“Don’t stop believing.” Three words of immense encouragement to this year’s Rams team from former University of Regina Rams, CFL, and NFL punter extraordinaire Jon Ryan BA ’05, LLD’19 (Honorary). Jeff Zimmer BSc’01, BEd’03 still remembers the feeling of victory when he and teammate Jon Ryan helped the University of Regina Rams claim their first Hardy Cup over the hometown Manitoba Bisons in 2000. Now, 24 years later, he watched with pride as his son, Owen, contributed to the Rams’ second Hardy Cup victory, a gritty 19-14 win over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on November 9 in Saskatoon. The win means the Rams will host the Rouge et Or de l'Université Laval at Mosaic Stadium on November 16 at 2 p.m. for the 2024 Sask Lotteries Mitchell Bowl.
My dad always told me how special it was to win that Hardy Cup. I’ve been hearing about it all my life. Now, that I’ve experienced it, I understand what he meant. Now I’m following in my Dad’s footsteps and it all feels too surreal, like one big dream and it’s amazing. — Owen Zimmer, first-year U of R student and Rams linebacker
Reflecting on the 2000 team and the current edition of the Rams, Jeff sees striking similarities. “They are very, very similar,” he says of the two Rams teams separated by 24 years. “In 2000, everybody had written us off. We had a similar record going into the playoffs as this year’s team. But I remember feeling like if we played our game and the coaches put us in good situations, we had chance to win.”
For Owen, a linebacker in his first season, wearing the Rams jersey means more than just representing the U of R — it’s carrying on a family legacy. “My dad always told me how special it was to win that Hardy Cup,” he says. “I’ve been hearing about it all my life. Now that I’ve experienced it, I understand what he meant. Now, I’m following in my Dad’s footsteps and it all feels too surreal, like one big dream and it’s amazing.”
The Rams’ journey this season hasn’t been easy. After starting 2-0, they faced a brutal five-game losing streak. However, a season-ending win over Alberta secured their playoff spot, and they carried that momentum to upset the top-seeded Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West semifinal. The Rams then toppled the Huskies to become the first team in conference history to win the Hardy Cup with a 3-5 record.
The elder Zimmer, who was a three-time Canada West all-star, an All-Canadian in 2001, and the 2001 Canada West Defensive Player of the Year, chalks up the late season heroics to good old-fashioned Prairie football.
“Prairie football to me is gritty football,” Jeff says. “It's representative of Saskatchewan people. Living here creates a certain type of person who perseveres and is tenacious. Saskatchewan football develops players that have a certain grit built into them. That’s what we see in the players on this year’s team.”
This year’s Mitchell Bowl marks the first time in program history that Regina will host a national semifinal. The winner will advance to the Vanier Cup, the pinnacle of U SPORTS football in Canada.
At last year’s Vanier Cup in Kingston, Ontario, U SPORTS officials announced that the U of R had won the right to host the 2025 national championship. Next year’s event not only marks the 25th anniversary of the only appearance the Rams have made in the Vanier Cup - back in 2000 in a 42-39 loss to Ottawa - it also marks the 60th anniversary of the cup itself. The touchstone event has only been held on the Prairies once before – in Saskatoon in 2006. Next year, again in this football hotbed province, the Vanier Cup promises to be an even more memorable event. Fingers crossed the Rams are in the game.
Owen Zimmer likes the Rams chances to appear in a second Vanier Cup.
“I’m expecting us to go out and play our game,” he says. “We’ve been building our offense, we have the best defence in Canada West, and we’ve been steadily improving. We continue to win late in games. We are not taking Laval lightly, but we will play Rams football and overall it’s going to be a great game.”
Win or lose, Jeff Zimmer hopes that Owen takes everything in stride and enjoys the experience, something he says that 24 years ago was a little lost on him.
“I guess maybe I took my experience slightly for granted,” says Jeff. “This is only the second time in 24 years that the Rams have been there. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Owen. So above all, he should enjoy everything about this experience.”
Cheer on your Rams in person at the 2024 Sask Lotteries Mitchell Bowl at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, November 16 at 2 p.m. Get your tickets today! (U of R students get in free but need to secure a ticket.) Get your tickets here.
As the Rams prepare for the Mitchell Bowl, they do so with the support of alumni, fans, and an entire province cheering them on. For Jeff Zimmer, seeing his son experience the same elation he felt back in 2000 is more than he could have hoped.
“When I see Owen out there, it reminds me of the team I was part of,” Jeff says. “It’s a special feeling, and I couldn’t be prouder. We’re all excited to see how far this team can go.”
Rams Nation, don’t ever stop believing!
Show your support for our Rams. Write your words of encouragement on the Go Rams, Go! poster.
Nov. 14: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. @ Riddell Centre, near Multipurpose Room, Food Court.
Nov.15: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. @ CKHS Lobby outside Gym 1.
About the University of Regina
2024 marks our 50th anniversary as an independent University (although our roots as Regina College date back more than a century!). As we celebrate our past, we work towards a future that is as limitless as the prairie horizon. We support the health and well-being of our 17,200 students and provide them with hands-on learning opportunities to develop career-ready graduates – more than 92,000 alumni enrich communities in Saskatchewan and around the globe. Our research enterprise has grown to 21 research centres and 9 Canada Research Chairs. Our campuses are on Treaties 4 and 6 - the territories of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda peoples, and the homeland of the Michif/Métis nation. We seek to grow our relationships with Indigenous communities to build a more inclusive future.
Let’s go far, together.