| Team: | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| Year: | 1988 |
| Record: | 2–16 |
| Division Place: | 4th, East |
| Coach: | Fred Glick Bob Weber |
| Stadium: | Lansdowne Park |
| Playoffs: | did not qualify |
| Uniform: | File:CFL OTT Jersey 1988.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Other seasons |
The 1988 Ottawa Rough Riders finished the season in fourth place in the East Division with a 2–16 record and failed to qualify for the post-season. In terms of winning percentage (0.111), this was the worst season the franchise had endured since the formation of the Canadian Football League. Additionally, it was the worst record for a Grey Cup host city team as Ottawa hosted the 76th Grey Cup this year.[1] The Rough Riders, which prior to the start of the season promised their fans good things for the coming year, had dubbed the 1988 season "Super season '88".
| Rd | Pick | Player | Position | School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Orville Lee | RB | Simon Fraser | |
| 3 | 22 | Leon Hatziioannou | DL | Simon Fraser | |
| 4 | 26 | Sheridon Baptiste | WR/HB | Queen's | |
| 5 | 33 | Sieg Will | OT/DE | Guelph | |
| 5 | 34 | Christopher Rick | OLB | Queen's | |
| 6 | 41 | Brent Matich | P/K | Calgary | |
| 7 | 49 | Scott Warr | OT | McGill | |
| 8 | 57 | Ray Goerke | OT | Weber State |
| Date | Opponent | Final Score | Result | Attendance | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 29 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 30–25 | Loss | 17,647 | 0–1 | |
| July 6 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 36–34 | Win | 1–1 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 571 | 326 | 28 | |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 407 | 458 | 18 | |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 478 | 465 | 18 | |
| 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 278 | 618 | 4 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 15 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | 48–21 | Loss | 22,565 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | July 20 | at Toronto Argonauts | 34–11 | Loss | 20,114 | 0–2 | |
| 3 | July 27 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 35–28 | Loss | 19,947 | 0–3 | |
| 4 | Aug 2 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | 41–7 | Loss | 24,322 | 0–4 | |
| 5 | Aug 13 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 28–17 | Win | 23,293 | 1–4 | |
| 6 | Aug 18 | vs. BC Lions | 27–20 | Loss | 24,598 | 1–5 | |
| 7 | Aug 27 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 51–24 | Loss | 15,067 | 1–6 | |
| 8 | Sept 1 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 46–20 | Loss | 22,535 | 1–7 | |
| 9 | Sept 6 | at BC Lions | 24–11 | Loss | 25,504 | 1–8 | |
| 10 | Sept 10 | at Calgary Stampeders | 17–16 | Loss | 16,969 | 1–9 | |
| 11 | Sept 18 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 35–25 | Loss | 13,024 | 1–10 | |
| 12 | Sept 24 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 31–0 | Loss | 18,523 | 1–11 | |
| 13 | Oct 2 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 40–12 | Loss | 28,052 | 1–12 | |
| 14 | Oct 8 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | 52–3 | Loss | 18,527 | 1–13 | |
| 15 | Oct 14 | at Toronto Argonauts | 49–7 | Loss | 21,513 | 1–14 | |
| 16 | Oct 22 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 19–3 | Win | 16,237 | 2–14 | |
| 17 | Oct 29 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 23–15 | Loss | 16,402 | 2–15 | |
| 18 | Nov 6 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders | 45–11 | Loss | 25,615 | 2–16 |