Ray Syrnyk
| Born: | 1934 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
|---|---|
| Died: | December 9, 1956 (aged 21–22) Mount Slesse, British Columbia |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | OL |
| CJFL | Saskatoon Hilltops |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1956 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Retired #s | 56 (Saskatchewan Roughriders) |
Raymond Nicholas "Ray" Syrnyk, (1934 – December 9, 1956) was a professional Canadian football player, and was one of 62 people who died on Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810.[1]
Syrnyk played professionally for the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a rookie offensive lineman at the time of his death. Syrnyk's No. 56 jersey is one of eight that has been retired by the Roughriders.
Amateur football and college career[edit]
Syrnyk played amateur Canadian football in the Canadian Junior Football League, and was a member of the 1953 Canadian Junior Football Championship Saskatoon Hilltops.[1]
He was enrolled as a student at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon at the time of his death.[1]
Professional career[edit]
Following junior league football, Syrnyk signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1956.[1] 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.[1]
Death[edit]
Syrnyk, along with Roughriders teammates, Becket, Sturtridge, and Mario DeMarco, were passengers on Flight 810 with another pro football player, Calvin Jones, of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[1] All five players were 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.[1] The crash is the subject of the 2012 documentary The Crash, part of TSN's Engraved on a Nation series of eight documentaries celebrating the 100th Grey Cup.[2][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g O'Keefe, Betty (2006). Disaster on Mount Slesse. Caitlin Press. ISBN 1-894759-21-4.
- ^ McNeil, Shane (November 2, 2012). "Engraved On a Nation: A Family United Through Tragedy". The Sports Network. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- ^ Beamish, Mike (November 1, 2012). "Fatal 1956 CFL air crash-Engraved On a Nation: Recalling a flight taken, and not taken". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- 1934 births
- 1956 deaths
- Accidental deaths in British Columbia
- Canadian football offensive linemen
- Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan Roughriders players
- Canadian football people from Saskatoon
- University of Saskatchewan alumni
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Canada
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1956