Goodbye Schultzy: Remembering Scott Schultz

It’s official, Saskatchewan Roughrider’s defensive tackle and fan favourite Scott Schultz has retired from the Canadian Football League. Unexpected and sort of untimely, the announcement is definitely surprising and saddening for the "Rider Nation."

A retirement during the beginning of the season is rare, but Scott Schultz is apparently pursuing a promising career opportunity in the insurance business.

Though Scott Schultz is still young, the 31-­­­year-old Moose Jaw native has had a lasting impact on the Saskatchewan Roughriders organization.

In college, Scott Schultz spent his entire career with the North Dakota Fighting Soux. The gritty nose tackle was a team captain in 2000, and had 146 career tackles and 11.5 sacks. Schultz definitely had a successful career in college and was named first team all-NCC in 1999 and 2000.

Scott Schultz was then selected with the first overall pick in the 2001 Canadian Football League College Draft. Schultz didn’t make an immediate impact for the Riders, as he also spent time with the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers during his first two years.

2003 was the beginning of great things for the Moose Jaw boy. In 2003, Schultz had six sacks and 32 defensive tackles. He also started in both the Western Semi-Final and Western Final, where he recorded one sack. The next season, Schultz finished with 27 tackles and eight quarterback sacks.  

Scott Schultz continued his success over the next couple of seasons, and he was named a CFL all-star in 2005.

Throughout his career, Schultz perhaps had the most success when he was teamed up with fellow defensive tackle Nate Davis. Davis and Schultz created a deadly combo at the tackle position, helping form a tough defense for the Riders. Schultz and Davis also forged a solid friendship.

But the crowning moment in Schultz’s career, along with many of the long-time Saskatchewan Roughriders involved, was the Grey Cup victory in 2007. Schultz was a integral part of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Cinderella run to the Grey Cup finals, where they beat the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers to claim the Grey Cup.

Schultz shared in the glory of the victory. He was able to lift the cup high and proud, as he helped deliver glory to a province that had been long starved of the Grey Cup.

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