| Team: | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Record: | 8–8 |
| Division Place: | 2nd, East |
| Coach: | George Brancato |
| Stadium: | Lansdowne Park |
| Playoffs: | Lost in East Semi-Final |
| Uniform: | File:CFL OTT Jersey 1980.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Other seasons |
The 1983 Ottawa Rough Riders finished the season in second place in the East Division with an 8–8 record. This season marked the last time an Ottawa football team hosted a playoff game until 2015 when the second-year Ottawa Redblacks hosted the East Final, where the Rough Riders lost the East-Semi Final game to Hamilton by a score of 33–31.
| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Steve Harrison | LB | British Columbia | |
| 2 | 11 | Junior Robinson | DB | Guelph | |
| 3 | 20 | Sam Benincasa | LB | Guelph | |
| 4 | 29 | John Kane | OL | Michigan Tech | |
| 5 | 38 | Courtney Taylor | DB | Wilfrid Laurier | |
| 6 | 47 | Francois Payer | DE | Bishop's | |
| 7 | 56 | Chris Rhora | DE | Acadia | |
| 8 | 65 | Don Clow | WR | Acadia |
| Date | Opponent | Final Score | Result | Attendance | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 10 | at Montreal Concordes | 14–4 | Loss | 10,100 | 0–1 | |
| June 16 | vs. Montreal Concordes | 34–13 | Loss | 12,803 | 0–2 | |
| June 24 | at Toronto Argonauts | 31–15 | Loss | 28,107 | 0–3 | |
| June 29 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 47–40 | Win | 13,331 | 1–3 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 8 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 26–25 | Win | 18,995 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | July 16 | at Montreal Concordes | 36–28 | Loss | 15,621 | 1–1 | |
| 3 | July 21 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 27–16 | Loss | 18,621 | 1–2 | |
| 4 | July 28 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 44–4 | Loss | 18,622 | 1–3 | |
| 5 | Bye | ||||||
| 6 | Aug 13 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 24–22 | Loss | 14,729 | 1–4 | |
| 7 | Aug 19 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | 27–17 | Loss | 30,006 | 1–5 | |
| 8 | Aug 26 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 17–14 | Win | 49,880 | 2–5 | |
| 9 | Sept 2 | vs. BC Lions | 49–19 | Win | 22,234 | 3–5 | |
| 10 | Sept 9 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | 29–28 | Loss | 23,475 | 3–6 | |
| 11 | Bye | ||||||
| 12 | Sept 25 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 29–25 | Win | 26,014 | 4–6 | |
| 13 | Oct 1 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | 24–23 | Win | 24,404 | 5–6 | |
| 14 | Oct 8 | at Calgary Stampeders | 29–24 | Win | 24,167 | 6–6 | |
| 15 | Oct 16 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 42–23 | Win | 25,642 | 7–6 | |
| 16 | Oct 23 | at Toronto Argonauts | 20–19 | Win | 36,526 | 8–6 | |
| 17 | Oct 29 | vs. Montreal Concordes | 25–20 | Loss | 20,959 | 8–7 | |
| 18 | Nov 5 | at BC Lions | 40–13 | Loss | 42,901 | 8–8 |