Ray Syrnyk
Encyclopedia
Raymond Nicholas "Ray" Syrnyk, (born 1934 in Saskatoon
, Saskatchewan
, Canada
, died December 9, 1956 on Mount Slesse, British Columbia
, Canada) was a professional Canadian football
player, and was one of 62 people that died on Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810
, on December 9, 1956.
Syrnyk played professionally for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
as a rookie
offensive lineman at the time of his death. Syrnyk's #56 jersey
is one of eight that has been retired by the Roughriders.
in the Canadian Junior Football League
, and was a member of the 1953 Canadian Junior Football Championship Saskatoon Hilltops
.
He was enrolled as a student at the University of Saskatchewan
in Regina
at the time of his death.
in 1956. He was on his way back to Regina on Flight 810 after watching teammates Mel Becket and Gordon Sturtridge
play in the 1956
All-Star Game
in Vancouver
, British Columbia, on December 8, 1956.
, were passengers on Flight 810 with another pro football player, Calvin Jones
, of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
. All five players were present at the 1956 All-Star Game in Vancouver, and were headed back to their respective teams' home cities. The five players were accompanied by 54 other passengers, and 3 crew members who all lost their lives in Western Canada's worst aviation disaster
on December 9, 1956.
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, died December 9, 1956 on Mount Slesse, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada) was a professional Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
player, and was one of 62 people that died on Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 was a Canadair North Star on a scheduled flight from Vancouver to Calgary . The plane crashed into Mount Slesse near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, on 9 December 1956 after encountering severe icing and turbulence over the mountains...
, on December 9, 1956.
Syrnyk played professionally for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
offensive lineman at the time of his death. Syrnyk's #56 jersey
Jersey (clothing)
A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
is one of eight that has been retired by the Roughriders.
Amateur football and college career
Syrnyk played amateur Canadian footballFootball Canada
Football Canada is the governing body for amateur Canadian football. It is Canada's representative member of the International Federation of American Football , the world's governing body for American football.-History:...
in the Canadian Junior Football League
Canadian Junior Football League
The Canadian Junior Football League is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in six provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl...
, and was a member of the 1953 Canadian Junior Football Championship Saskatoon Hilltops
Saskatoon Hilltops
The Saskatoon Hilltops are a Canadian Junior Football team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hilltops play in the six-team Prairie Football Conference, which itself is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and competes annually for the national title known as the Canadian Bowl. The team...
.
He was enrolled as a student at the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
at the time of his death.
Professional career
Following junior league football, Syrnyk signed with the Saskatchewan RoughridersSaskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
in 1956. He was on his way back to Regina on Flight 810 after watching teammates Mel Becket and Gordon Sturtridge
Gordon Sturtridge
Gordon Henry Sturtridge, was a professional Canadian football player, and was one of 62 people that died on Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, on December 9, 1956....
play in the 1956
1956 in Canadian football
-Canadian Football News in 1956:On Sunday, January 22, the Canadian Football Council was formed in Winnipeg and the national negotiation list was introduced. G. Sydney Halter, QC was named as the Canadian Football Council Commissioner....
All-Star Game
CFL All-Star Game
The Canadian Football League played an all-star game regularly during the 1950s and 1970s and twice in the 1980s.The first game in 1955 actually precedes the establishment of the Canadian Football Council and the CFL, and was known as the Shrine Game. It was held each year from 1955 to 1958; then,...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia, on December 8, 1956.
Death
Syrnyk, along with Roughriders teammates, Becket, Sturtridge, and Mario DeMarcoMario DeMarco
Mario Joseph DeMarco, was a former American college football, National Football League, and professional Canadian football player, and was one of 62 people that died on Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, on December 9, 1956.Raised in Boonton, DeMarco started at offensive lineman...
, were passengers on Flight 810 with another pro football player, Calvin Jones
Cal Jones
Calvin Jack Jones was a college football player for the University of Iowa. Jones is one of only two Iowa football players to have his jersey number retired by the school. Jones became the first Hawkeye, and the first African-American, to win the Outland Trophy in 1955...
, of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
. All five players were present at the 1956 All-Star Game in Vancouver, and were headed back to their respective teams' home cities. The five players were accompanied by 54 other passengers, and 3 crew members who all lost their lives in Western Canada's worst aviation disaster
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 was a Canadair North Star on a scheduled flight from Vancouver to Calgary . The plane crashed into Mount Slesse near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, on 9 December 1956 after encountering severe icing and turbulence over the mountains...
on December 9, 1956.