Step back in time with us! This is game footage from the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) Eastern Final, played October 31, 1987 at St. Vital Memorial Park, when our Mustangs defeated the Windsor A.K.O. Fratmen 52-14 to capture the Eastern Final title. It was a historic run — the Mustangs became the first team from Manitoba to advance to the CJFL Championship final since 1961. Originally broadcast on CKND's Game of the Week, this footage is a piece of St. Vital Mustangs history — nearly 40 years of tradition on display, coached by Head Coach Rod Outhwaite.
Calling the game was Joe Poplawski, a standout slotback and wide receiver who spent nine seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1978 to 1986. He was named the CFL's top rookie in his first season and twice won the league's top Canadian award, in 1981 and 1986. Poplawski still ranks third all-time in Bombers history for both catches and receiving yards, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
Alongside him was Joe Pascucci, longtime sports voice of CKND/Global Winnipeg. Pascucci joined the station in 1982 as a sports reporter and weekend anchor, becoming Sports Director in 1986 and spending 32 years at the desk before retiring in 2014. He's a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the Broadcasters Association of Manitoba Hall of Fame.