Retire 23
- by: Barry Smith
- recipient: Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the CFL
Through his 48-year career as a player, coach, broadcaster and manager, Ron Lancaster dedicated his life to the 3-down game. With the exception of his family,the 'Little General' had no greater passion than this game in his adopted homeland.
His accomplishments were many and great, but this wasn't what was important: he considered it an honour to be able to be a part of this great sport.
Out of respect to his accomplishments both on and off the field, I have started this petition with one aim: to respectfully convince the CFL to honour this man as he honoured it for so long - by retiring the number 23 throughout the league, ensuring that the memory of his amazing accomplishments are never forgotten.
Please join me in my quest to accomplish this goal. It is my intention to present this petition to the CFL Head Office on or before September 18, 2009, the one-year anniversary of Ron's untimely passing.
Thank you.
Dear Mr. Cohon:
Attached please find a petition signed by fans of the CFL, who have taken the time and effort to promote a very special cause:
Our aim is to respectfully request that the CFL give consideration to honour one of, if not the greatest ambassadors this game has ever seen, by retiring his number throughout the league.
Below, please find a selected number of Ron Lancaster's accomplishments in the CFL:
Player:
Played - 16 seasons: (Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders)
Grey Cups - 2: 1960 (Ottawa)
1966 (Saskatchewan)
Games won - 170: only 2 losing seasons out of the 16 played
Schenley Outstanding Player finalist nominations - 3
Schenley Outstanding Player awards - 2: 1970 & 1976
All-Canadian - 4: 1970, 1973, 1975, 1976
Western All-Star - 7: 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1976
Inducted into Canadian Football Hall of Fame - 1982
Records at Retirement - Pass Attempts: 6,233
- Completions: 3,384
- Yards: 50,535
- Touchdowns: 333
Voted #7 in Top 50 CFL Players - TSN poll
Broadcaster
CBC Colour Commentator - 1980-1991: broadcasted Olympic
Basketball (1988, Seoul)
Coach
Coached for: Saskatchewan (1977 - 1979)
Edmonton (1991 - 1997)
Hamilton (1997 - 2003, 2006)
General Manager for: Hamilton (2003 - 2006)
Grey Cups - 2: 1993 (Edmonton Eskimos)
1999 (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
Edmonton Eskimos - club career coaching leader (83 wins)
142 career coaching wins: 5th all-time on regular season coaching list
2008: awarded Commissioners Award (posthumously)
This list is but a brief description of Ron's amazing accomplishments.
However, what has not been taken into account, and what cannot be quantified, is the countless thousands of hours Ron put into charity, public events, and simply being the best salesman of the CFL this league has ever seen. I have never heard of Ron turning any one down at any time for an autograph, photograph, or simply sharing football stories.
On September 18, 2008, we lost our "Little General", and it is our desire to ensure his passion and dedication for our 3-down game is respected in kind: Honour the memory of this amazing individual by returning in kind the dedication, love and commitment that he gave the league, and every fan who had the honour of meeting him over his 48 years in his adopted country - Please retire the number 23 league-wide in honour of Ron Lancaster.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.