"Ronnie was one of the greatest football players and even more important, one of the greatest human beings I have had the privilege to know," commented Riders President/CEO Jim Hopson. "His loss will be deeply felt in Saskatchewan and across the nation as Ron touched so many people through his playing, coaching and commentator work."
Lancaster joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1963 following a trade from the Ottawa Rough Riders. He spent sixteen seasons playing for the Green and White and retired from his playing days as the most prolific passer the CFL had ever seen.
Lancaster's name still tops the Roughrider record books in many categories including his 3,186 pass completions, 46,710 passing yards and 299 touchdown passes. He led the Riders to the playoffs in 14 of his 16 seasons, culminating in the Riders first every Grey Cup championship in 1966.
Ron won the Schenley Award as Most Outstanding Player in 1970 and 1976 and was a finalist for the award in 1966. He was an All-Canadian in 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976 and a Western all-star in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.
Lancaster also taught high school in Regina for 7 Ѕ years while playing for the Riders and became a player/coach from 1972 through 1978. He was the offensive coordinator in 1977 and 1978, while still running the offence at quarterback. He spent 1979 and 1980 as head coach of the Riders.
After leaving his position with the Riders, Ron joined CBC as a colour commentator on CFL broadcasts. He spent the next decade in this capacity and was described by many as one the best football commentators ever.
From 1991 to 1997, Lancaster was the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. He lead the Eskimos to the West Final in six of his seven seasons and won the Grey Cup in 1993. His 83 regular season head coaching wins still rank first all-time in Edmonton and he was named CFL Coach of the Year in 1993.
Lancaster took over as head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1998 and was once again named CFL Coach of the Year. He led the team to a Grey Cup championship in 1999 and retired from coaching following the 2002 season.
While Lancaster had no official ties to the Riders since 1980 he continued to support the team through the years with numerous appearances. To recognize and thank him for all his support to the organization a giant banner of Ron was erected on the west faзade of Mosaic Stadium in 2006.
"We could never thank Ron enough for everything he did for the Roughriders and the community. He left behind a legacy to this province as arguably the greatest and most popular player of all time," concluded Hopson.
He is survived by wife his wife Beth, three children Lana, Ron and Bob and his four grandchildren.
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