Goodbye to Mosaic Stadium

Photo: The Canadian Press

It was a bone-chilling day when Gene Makowsky and other members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to Regina's Mosaic Stadium to celebrate winning the 2007 Grey Cup.

About 8,000 fans waited in the stands for their beloved team, despite the cold weather and the fact that it was a Monday.

"They took time off to come greet us coming home and to be able to carry the Grey Cup into the stadium that day was a very special memory," recalled Makowsky, who spent 17 seasons with the Riders and holds the team record for the most games played at 284.

Former Riders receiver Matt Dominguez was on that CFL championship team. The Texas native also remembers the chill in the air.

"We came back and it was the best worst day ever. It was the best day because we had just won a championship and it was the worst day because it was probably -30C and we're out there trying to do a parade," he said, laughing.

Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field will host its final game on Saturday before it's torn down and the Riders move to a new, state-of-the-art facility next season.

The stadium originally started as a rugby field in 1910. In 1947, it was named Taylor Field after Piffles Taylor, who had been a player, coach, and executive with the Roughriders. The Mosaic title was added after Mosaic Company bought the naming rights in 2006.