It's hard to imagine these days, but there was a time when the Saskatchewan Roughriders were the charity case of the CFL.

In the 1990s, there was a real possibility that the team would fold under the weight of millions of dollars of debt. The seats were empty, and the team even needed a telethon to keep it on the field.

Today, the Riders are the most profitable team in the league, selling out often and cashing in on a windfall of merchandise. A couple Grey Cups along the way sure helped.

Rewind to 1997 though, and with the team of the ropes, an unlikely saviour emerged.

Every week, we'll be dipping into the CBC Saskatchewan video vault to find stories that were making news back in the day. If there's an old story you remember and want to see again, we want to hear from you.

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