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REGINA -- The last time the Roughriders hosted the West final, John Hufnagel was standing on the sidelines watching the clinching performance.
It was 33 years ago to the day, and Hufnagel was the Stampeders quarterback as Hall-of-Famer pivot Ron Lancaster led the Riders to a 33-30 victory with a last-minute touchdown pass to Rhett Dawson.
"That was my introduction to the Little General," said Hufnagel, the current Stamps GM and head coach. "I had heard about him but never seen him before. That was the fifth game I started.
"It was my first time seeing Ronnie Lancaster play and he was impressive."
Since that day, Nov. 7, 1976, the Riders have won two Grey Cups and made the playoffs several times, but Regina hasn't hosted the West final.
The Riders can win the West Division tonight by beating the Stamps at Mosaic Stadium (back then it was the Western Conference and the stadium was Taylor Field).
A loss would extend the streak and give the Stamps a second-straight West final at McMahon Stadium.
In 1976, Roughriders head coach Ken Miller was an administrator for a public school in southern California and a part-time coach at the University of Redlands.
Miller has a hard time understanding in a four- and sometimes five-team division that the Riders would go that long without hosting the West final.
"It is hard to fathom," Miller said. "Even winning a Grey Cup in 2007 and having to go the long way. It's a long time."
In recent years, the Riders have become a perennial contender. They have already clinched a home playoff date for the third straight season after not having one since 1988. The players feel they have been building towards bigger things and that would be breaking a 33-year streak.
"It's crazy and we have to change it," said slotback Andy Fantuz, who was a rookie in 2007. "I've seen a big difference since I've been in the league ... We seem to get better every year. I like the way we're looking for this year and the future."