season long, the underdog Bombers once again exceeded expectations with a decisive 50-11 win over the Esks. House says while the underdog label may not have been deserved, he doesn't think it was motivation for him and his teammates. "I don't think I felt we had something to prove," he says. "Personally, my focus was just on playing it one game at a time." Under coach Mike Riley, the Bombers were certainly a focused bunch in the Grey Cup, played before a crowd of 46,968 fans at B.C. Place. Winnipeg held a 10-4 lead over the Esks at halftime, courtesy of a 13-yard field goal by Trevor Kennerd and an 11-yard TD pass from Burgess to Lee Hull. The Bombers then scored a record 28 points in the third quarter and tacked on 12 more in the fourth as they cruised to an easy win. While getting to hoist the Grey Cup with his teammates remains one of the most memorable moments of his career, House concedes the 56- yard third quarter touchdown he scored on a pass from back-up QB Danny McManus is a moment he'll never forget. It was the only major he scored in Grey Cup play. "Danny came in and I remember the play that was called, a Cover 5, and there was no one in the middle. There was nothing but goal line and I just had to get there," he recalls, laughing. "I'm from Vancouver originally so I had lots of family and friends there at the game and it was just such a great moment." House won a total of three Grey Cups during his 13-year CFL career, including two with the Blue Bombers. The former slotback admits he had a little extra incentive to win the third one in Vancouver. He had three sons at the time but only two Grey Cup rings and he was anxious to make it three-for-three. "I figured I had to get a third ring so they would each get one. There was a little pressure on the home front," he says, laughing. Today, House works as a career and community experiences teacher for the Pembina Trails School Division. While most of his students are unaware of his football exploits, it's common for their parents or grandparents to come up to him and want to talk football. "They'll say, 'You're Rick House? The Rick House from football?' It's awesome. I love to talk football." [ Underdog Bombers rained on Esks' parade in 1990 By Jim Timlick for the Winnipeg Free Press BEFORE THE DROUGHT Above: Winnipeg Blue Bombers Rod Hill holds the CFL Grey Cup after defeating Edmonton Eskimos 50-11 in Vancouver on Nov. 25, 1990. Photo by Arlen Redekop, Canadian Press