A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Ray Syrnyk played junior football with the Saskatoon Hiltops and was a part of their 1953 Canadian Championship team. After seeing some action Saskatchewan in 1954 and 1955, Ray joined he Riders full-time in 1956 and had a promising season with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Syrnyk was killed along with three Roughrider team mates (Mel Becket, Gordon Sturtridge and Mario DeMarco) and Winnipeg Blue Bomber Calvin Jones were killed in a plane crash on the way back from the 1956 CFL All-Star game (Shrine Bowl) in Vancouver on December 9, 1956. The other three Riders had been particpants in the game and Syrnyk had attended as a fan.
Wikipedia article on Ray Syrnyk
Article on the 1956 Plane Crash
1956 Plane Crash Engraved on a Nation
| Year | Team | GP | Int | Yds | Avg | TDInt | Long | FR | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | SASK | 1 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1955 | SASK | 8 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1956 | SASK | 12 |
2 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 16 | 0 |
