RCMP and CFL: partners in sport and security

By Rheanna Philipp

RCMP Officers proudly carry the Canadian and RCMP flags during the National anthem performance at the June 30 RCMP Appreciation Game in Ottawa.
Image by Martine Chenier, RCMP

August 1, 2024

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The RCMP has had a longstanding relationship with the Canadian Football League (CFL) that goes back more than 100 years. For example, RCMP officers have carried the Grey Cup onto the field at the league championship game in a tradition that dates back many years.

This year, to build on this longstanding relationship, the RCMP is partnering with the CFL to complement recruitment efforts; encouraging Canadians to explore the possibility of a career with the RCMP.

"This partnership provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness around the work and mandate of the RCMP and its ongoing efforts to create a diverse and inclusive police force in which all Canadians can take pride," says Jamie Tomlinson, the RCMP's Executive Director of National Communications and Public Affairs.

RCMP divisions across the country maintain relationships with football clubs in their area and many RCMP officers have personal ties with the teams across Canada, such as being super fans of the league, having family who are players, or being former CFL players or employees themselves.

Kicking ball to kicking crime

RCMP Staff Sergeant Ken Walcott spent four years playing in the CFL before donning the RCMP Red Serge in 1996. Walcott played for the Ottawa Roughriders and the Toronto Argonauts between 1992 and 1995. Soon after a career-ending injury to his Achilles heel, he joined the RCMP. Now, 28 years into his career, oversees the Northeast District of the Central Region Criminal Intelligence Program.

"Becoming a police officer was something that I always wanted to do," says Walcott. "And the core values of the RCMP are very similar to the core values in football: commitment to excellence, respect, and accountability."

Kent Wagner is another current RCMP employee with former CFL ties. While he currently works with Kelowna RCMP supporting Police Dog Services, he used to be a CFL trainer.

Jen James, who works in the Suitability Unit of Recruiting at Depot, was cheerleader on the CKRM Saskatchewan Roughrider Dream Team. She later started working as a receptionist for the Roughriders at Taylor Field.

"Rider green runs through my blood," says James. "I truly do bleed green."

Historical connections

In fact, crossovers like these go back more than 100 years, starting with Corporal Brian Mercer Timmis, who worked for the RCMP in Regina beginning in 1920. Timmis, a three-time Grey Cup winner with the Hamilton Tigers, now the Tiger-Cats, played for three CFL teams from 1920 to 1938. His son and great-grandson were also CFL players Timmis is best known for playing without a helmet until he retired, following a field accident where he was nearly strangled by his own chinstrap.

During the 1930s, Lance Corporal Charles Bismark "Tiny" Hermann worked with the Nova Scotia RCMP Marine division, and later at RCMP national headquarters in Ottawa. While there, the CFL recruited him as a kicker for the team. He played for the Rough Riders from 1933 to 1940, and won the Grey Cup three times.

Retired RCMP Corporal Judson Mayes played for the CFL between 1980 and 1983 as a defensive back with the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and British Columbia Lions. After his football career, he became a police officer and joined the ranks of the RCMP in 2000.

By any other name

CFL-RCMP history goes even deeper than player-officer crossover. The term "Roughrider," made popular by CFL football teams, actually dates back as far as the inception of the RCMP.

When the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) was first formed in 1873, the core of the experienced officers and non-commissioned officers were formerly with the Royal Artillery of the British Army.

A Rough-rider was a rank of mounted soldier in the Royal Horse Artillery who trained the horses used to pull gun carriages and caissons - wagons for holding ammunition - onto the battlefield.

In 1882, the NWMP officers stationed in Regina, Saskatchewan organized a rugby football team, calling themselves the "Roughriders" because of their work training horses and recruits. Less than 30 years later, the first football team in Regina was created in 1910. While the team was officially called the Regina Rugby Club, a chance nickname was created in 1915 when the local newspaper, the Regina Leader, once casually referred to the team as the Roughriders. The name stuck and was officially changed in 1924.

A new partnership

This year, each CFL team is hosting an RCMP Appreciation Game over the course of the 2024 Canadian Football League season. The first one kicked off on June 30, in the nation's capital.

Outside the Ottawa REDBLACKS stadium, a steady stream of fans passed by the collection of RCMP recruitment and information booths before the game, while officers in Red Serge smiled for countless photographs.

Tomlinson says one of the "biggest hits" with the public was the RCMP's Tactical Armoured Vehicle (TAV). Members of the public were able to take pictures with the TAV and view the team's gear such as weapons, body armour, and door-breaching equipment.

Inside the stadium, the 20,000 spectators watched as RCMP officers carried Canada flags during the singing of the national anthem. During the game, a video highlighting the breadth of RCMP work was broadcasted across the big screens. Fans also saw messages about the RCMP on LED banners that circled the stadium throughout the game.

"Overall, the RCMP Appreciation Game was a great opportunity to advance our recruitment efforts, sharing the RCMP story and taking pride in our work and employees," says Tomlinson. "It was an exciting night for RCMP recruitment as well as for the public."