On November 25, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19 in Toronto to win the 2007 Grey Cup game, the championship match in the Canadian Football League (CFL). That’s football played in helmets and with an elongated ball, not soccer.

After 95 Grey Cup finals, Saskatchewan has triumphed only three times (previously in 1989 and 1966), despite the CFL having just eight teams. Media commentators gave much of the credit to head-coach Kent Austin and to quarterback Kerry Joseph.

Untold thousands of Riders fans erupted in glee. They cheered in Regina, the team’s home city, across the province, in every corner of Canada and around the world – everywhere Saskatchewan people have migrated.

In Hong Kong, my wife and I celebrated too, having lived in Regina from 1987 to 1992. Loyalty to the Riders knows no borders or time limits.

When the Grey Cup game’s final score appeared on the Internet (on a Monday morning Hong Kong time), I emailed it to my wife. Immediately, she telephoned me.

“I’m in my office (on the 18th floor of a building in the business district),” she said. “What should I do to celebrate?”

“Why not go down to the street and then run around outside, screaming and waving your arms?” I suggested.

“People in Regina must be going crazy right now,” she said.

The victory stirred fond memories of the Riders’ last Cup-winning season when we lived much nearer the action. From our home, we could hear every roar of the crowd in the nearby stadium.

Then Austin shone as a star quarterback. By winning again in his first season as the coach, he becomes a Saskatchewan hero larger than life. Will he become a successful politician next?

Usually, the Riders fall short because Regina’s the smallest CFL city. Despite diehard fans, the team often lacks the financial resources and star players that go to its rivals.

After a long wait, victory tastes all the sweeter.

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