Roughriders legend George Reed reflects on moving to Saskatchewan

George Reed is widely known as one of the greatest running backs in CFL history.

After his long Hall of Fame career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Reed decided to stay in the province.

But when he first travelled to Regina in 1963 to play football, he actually drove right past the city before turning around in Balgonie.

"It was quite different coming from Seattle," Reed told CBC's The Morning Edition. "I wasn't really interested in a lot of things around the city. I was interested — I was a rookie — in trying to make the football team."

Here I am not causing any trouble or doing anything wrong and still I wasn't able to find a place.- George Reed

When he first found Taylor Field, Reed said he wasn't exactly blown away.

"I just said to myself, 'What am I getting myself into?' " he said. "I guess if I hadn't been so stubborn, I would have probably got in the car and went back (to Seattle) and got ready for the National Football League."

"I had only come up here because they offered me more money to come to Canada to play."

Culture shock

While Reed would soon be idolized by football fans in the province, he never imagined staying in Saskatchewan when he retired. 

Reed got a job with Molson Brewery and decided to settle down in Regina. However, it actually took Reed about two years just to find a place to live.

"It took me a long while to try to find an apartment that people would rent to me — that type of thing," he said. "I would answer an ad in the paper and then I guess when they saw my face, it was a shock I guess. I didn't know I was that ugly. I was a shock to them and all of a sudden the place had been rented."

Either I started warming to people or people started warming up to me. And I'm still here- George Reed

Such experiences are the focus of the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum's 10th anniversary symposium this weekend. Reed will be speaking at the event.

"I was taken back by it," he said. "Here I am not causing any trouble or doing anything wrong and still I wasn't able to find a place. But I took solace in I had a lot of great teammates."

Reed said he'd stay in hotels during the football season and then he'd go home to Seattle in the off-season.

"Those first couple of years were pretty tough," Reed said. "It was like I was debating whether I'd even come back after the second year."

A legend was born

Reed played 13 seasons in Saskatchewan before retiring as the CFL's all-time rushing leader — a record he held for 33 years. Reed still holds the record for rushing touchdowns with 134.

Reed said he decided he could stay in the province to save money and have his family together in Saskatchewan.

"I didn't anticipate playing for 13 years," he said. "I thought I'd come up and maybe play — if I made the team — four or five years and then I would probably head back (to the U.S.)."

In 1965, he was named the CFL's most outstanding player.

"I often say that sometimes awards overcome colour," he said. "Then I started working with Molson and I was getting around different parts of the province. And started talking to people."

"I would put it this way: Either I started warming to people or people started warming up to me. And I'm still here."

The Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum's symposium runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Orr Centre in Regina.

There will also be a banquet at 6 p.m. at the Queensbury Convention Centre, where CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge and former Roughriders receiver Matt Dominguez will be speaking. Find tickets and more information here.