Saskatchewan Roughriders legend George Reed died on Sunday night, one day before his 84th birthday.
And now, members of the community and his family are remembering the great number 34.
“It was my dad’s immense honour to be part of the Saskatchewan community and to call it home for so many years,” Georgette Reed, George’s daughter, said. “Sixty years ago, he received an offer to move to Regina to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and in accepting that offer it changed our lives for the better.
“Playing for the Roughriders was one of my dad’s greatest joys and we will never forget the love he and our entire family received from the people here until the very end. I know my dad’s legacy will live on in the hearts of Rider Nation, as well as our own. We will all miss him so very much.”
Reed had a 13-year career with the Roughriders. He retired in 1976 with more than 16,000 rushing yards and 134 career touchdowns.
Rob Vanstone, a senior journalist with the Roughriders, said hearing the news was devastating.
“It’s one of those, ‘where were you when’ type of moments,” Vanstone said. “It reminded me of Sept. 18, 2008, when my mom called me and said Ron Lancaster has died.”
“It’s just impossible to fathom everything that he did,” Vanstone said. “His football career itself was extraordinary. It could be a movie. But then you factor in George Reed the person, the man, the husband, the father and the charitable giant.”
Vanstone said the stories he has heard about Reed’s involvement in the community are what will stick with him for a long time.
“It was the way he treated people, the way he made everybody in his presence feel like they were the most important person in the world,” he said.
One of those community members Reed impacted was Dylan Earis.
“I was awestruck,” Earis said, recalling the moment he met Reed. “They say never to meet your heroes, but I’m glad for a few hours a number of years ago, I got to meet mine.”
In 2016, Vanstone went to interview Reed for a piece, and asked Earis if he wanted to tag along. Without hesitation, he said yes.
Earis remembers sitting with Reed in his office when he asked about a football in his trophy case.
“I asked, ‘Where is that football from?’ and he said, “That’s for when I broke some record,’” Earis explained. “I was like, ‘You broke so many records, you can’t even remember which one you broke.’”
Reed was awarded the Order of Canada in 1978 and was inducted into both the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Earis said he will always remember Reed being out in the community, even if it was just in the grocery store.
“He’s the greatest Roughrider of all time,” Earis said. “If I was one of the greatest Riders of all time, I don’t know if I’d go out in public, but he was always there. He was always visible, and it’s a tremendous loss to the community.”
Earis will also miss seeing Reed at Mosaic Stadium.
“One of my favourite parts of Rider games was when they would put him on the screen in the middle of like third quarter, and no matter how the game was going, the crowd would stop and give a big cheer.
“And at the last game, George actually waved. He never waved. So that was kind of fitting.”