Bob Hornsberger recalls how George Reed taught a history class at Scott Collegiate just one day after rushing for 268 yards for the Roughriders
After a 268-yard performance against the B.C. Lions on Oct. 24, 1965, Reed — who was just 26 at the time — showed up to his other job the next morning as a substitute teacher at Scott Collegiate in Regina.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” recalled Bob Hornsberger, now 76, who was a Grade 12 student at Scott Collegiate that year. “At 8:30 in the morning, the first class we had that morning was Canadian history.
“Before he came in, all of us were talking about the game the day before.
“All of a sudden he comes walking in the room and you could have heard a pin drop. It was total silence. Nobody knew what to say. None of us did.
“He walked to the front of the room and he opened up a textbook and he began lecturing.
“And all of us just sat there and took our notes studiously.”
Speaking to the Leader-Post, Hornsberger can vividly remember watching the record-setting game in 1965 when Reed rushed for 268 yards, which remains the CFL’s second-highest single game total.
“He had taken quite a pounding but he got up as he always did; slowly and walked back to the huddle and then explode on the next play again,” Hornsberger said of Reed, who was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 1965 after rushing for 1,768 yards that season, also a Rider record. “He would do this over and over and over again.”
Hornsberger also remembers waiting until that history class was over the next day; hoping for an opportunity to speak directly to one of his idols.
“I stayed back because I didn’t want to let the moment pass without saying something,” said an emotional Hornsberger. “And before I could even get the words out of my mouth, which were mumbling at best … he says, ‘Bob, can you hear me back there?’
“And I just looked at him and I said, ‘Yeah, I hear you Mr. Reed; loud and clear.’
“And he smiled. Then I walked out and went to my next class.”
For years, Hornsberger thought about the missed opportunity. Then a chance meeting happened outside a gas station in Regina 48 years in 2013.
“I get out of the car and there’s George coming out after paying for his gas,” said Hornsberger. “And I said, ‘Mr. George Reed.’
“He looked at me and I walked over to him and I extended my hand. He grabbed it willingly and I said, ‘You probably don’t remember me, but back in ‘65 in the fall when you set that rushing record for most yards in a game, you had to teach a history class the next morning.’
“And he says, ‘Yes, at Scott Collegiate.’
“And I said, ‘Well, I was in that class and my name is Bob Hornsberger.’
“And I didn’t even get Hornsberger out and he squeezed my hand and he said, ‘I remember you.’ ”
Reed and Hornsberger chatted for a few moments before Reed referenced a high school football game in 1965 when Hornsberger and his Scott Collegiate Blues played in the city final.
“Our team played Balfour, who was a powerhouse football team back then; they won like 48 straight games,” said Hornsberger, who went on to play for the Regina Rams from 1966-68. “And we played the in the city final and lost 44-9.
“But we ran a trick play on them at the beginning of the game and I was lucky enough to carry the ball 88 yards for a touchdown.
“When I ran into the end zone, I slowed down and did a ‘George Reed.’
“I slowed down and just let the ball just drop out of my hands, came to a slow stop then turned around and walked out of the end zone.
“And he said to me, ‘You did a mimicry of me in the end zone,’ because I guess he went to the game.
“And I thought to myself, that he would remember that all these years later, to that level of detail, what does that say about the character of that man?
“What a kind, gentle, humble soul he was.”
“I sat down and in about a half-hour, I cranked out that poem,” said Hornsberger. “My intention here is not for any attention … what I’m looking for is to honour this man.
“It’s not expert prose but it certainly captured the essence of what I wanted to say.”
“Old Heroes” by Bob Hornsberger
I recall my heroes from way back in the day.
Hanging on to what they did and what they’d say.
They were the professional athletes that lived in our town.
Making memories for themselves and all of us around.
—
There is one such hero that stands out for me.
He played football with grace and also with dignity.
His name was George Reed of Roughrider fame.
He was all in when it came to playing the game.
—
I was fortunate enough to have him as a teacher.
History was what he taught and was the main speaker.
His voice was soft and sometimes hard to hear.
Often because of his exploits we all wanted to cheer.
—
There was something endearing about this Black man.
It wasn’t until years later I began to understand.
George suffered racism something I knew little about.
I was a young white teenager living with self-doubt.
—
But I watched George play the game he loved
Being tackled and hit and constantly shoved.
I began to see his game mimicked his life,
Where in spite of his success there was always strife.
—
He got involved in activities throughout our community,
He wanted everyone no matter your status to have an opportunity.
The less fortunate he would reach out to help them indeed.
Soon everyone knew of this man named George Reed.
—
I would run into him later in life when we were both old.
We talked about life and my excitement I had to control.
He had not changed in the 45 years since last we spoke.
The memories of this incredible man emotions it did evoke.
—
Years later I read in the paper that his health was poor.
Much difficulty and pain in old age he had endured.
The pounding he had taken to play the game he loved,
Took its toll, the tackles, the hits and the all shoves.
—
I read the obituary of his life and all he did,
And I was taken back to when I was a young kid.
Watching him prance to the end zone to win the Grey Cup,
And lifting the spirits of a province way up.
—
But he did so much more than he might have thought
To this province and kids like me pride he brought.
To be from Saskatchewan a champion indeed!
All because of a man named George Reed.
The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.