The sons were shining at Mosaic Stadium on Friday afternoon.
For starters, I was introduced to Israel Wieneke, just one day shy of his third birthday.
Israel was on the field, dwarfed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders helmet he was wearing, while his father (receiver Jake Wieneke) was part of an informal, pre-training camp pitch-and-catch session with quarterback Trevor Harris.
As the two players entered the tunnel, I asked Jake if it would be possible to take a father-son photo. Obligingly, the personable pass-catcher returned to the field, without a word of objection from Israel.
“He loves football and he just loves being around it,” said Israel’s proud father, who signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent on Feb. 14 after spending his first three CFL seasons with the Montreal Alouettes.
“Last year, I really got to see it where he’d come to practice and he’d be in the locker room. I’d bring him in on off-days and he’d want to wear my helmet and he’d want to play catch.
“It’s just so much fun to watch him grow. He’s around football so often that he has started to fall in love with it.
“Ever since we found out we were coming to Saskatchewan, he has been all Roughriders. He’s always asking about the Roughriders and saying, ‘I want to get a Roughriders shirt’ and ‘I want to get a Roughriders ball’ and ‘I want to get a Roughriders helmet.’ He got a pair of Roughriders gloves today.
“He’s just loving being out here and being in the stadium. I’m just so grateful to be able to share this with him. To be able to see the joy that it brings him is indescribable.”
Before Friday, Wieneke had walked around the stadium, but he hadn’t caught any passes or worked out with Harris — a close friend and former Alouettes teammate — until just before we chatted on the field.
Wieneke, who spends his off-seasons in his hometown of Maple Grove, Minn., recently arrived in Regina with his wife (Brenda). The couple has two children (Israel and 18-month-old Colette), with another baby on the way in late June or early July.
“I’ve got the whole family here and I love the community,” Wieneke said. “I’ve been here for a couple of days and I already feel like I’m at home.
“There’s just so many amazing people throughout the team, the organization and the community. We even got to go up to Saskatoon, where I met so many amazing people and so many amazing fans.
“It’s truly a special place. I could see that from afar and now, to be a part of it, I’m so grateful. I’m cherishing every moment.”
The interview having concluded on that note, Jake and Israel Wieneke returned to the Roughriders’ locker room, along with Harris.
Harris and Wieneke weren’t quite finished honing their skills, though, because the Roughriders’ quarterback wanted to do a little extra throwing — indoors!
After a succession of 15-yard passes — one first-down completion after another — we were joined in the locker room by the Roughriders’ Assistant General Manager, Kyle Carson … and son!
Kyle and Breanne Carson’s first child — Cruise — was born on April 11.
“It was really cool to run into Trevor and Jake in the locker room while I was giving my son his first tour of his first football stadium,” Kyle said.
“My wife and I dealt with some minor complications leading up to Cruise’s birth and Trevor went out of his way to check in on us regularly and to offer up some prayers, which we greatly appreciated.
“It just goes to show what a genuinely good dude Trevor is — and it was poetic that now Cruise gets to say for the rest of his life that the first pro athlete he ever met was Trevor Harris.”
THOM TROJANS TANGENT!
Chuck Toth, who attended two Roughriders training camps after being selected in the third round of the 1980 draft, passes along the word that the Black Ghost Alumni Golf Tournament is slated for June 10 at the Deer Valley Golf Course.
The event will support the Thom Trojans football program, which was founded when Thom Collegiate opened 60 years ago.
The Trojans, who evolved into a powerhouse after some inevitable growing pains in the early years, have produced Roughriders alumni such as players Dan Clark, Jim Hopson, Neal Hughes, Kennedy Nkeyasen, Nick Hutchins, Ivan Brown and Stu Foord, along with coach Alex Smith and a future President-CEO (Hopson).
Toth, a former running back, went on to become a legendary Trojans football coach while working in tandem with the accomplished and erudite Gerry Thompson. Gerry was a guest coach at the Roughriders’ training camp in 2007.
More Thom trivia: The Trojans’ first head football coach was Len Legault, who was a Roughriders defensive tackle from 1957 to 1965.
In 1963, Legault organized a series of exhibition games for the Trojans, who formally joined the Regina Intercollegiate Football League the following year. Legault’s assistant coach at the time was his defensive-line cohort with the Roughriders, Garner Ekstran.
The Trojans, under head coach Lorne Shmyr, enjoyed a breakthrough season in 1970, posting a 5-5 record. One of their key players was running back Gerry Molnar. At the time, his brother Steve was in his second of 10 seasons as a Roughriders running back.
In 1971, the Trojans enjoyed an 8-1 regular season, thanks in large part to Lorne Hubick and his 1,249 rushing yards.
Hubick attended the Roughriders’ training camp in 1977 before being traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Canada Day for defensive back Lewis Cook.
The 1971 Trojans’ roster also included the Molnar brothers, Gerry and Tim.
A la Hubick, Tim Molnar cracked the 1,000-yard mark in 1972. He scored 19 TDs in 1972 and 1973.
Thom reached a city championship game for the first time in 1974, when the O’Neill Titans won the league final 28-2. Pat Hamilton, the Roughriders’ fourth-round draftee in 1980, led O’Neill with 171 rushing yards and two TDs.
Toth was named the RIFL’s player of the year in 1975, when Campbell defeated Thom 20-8 in the city final.
And how’s this for a classic? Thom returned to the RIFL’s 4A final in 1977, when Campbell claimed the title with a 43-42 overtime win. An interception by Tad Thompson — whose father, Jerry, was a Roughriders assistant coach at the time — sealed the victory for Campbell. Tad’s brother, Tee, added a field goal and a rouge in OT.
Thom captured a long-awaited Schwann Conference title on Nov. 2, 1979, defeating the Miller Marauders 46-27 on the strength of 349 rushing yards and five touchdowns from Glenn Stevenson. Miller got a TD run from Terry Eisler, a future Roughriders assistant coach.
Saskatoon’s Evan Hardy Souls won the 1979 provincial 4A title, defeating Thom 54-17.
Tony Gagnon, who attended training camp with the Roughriders in 1986 and 1987, rushed for three touchdowns, threw for three more scores and converted all seven Evan Hardy majors.
In 1982, Thom won its second title and nearly captured its first provincial championship. Evan Hardy claimed Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association 4A laurels with a 30-29 victory. Floyd Collins, an eighth-round draft pick by the Roughriders in 1988, rushed for 231 yards in the 1982 provincial final.
Thom took the next step the following year, defeating the Saskatoon Walter Murray Marauders 49-16 in the provincial championship game.
Thom subsequently won city and provincial titles in 1992, 1993, 2001 and 2002.
(Invaluable information gleaned from the Regina Leader-Post files, with assistance from the wonder that is newspapers.com. We now return you to … golf!)
For more information on the Black Ghost Alumni Golf Tournament, email blackghostalumni@sasktel.net. Alternatively, you can visit the Thom Collegiate website (https://thomcollegiate.rbe.sk.ca/) or the Thom Trojan Black Ghost Alumni Page on Facebook.
BOOK BUZZ
- Recommended reading: LeBron, by Jeff Benedict. The newly released biography of NBA legend LeBron James is an all-time page-turner.
- More recommended reading: Brave Face, by … er … me! My tribute to hockey’s maskless goalies is to be released by Triumph Books in the fall.
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Jaxon Ford, Alan Ford, Sally Ford, Trevor Harris, Jake Wieneke, Israel Wieneke, Kyle Carson, Breanne Carson, Cruise Carson, Ty Robinson, Peter Godber, Gordon Gilroy, Alex Kardynal, Brenda Indzeoski, Greg Indzeoski, Bill Wright, Jennifer Ackerman, Meagan McLellan, Heather Persson, Tim Switzer, Daryl Shirkey, Ron MacLean, Dave Naylor, Kevin Gallant, Natascia Lypny, Sabeen Ahmad, Chuck Toth, Gerry Thompson, Lorne Shmyr, Alex Smith and Josh Mahura.
