Roy Shivers
Encyclopedia
Roy Shivers was the General Manager
of the Saskatchewan Roughriders
of the Canadian Football League
from December 24, 1999 until August 21, 2006; the first Black general manager in professional football. He was also a former running back
in the National Football League
with the St. Louis Cardinals
. Currently, Shivers is the director of player personnel for the B.C. Lions of the CFL.
, California
in an area known as the projects. He was one of eight children. His father moved the family to the U.S. West coast to get away from the segregated south. Shivers suffered the pains of racism at a young age when he lost out a job to be quarterback for his high school team to a white person. In West Oakland black children were only allowed to play at DeFremery Park, the park could be considered as a national landmark for it has been home some of the best athletes and activists the world has seen. Shivers went to school with Bill Russell
, Frank Robinson
, Curt Flood
, Joe Morgan
and Vada Pinson
. He also grew up with the founding members of the Black Panthers, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale
and David Hilliard. Shivers would leave Oakland in 1960 to serve for the U.S. Army.
where he became a star running back and then in 1966 was drafted first round in the supplemental draft to the St. Louis Cardinals
. Shivers would lead the Cardinals in kickoff return yards with 27 for 762 yards with one returned for a touchdown.
, University of Hawaii
and University of Nevada, Las Vegas
after which Roy accepted a job to be an assistant coach for the B.C. Lions in the CFL
. Shivers would stay with the Lions for 6 seasons and rise through the ranks of the Lions front office. In 1985 the Lions won the Grey Cup
. In 1989 Shivers left B.C. for the Calgary Stampeders
to become the team's U.S. scout. In 1991, he became the team's assistant General Manager
. Calgary won the Grey Cup
in 1992. In 1995 Shivers left to become the General Manager of the expansion Birmingham Barracudas
, but the team folded after one season, as did the rest of the American expansion teams. Shivers then returned to Calgary in 1996, again as assistant GM. Calgary would win the Grey Cup
again in 1998 under head coach Wally Buono
.
in 1999, with his first two years at the Riders helm being a struggle on the field. This was to be expected as Shivers inherited a 3-15 team bereft of talent. The Riders also had a debt load of 3 million dollars (equal to the amount of credit the team had available to it) and was in financial dire straits. It was obvious; Shivers had to overhaul the team. Not surprisingly, there was 80% turnover in the team's 1999 starting roster. The only free agent signing with significant CFL experience was Calgary Stampeders
backup quarterback Henry Burris
. However, the inexperienced defence was the team's downfall as it ranked near the bottom of the league in most defensive statistical categories. The Riders posted a 5 Wins, 12 Losses and 1 Tie record and missed the playoffs in their initial rebuilding year. Shivers had publicly proclaimed it would take 3 years to restore the Saskatchewan Roughriders to being an elite CFL team, so fans remained patient.
In year 2 of the rebuilding plan, 2001, the team got off to a rough start. Quarterback Henry Burris left the Riders and signed with the NFL's Green Bay Packers
, leaving the Riders without a viable quarterback. Although team defence was markedly improved, the offense struggled. The result was another poor record (6 Wins 12 Losses) and another year out of the playoffs.
In 2002, Shivers made an important trade as the Roughriders' acquired Edmonton Eskimos
starting quarterback Nealon Greene
. While not a dominant quarterback by any means, Nealon's ability to manage the game and limit mistakes was the finishing spark that helped the Roughriders qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
Since 2002, the team has eliminated its 3 million dollar debt http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=News&file=news_dispatches&archive1=0&sid1=1655, aided mostly by hosting the Grey Cup
Championship Game, and by the provincial government forgiving over $1 Million of debt. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=9033&writer=0 Nevertheless, rising attendance also played a significant part as Shivers had restored respectability to the Riders which excited the fans to come out in greater numbers. The Riders had also made the playoffs four straight years, including two Western Division Finals in a row (2003–2004). http://www.saskriders.com/modules.php?name=News&file=throughtheyears&f_subcat=team_history However, in the later years of the franchise under Shivers helm as GM, the team seemed to hit a wall or ceiling of progress, and their record stagnated instead of improving.
. This upset many Rider fans greatly, as the Calgary Stampeders ended up rebuilding rapidly, going from being a poor team in the 2004 season to a second place finisher in the Western Conference of the CFL in season 2005. Rider fans began to voice their displeasure as to why it was taking the Riders so long to achieve similar goals, like finishing first or second in the West, and hosting a home play off game. This was compounded by starting quarterback, Nealon Greene, becoming increasingly inconsistent in the 2005 season, as Head Coach Danny Barrett benched him for poor play in favour of Marcus Crandell, their back up quarterback.
Discontent grew even further with various off the field incidents involving the Rider players during and following the 2005 season. Trevis Smith
, a starting Rider linebacker
on the defence, was charged with aggravated sexual assault
on October 28, 2005. Smith was charged with having repeated sexual encounters with women, one from Regina, Saskatchewan
and one from British Columbia
despite knowingly being HIV-positive
. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/07/12/roughrider-charged.html It was one of the biggest controversies and embarrassments ever faced by the Roughriders in their history as it made national headlines from coast to coast. Many people pointed the finger at Shivers once again, whether right or wrong, seeing Shivers as an unwilling figure in instituting a player code of conduct. The naysayers and blamers felt Shivers should have more control over his teams' behaviour. Shivers defended himself by saying what happened with Smith is a societal problem, not a football one. http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=26fdfa29-0498-4461-bd56-f509cfedd8cd
Further tarnishing the team's image was the arrest of Kenton Keith
, a Riders running back
, for aggravated assault at a Regina nightclub, on July 12, 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/07/12/roughrider-charged.html Again, fans and citizens were upset with the Riders and Roy Shivers, and viewed the team as becoming out of control in the community. However, even with a code of conduct for players reportedly in the works and soon forthcoming http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/07/13/sask-conduct.html, others maintain that personal individual responsibility supersedes the control Shivers or any other Riders' management should have over the players. This is precisely the argument put forward by Shivers, as he views many of these things as societal issues, and not football ones. Many agree with Shivers, while others disagree.
Danny Barrett
, a man with no prior CFL
head coaching experience, or head coaching experience at any level.
"The one thing I did right was (hire) Danny Barrett.
He's a good young black coach. Most of our guys are young black kids. We've got a head coach our people like to play for," Shivers said. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam030724/col_jones-sun.html
Shivers had been known to speak his mind on issues facing his team and wasn't afraid to criticize players when he perceived a lack of effort or poor play. This served to motivate the team often.
One situation which some fans view as controversial in Shivers' tenure is his failed negotiations with quarterback Henry Burris
. Burris was a free agent in the spring of 2005 after the team narrowly lost the Western Final to the BC Lions the previous November. Burris was uncomfortable with the then back-up quarterback Nealon Greene
remaining on the roster. He wanted a commitment to be named the clear starting quarterback for the Riders. Despite being offered the richest contract in club history at the time, Burris chose to accept a more lucrative offer from the Calgary Stampeders
. It was never clear if Burris was actually promised the starting quarterbacking position with the Riders, as many contradictory statements were made regarding this matter. Burris also maintained the Riders offered him less money than Shivers had publicly stated. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=9609&writer=0 Many point to the failure to re-sign Burris, rightly or wrongly, as being the beginning of the end for Roy Shivers as the general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=30 as there was a concern that the Riders had regressed, a lack of progress was being made in signing players who would be free agents in 2007 to extensions, plus Shivers' was not comfortable with the new power structure of the Riders to be implemented in 2007. At the time of Roy Shivers' firing, the Riders board of directors
, led by President
and CEO Jim Hopson http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=32, openly expressed their displeasure at the lack of progress on thirteen soon-to-be Rider free agents not being signed for the 2007 season. In total, 30 Riders are about to enter the option years of their contracts in season 2007, with not one of them signed to future contracts halfway into the 2006 season. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=10983&writer=0 Many balk at this statement, however, as other CFL teams also have a large number of players going into their option years in season 2007. However, alarm bells also were being sounded as the Riders are presently also committed to $4.5 Million in salary, well over the new $3.8 Million salary cap to be instituted by the CFL in 2007. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=10983&writer=0
With Shivers publicly refusing to accept forthcoming changes for the 2007 season in the Rider power structure, a clash was bound to happen. President Jim Hopson, the Riders board of directors agreed, would be given powers that would supersede Shivers in the organization. Shivers went on record in April 2006 that he would not work for Hopson as he didn't trust or like him.
"I told them in April that I would not work for Hopson," Shivers told the Regina Leader-Post
Monday after being informed of the club's decision (to have Hopson supersede him), "I can work with him, but I can't work for him because I dislike him and I don't trust him." http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=174991&hubname=
Thus, Shivers was fired from his post as general manager, with the board unanimous in its decision to fire Shivers. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=174919&hubname=
During his era as Riders general manager, Shivers lived part-time in Regina, the home of the Roughriders during the season.
. He's been married to Carol Brown for 39 years. They have three daughters (Rommy, Renne and Nicole), a grandson (Nicholas) and a granddaugher (Nico).
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of 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...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
from December 24, 1999 until August 21, 2006; the first Black general manager in professional football. He was also a former running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
with the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Currently, Shivers is the director of player personnel for the B.C. Lions of the CFL.
His Early Years
Shivers grew up in OaklandOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in an area known as the projects. He was one of eight children. His father moved the family to the U.S. West coast to get away from the segregated south. Shivers suffered the pains of racism at a young age when he lost out a job to be quarterback for his high school team to a white person. In West Oakland black children were only allowed to play at DeFremery Park, the park could be considered as a national landmark for it has been home some of the best athletes and activists the world has seen. Shivers went to school with Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
, Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
, Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
, Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
and Vada Pinson
Vada Pinson
Vada Edward Pinson, Jr. was an American center fielder and coach in Major League Baseball. Pinson played in the major leagues for 18 years, from 1958 through 1975, and his greatest seasons were with the Cincinnati Redlegs/Reds, for whom he played from 1958–68.Pinson combined power, speed and...
. He also grew up with the founding members of the Black Panthers, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale
Robert George "Bobby" Seale , is an activist. He is known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with Huey Newton.-Early life:...
and David Hilliard. Shivers would leave Oakland in 1960 to serve for the U.S. Army.
Football Playing Days
In 1964, after serving four years in the army, Shivers went to Utah StateUtah State Aggies football
The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Romney Stadium since 1968...
where he became a star running back and then in 1966 was drafted first round in the supplemental draft to the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Shivers would lead the Cardinals in kickoff return yards with 27 for 762 yards with one returned for a touchdown.
Coaching and Managing
Shivers would play seven years in the NFL before he began coaching at Merritt Junior College in Oakland. He would also coach at the University of NevadaNevada Wolf Pack football
The Nevada Wolf Pack Football program represents the University of Nevada, Reno in college football. The Wolf Pack competes in the Western Athletic Conference at the Football Bowl Subdivision level of the NCAA...
, University of Hawaii
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
and University of Nevada, Las Vegas
UNLV Rebels football
The UNLV Rebels football program is a college football team that represents the University of Nevada, Las Vegas . The team is currently a member of the Mountain West Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association...
after which Roy accepted a job to be an assistant coach for the B.C. Lions in the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. Shivers would stay with the Lions for 6 seasons and rise through the ranks of the Lions front office. In 1985 the Lions won the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
. In 1989 Shivers left B.C. for the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
to become the team's U.S. scout. In 1991, he became the team's assistant General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. Calgary won the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
in 1992. In 1995 Shivers left to become the General Manager of the expansion Birmingham Barracudas
Birmingham Barracudas
The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.-In the beginning:...
, but the team folded after one season, as did the rest of the American expansion teams. Shivers then returned to Calgary in 1996, again as assistant GM. Calgary would win the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
again in 1998 under head coach Wally Buono
Wally Buono
Pasquale "Wally" Buono is the head coach, general manager and alternate governor of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, and one of the most successful coaches in league history. He is in his 19th year of coaching, previously as head coach of the Calgary Stampeders and currently with the...
.
Turning Around the Roughriders
Shivers became General Manager of 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 1999, with his first two years at the Riders helm being a struggle on the field. This was to be expected as Shivers inherited a 3-15 team bereft of talent. The Riders also had a debt load of 3 million dollars (equal to the amount of credit the team had available to it) and was in financial dire straits. It was obvious; Shivers had to overhaul the team. Not surprisingly, there was 80% turnover in the team's 1999 starting roster. The only free agent signing with significant CFL experience was Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
backup quarterback Henry Burris
Henry Burris
Henry Burris, Jr. is a professional Canadian and former American football player. Burris plays the quarterback position with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders. Burris spent one year as a reserve quarterback for the National Football League's Chicago Bears...
. However, the inexperienced defence was the team's downfall as it ranked near the bottom of the league in most defensive statistical categories. The Riders posted a 5 Wins, 12 Losses and 1 Tie record and missed the playoffs in their initial rebuilding year. Shivers had publicly proclaimed it would take 3 years to restore the Saskatchewan Roughriders to being an elite CFL team, so fans remained patient.
In year 2 of the rebuilding plan, 2001, the team got off to a rough start. Quarterback Henry Burris left the Riders and signed with the NFL's Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, leaving the Riders without a viable quarterback. Although team defence was markedly improved, the offense struggled. The result was another poor record (6 Wins 12 Losses) and another year out of the playoffs.
In 2002, Shivers made an important trade as the Roughriders' acquired Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
starting quarterback Nealon Greene
Nealon Greene
Nealon Greene is an American-born Canadian football quarterback.After spending his collegiate career with Clemson, where he became the school's career leader in passing yardage, Greene came to the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts...
. While not a dominant quarterback by any means, Nealon's ability to manage the game and limit mistakes was the finishing spark that helped the Roughriders qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
Since 2002, the team has eliminated its 3 million dollar debt http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=News&file=news_dispatches&archive1=0&sid1=1655, aided mostly by hosting the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
Championship Game, and by the provincial government forgiving over $1 Million of debt. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=9033&writer=0 Nevertheless, rising attendance also played a significant part as Shivers had restored respectability to the Riders which excited the fans to come out in greater numbers. The Riders had also made the playoffs four straight years, including two Western Division Finals in a row (2003–2004). http://www.saskriders.com/modules.php?name=News&file=throughtheyears&f_subcat=team_history However, in the later years of the franchise under Shivers helm as GM, the team seemed to hit a wall or ceiling of progress, and their record stagnated instead of improving.
Controversies Mount and Stagnation
Mired in back to back .500 seasons (winning percentage-wise) in the years 2004 and 2005, the Riders exited the playoffs early and were seen by most fans as not living up to their expectations. Many blamed the coaching, while others pointed their fingers back to when Shivers failed to resign Henry Burris, who moved onto success with the rival Calgary StampedersCalgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. This upset many Rider fans greatly, as the Calgary Stampeders ended up rebuilding rapidly, going from being a poor team in the 2004 season to a second place finisher in the Western Conference of the CFL in season 2005. Rider fans began to voice their displeasure as to why it was taking the Riders so long to achieve similar goals, like finishing first or second in the West, and hosting a home play off game. This was compounded by starting quarterback, Nealon Greene, becoming increasingly inconsistent in the 2005 season, as Head Coach Danny Barrett benched him for poor play in favour of Marcus Crandell, their back up quarterback.
Discontent grew even further with various off the field incidents involving the Rider players during and following the 2005 season. Trevis Smith
Trevis Smith
Trevis Smith was a professional Linkline operator and also football linebacker who played seven years with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League...
, a starting Rider linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
on the defence, was charged with aggravated sexual assault
Aggravated sexual assault
Aggravated Sexual Assault is when one commits an aggravated assault of a sexual nature and who wounds, maims, disfigures or endangers the life of the complainant....
on October 28, 2005. Smith was charged with having repeated sexual encounters with women, one from Regina, Saskatchewan
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...
and one from 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...
despite knowingly being HIV-positive
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/07/12/roughrider-charged.html It was one of the biggest controversies and embarrassments ever faced by the Roughriders in their history as it made national headlines from coast to coast. Many people pointed the finger at Shivers once again, whether right or wrong, seeing Shivers as an unwilling figure in instituting a player code of conduct. The naysayers and blamers felt Shivers should have more control over his teams' behaviour. Shivers defended himself by saying what happened with Smith is a societal problem, not a football one. http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=26fdfa29-0498-4461-bd56-f509cfedd8cd
Further tarnishing the team's image was the arrest of Kenton Keith
Kenton Keith
Kenton Jermaine Keith is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
, a Riders running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, for aggravated assault at a Regina nightclub, on July 12, 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/07/12/roughrider-charged.html Again, fans and citizens were upset with the Riders and Roy Shivers, and viewed the team as becoming out of control in the community. However, even with a code of conduct for players reportedly in the works and soon forthcoming http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/07/13/sask-conduct.html, others maintain that personal individual responsibility supersedes the control Shivers or any other Riders' management should have over the players. This is precisely the argument put forward by Shivers, as he views many of these things as societal issues, and not football ones. Many agree with Shivers, while others disagree.
A Mixed Record
Shivers' first major decision as the Riders' General Manager was to hire his coachCoach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Danny Barrett
Danny Barrett
Danny Barrett is a former Canadian Football League quarterback and former quarterbacks coach at the University at Buffalo. He was previously the head coach of the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders....
, a man with no prior CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
head coaching experience, or head coaching experience at any level.
"The one thing I did right was (hire) Danny Barrett.
He's a good young black coach. Most of our guys are young black kids. We've got a head coach our people like to play for," Shivers said. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam030724/col_jones-sun.html
Shivers had been known to speak his mind on issues facing his team and wasn't afraid to criticize players when he perceived a lack of effort or poor play. This served to motivate the team often.
One situation which some fans view as controversial in Shivers' tenure is his failed negotiations with quarterback Henry Burris
Henry Burris
Henry Burris, Jr. is a professional Canadian and former American football player. Burris plays the quarterback position with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders. Burris spent one year as a reserve quarterback for the National Football League's Chicago Bears...
. Burris was a free agent in the spring of 2005 after the team narrowly lost the Western Final to the BC Lions the previous November. Burris was uncomfortable with the then back-up quarterback Nealon Greene
Nealon Greene
Nealon Greene is an American-born Canadian football quarterback.After spending his collegiate career with Clemson, where he became the school's career leader in passing yardage, Greene came to the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts...
remaining on the roster. He wanted a commitment to be named the clear starting quarterback for the Riders. Despite being offered the richest contract in club history at the time, Burris chose to accept a more lucrative offer from the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. It was never clear if Burris was actually promised the starting quarterbacking position with the Riders, as many contradictory statements were made regarding this matter. Burris also maintained the Riders offered him less money than Shivers had publicly stated. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=9609&writer=0 Many point to the failure to re-sign Burris, rightly or wrongly, as being the beginning of the end for Roy Shivers as the general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Fired By the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Shivers was fired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=30 as there was a concern that the Riders had regressed, a lack of progress was being made in signing players who would be free agents in 2007 to extensions, plus Shivers' was not comfortable with the new power structure of the Riders to be implemented in 2007. At the time of Roy Shivers' firing, the Riders board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, led by President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and CEO Jim Hopson http://www.riderville.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=32, openly expressed their displeasure at the lack of progress on thirteen soon-to-be Rider free agents not being signed for the 2007 season. In total, 30 Riders are about to enter the option years of their contracts in season 2007, with not one of them signed to future contracts halfway into the 2006 season. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=10983&writer=0 Many balk at this statement, however, as other CFL teams also have a large number of players going into their option years in season 2007. However, alarm bells also were being sounded as the Riders are presently also committed to $4.5 Million in salary, well over the new $3.8 Million salary cap to be instituted by the CFL in 2007. http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&topicnum=&nid=10983&writer=0
With Shivers publicly refusing to accept forthcoming changes for the 2007 season in the Rider power structure, a clash was bound to happen. President Jim Hopson, the Riders board of directors agreed, would be given powers that would supersede Shivers in the organization. Shivers went on record in April 2006 that he would not work for Hopson as he didn't trust or like him.
"I told them in April that I would not work for Hopson," Shivers told the Regina Leader-Post
Regina Leader-Post
The Regina Leader-Post is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and now a member of the Postmedia Network.The newspaper was first published as The Leader in 1883, by Nicholas Flood Davin...
Monday after being informed of the club's decision (to have Hopson supersede him), "I can work with him, but I can't work for him because I dislike him and I don't trust him." http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=174991&hubname=
Thus, Shivers was fired from his post as general manager, with the board unanimous in its decision to fire Shivers. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=174919&hubname=
Summation of Shivers' Time With the Riders
Shivers took over a terrible 3-15 team that had had the worst record in the league over the previous decade and after a two year rebuilding period led the team to the playoffs in five straight years, and to the Western Final in three of his last four years. His overall record was 52 Wins, 64 Losses, and 1 Tie. Many fans label this as mediocre as it is below a .500 winning percentage while others believe that the team's struggles in the first two years were predictable based on a "cleaning house" by Shivers. As is often the case, when overhauling a team, growing pains and losses ensue early on in the hopes of building a consistent winning team. Despite his below .500 record while on his general managership watch with the Riders, it is a widely held belief that Shivers did help restore respectability to Rider football, both on the field and at the attendance gate. The previous Riders' regime was an abysmal 3 wins and 15 losses football team and was floundering financially and on the field. Shivers definitely helped right the Rider ship, but the team failed to meet expectations in the end winnings-wise. Shivers helped rescue the team from a terrible dearth of talent and financial plight, but then the team began to be perceived as chronic underachievers as it seemed to stagnate and not be able to press onto the next level. The various players off the field controversies coupled further with a perceived power struggle with the Riders CEO Jim Hopson and the Riders' board of directors, ended up reaching a critical boiling point, and Shivers ended up being fired from his duties as the Riders general manager. Although Shivers was fired on August 21, 2006, the Riders board of directors claim the decision was made already on August 18, 2006.During his era as Riders general manager, Shivers lived part-time in Regina, the home of the Roughriders during the season.
B.C. Lions
On January 28, 2008, Shivers was hired as the director of player personnel for the B.C. Lions. This re-unites him with Lions GM/Head Coach Wally Buono, whom he worked with during their tenure with the Calgary Stampeders in the 1990s.Personal
In the offseason, Shivers lives in Henderson, NevadaHenderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
. He's been married to Carol Brown for 39 years. They have three daughters (Rommy, Renne and Nicole), a grandson (Nicholas) and a granddaugher (Nico).