A guy can put the helmet on — plus, the proverbial blinders in an attempt to block out any and all noise — but inevitably he still hears things.
And when he’s in enemy territory, those things are seldom anything you repeat later to your friends and family.
Yes, welcome to rivalry week in the Canadian Football League and a double-dose of it with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit to Regina for Sunday’s Labour Day Classic against the Saskatchewan Roughriders followed by the Banjo Bowl rematch at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday, September 7th.
“Any time you get these back-to-back Labour Day/Banjo Bowls, they’re games you circle on your calendar,” said Blue Bombers veteran slotback Nic Demski. “Obviously it’s a long season so you’ve got to go week by week, but when this time rolls around in the season it’s always a lot of fun. It’s a high-energy game and with where things are in the season right now these games keep meaning more and more.
“It’s always going to be a West rivalry, so I can’t wait to get it going.”
Demski has worn both uniforms in this storied rivalry, having been drafted by the Riders in 2015 and spending three seasons there before joining the Blue Bombers in free agency in 2018. He’s also a Winnipegger and a University of Manitoba product, so he needed no introduction to the healthy hate-on between these two fan bases when he turned pro.
Asked for the worst thing he’s heard from a Rider fan at the Labour Day Classic, Demski grinned.
“Oh, man… there’s been a lot,” he said. “Last time when we were there (in July) and I fumbled they thanked me for still giving them the ball in their favour. That one hit a little bit hard. Other than that, they’re always just nagging me on the sidelines. You’ve definitely got to zone it out. For me, it kind of fires me up a little bit and so I keep one ear open for it.
“But you can’t let it get the best of you, that’s for sure. I’ve played in these type of games for nine years now, so I know how to handle it.”
Every player who has every pulled on a helmet has played in a rivalry game, even back to their days as kids. We worked our way through the Blue Bombers locker room today to get a few players to reminisce about their rivalry games — and some of the memories and magic of them — leading up to Sunday’s Labour Day Classic…
WR Pokey Wilson (Florida State, 2018-22)
Photo courtesy Greg Oyster, 247Sports
Main rivals: Florida, Miami
“At the end of every year we play Florida in the last game before playoffs and the bowls so that’s always an epic game.
“One memory that really sticks out was a game against Miami. We went down there, and in the warm-up fans were throwing bottles and trash at us while we were on the field. That was crazy. You had to keep your helmet on.
“Those games are so much fun. There’s so much emotion and adrenaline all packed into one game. I’m looking forward to this one, too, because there’s nothing to compare to a good rivalry game.”
OL Kendall Randolph (University of Alabama Crimson Tide, 2019-22)
Courtesy Alabama Athletics
Main rivals: Auburn, Tennessee
“We had some big games in college, but Coach Saban always told us the next game is the most-important game, regardless if it’s Auburn, if it’s Tennessee, if it’s Vanderbilt — that’s the most important game of the moment and we’re going to go out and play them like it’s the national championship.
“Obviously you know about the Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry (called the Iron Bowl). Auburn has the trees (famous oak trees at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn) and we know about the fans from Alabama that went and hurt the trees (by poisoning them in 2011) I mean, that was pretty bizarre to happen. That’s how serious rivals can get.”
QB Zach Collaros (University of Cincinnati, 2008-11)
Courtesy Ohio Valley Athletics
Main rivals: Miami of Ohio, Pitt, Louisville, West Virginia
“(Miami of Ohio) is the oldest one. We dominated that one. They’re very close to us proximity-wise to us. Pitt, back in the old Big East was a big one. Louisville was a big one for us too, and so was West Virginia. We had four big ones, but a lot of it was just based on the proximity of the schools and the fans.”
Wildest fan story?
“I’ve got a bad one I can’t say on camera that happened to my grandmother at a game. My friends took care of that. Same stadium a couple years before — we were at Morgantown… I love West Virginia, I hated them back then and a lot of my friends went to West Virginia.
“They let the fans go out during halftime there and then they come back in… usually they don’t allow for them to bring beer back into the stadium. But we were up in the game, so their fans started leaving. They ended up coming back in the game, so the fans ended up all coming back into the stadium again with full cans of beer. We ended up winning the football game and I just remember full cans of beer being hucked at us as we were exiting the field. I remember Brian Kelly, who was our coach, and our coaching staff saying, ‘Put your helmets on!’ and we were just ducking until we got into the tunnel. It was pretty wild.”
WR Kenny Lawler (Cal, 2013-15)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Main rivals: Stanford
“Stanford was the big one for Cal, but we also had USC and UCLA. The rivalry games are like a historic hatred. Maybe not hatred, but a dislike. When I was with the Bears it was the Big Game against Stanford or the Battle for the Axe, but it was a cross-bay rivalry, too. It was for bragging rights and for that trophy.
“To be honest, I think the Banjo Bowl has got the Battle for the Axe beat. At Cal, as much as I loved the rivalry, when it comes to the atmosphere, the Banjo Bowl/Labour Day Classic just seems more rooted. Maybe it was partly because we weren’t that good a team back in the day and not as many people cared about the Battle for the Axe. Plus, in the Bay Area there’s so much going on besides college football. Here in the Prairies, we’re Winnipeg, they’re Saskatchewan and there’s this sense of honour and pride in playing for your team. We just don’t feel it here in the stadium with the guys, it’s the fans who are so much into the game. This is two communities, two provinces, who are so passionate for the game.”
LB Tony Jones (Texas Tech, 2017-18)
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Main rivals: Texas
“Texas is always the team to beat and that week always meant a lot to us. When I was there, we actually beat them in the last two minutes in order to go to a bowl game (Birmingham Bowl).
“The craziest thing is the whole area around the University of Texas is just swamped on that day. It’s hard to get anywhere because there are so many people invested in the game, ready to get to the game and tailgating. You just feel it when you get out there, you feel the energy of a crowd of 100,000-plus. That has to give you a boost of adrenaline.”
RB Brady Oliveira (North Dakota, 2015-18)
Courtesy Russell Hons
Main rivals: North Dakota State
“North Dakota State is just about 45 minutes down the highway from us. I only had a chance to play against them once when I was there, and it was in my freshman year. Carson Wentz was their quarterback, and it was cool seeing him in action.
“Last year during the bye week I went down with Rasheed (Bailey) and Evan Holm (another North Dakota product) met us there. It was the first time in a long time NDSU had been at UND. UND absolutely worked them, and all the students rushed the field at the Alerus Center after the game. It was a true college football experience.”
LB Adam Bighill (Central Washington, 2007-11)
Courtesy Joseph Epperson, CWU Sports Information
Main rivals: Western Washington
“That was our main rival until they folded (in 2009). It was called the ‘Battle in Seattle.’ It was a great atmosphere. We smacked them. I don’t remember anything too crazy fanwise, but I do remember Western Washington neglected to recruit me and recruited a guy who lived a town away from me — he ended up quitting in training camp and not playing any more. And I do remember starting against him in a game and having a damn good game.”
WR Drew Wolitarsky (University of Minnesota, 2013-16)
Courtesy Chris Dang
Main rivals: Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin
“We didn’t have a real rivalry with Nebraska, but there was a fans’ rivalry called ‘The Battle for the Broken Chair’ — you’ll have to look up the history of that (it can be found here). We hadn’t beaten them in something like 60 years, so that was big and that was the first time I there for when the field was stormed by fans.
“Another one I remember — and not for a good reason — was Halloween night (2015) and Michigan was third in the country. Fourth quarter drive to win, I catch a stutter route and score. My family is there, and my dad actually faints in the stands. The crowd is going wild, and the building is shaking. I’m thinking, ‘This is the greatest moment of my life. This is what I f’in dreamed of as a kid.’ But it goes to review, and they determine my knee was down at the six-inch line.
“It was good, though… we still had 49 seconds to score. First play we try this stupid trick play and it runs 30 seconds off. A wedge gets stopped and we’ve got time for one more play. It gets stuffed, too. Game over. We lost. Highest of highs to lowest of lows in 49 seconds, bro.
“But that’s why we love these rivalry games. Still do, dude. Still do.”
