Former Riders head coach John Gregory dead at age 84

One of the key members of the 1989 Grey Cup championship team for the Saskatchewan Roughriders has passed away.

Former head coach John Gregory has died at the age of 84.

Gregory was hired as the Roughriders head coach following the 1986 season. After missing the playoffs in 1987, Gregory led the Riders to a playoff berth in 1988.

In 1989, after the Roughriders finished third in the CFL’s Western Division with a 9-9 record, he guided the green and white to upset victories in Calgary and Edmonton before the Roughriders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 1989 Grey Cup, to claim the franchise’s second Grey Cup victory.

Gregory lasted as head coach with Saskatchewan until the 1991 season when he was replaced by Don Matthews after the team started the year with a 1-6 record.

It wasn’t long before the native of Webster City, Iowa found work again as he hired by the Tiger-Cats later that season to be the team’s new head coach. Over four seasons, he led Hamilton to a pair of playoff appearances with a 24-40 record.

Following his time coaching in the Canadian Football League, Gregory moved on the Arena Football League, where he spent the final 15 years of his coaching career.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders issued a statement on their social media platforms on Monday afternoon.

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