Rob Vanstone: Bombers vs. Baby Boomers — Roughriders taking Dad’s Night Out theme to heart
The Dad’s Night Out theme for the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 2023 home opener is apropos in light of the ever-expanding home teams.
Quarterback Trevor Harris recently became a father for the third time.
Four of his teammates — long snapper Jorgen Hus, guard Evan Johnson, linebacker Derrick Moncrief and receiver Jake Wieneke — have babies on the way between late June and mid-September.
“It’s exciting,” Johnson says leading up to a CFL game that is to be played Friday (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to kick off Father’s Day weekend.
“As a lot of people can attest to, being a father really creates a connection to other fathers in the room, especially when it’s such a mixed group. Some people have kids and some people don’t.
“There’s just that built-in level of admiration and respect from the guys beside you who know what you’re going through and know what the wives and girlfriends at home are going through. It’s a matter of just being able to relate in that sense.”
The Roughriders’ recent baby boom actually began on April 11, when Assistant General Manager Kyle Carson and his wife, Breanne, welcomed their first child (a son, Cruise).
Six days later, Nick Bowley — the team’s Manager, Video Analytics — himself became a first-time father. Nick and his wife, Tina, are proud to introduce Leo Curtis Bowley.
Harris and his wife, Kalie, celebrated the birth of a son on May 26. Newly arrived Tripp has also been embraced by brothers Trenton, 6, and Trace, 3.
The Roughriders’ next father will be Wieneke or Moncrief. The daddy derby is, at this stage, is too close to call.
Jake and Brenda Wieneke’s third child — following Israel, 3, and Colette, 1 1/2 — is due on June 30. If there is precise adherence to the schedule, Moncrief and his wife, Kasia, will be introduced to parenthood on July 1.
“It’s coming up quick,” Wieneke says, “so we can’t wait.”
Neither can Johnson, whose second child is to arrive in August. Evan and his wife, Dallis, are also excited about their son Maverick’s second birthday, to be celebrated in just over a month.
The Roughriders’ in-season expansion project is to conclude in mid-September, when Hus and his wife, Kenzi, join the parenthood parade.
“We’re excited,” Hus says. “Life’s about to be a lot different, but we’re excited for it.
“I don’t know how exactly the routine’s going to change, but I know it’ll change a lot.”
Wieneke wouldn’t change a thing — except for diapers, of course, because daddy duty seldom stops.
Also in its infancy is the Dad’s Night Out concept, which the Roughriders unveiled in April when all of the team’s 2023 themes were rolled out.
Friday’s festivities are to begin at 4 p.m., when Coors Light Party in the Park commences on the grounds of Confederation Park.
The Wonderland Party Band will provide musical entertainment as part of the pre-game program.
Dad-themed trivia will be incorporated into the in-game agenda, which will also include some “Dad jokes.”
Additionally, the first 5,000 dads who enter the stadium will receive a free Roughriders cap as a Father’s Day gift from the team.
“I think that’s awesome,” Wieneke says. “It’s just a special atmosphere to be able to enjoy something like that with your kids or enjoy that with your father.
“As a father, that’s kind of a dream come true, getting to go to sporting events and being around football with your kids.
“I think that’s amazing. I’m glad I get to play in front of my son.”
Wieneke also played football in front of his father, Eric.
“That’s something I’ve always remembered since I was a kid,” the Roughriders’ slotback says. “My dad was a teacher and he was also coaching sports. When he’d get home and I’d get home from school, he’d say, ‘Hey, do you want to play catch?’
“He was playing catch with me and my brothers in the backyard all the time, and we just loved doing that. Now when my son asks me to play catch, it just puts a big smile on my face, because that’s such a special father-and-child bond that you can build.”
Moncrief can relate.
“My dad was my junior high coach, so I played quarterback,” the Roughriders’ two-time All-Star linebacker says of Derrick Moncrief Sr. “Actually, me and my two older brothers all had to play quarterback for him to gain leadership skills.
“And we had all those talks when I was in college, and even now. He always tells me, ‘Run, run, run. Stay in shape,’ and, ‘Keep God first.’
“It’s awesome to have a dad, because some guys are not blessed to have a dad or some parents may be deceased.
“I know I’m very blessed and now I’ve got to pass it forward to my daughter.”
Maverick Johnson witnessed his first pass on Aug. 6, 2021, when Daddy made his debut as a Roughrider in a 33-29 victory over the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium.
“He came out to the first game at 16 days old,” says the Regina-born offensive lineman, who signed with the Roughriders as a free agent in 2021 after spending his first three CFL seasons with the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
“Obviously, the Roughriders run deep throughout the family and throughout the province. Being able to have a day for the dads is obviously important for the province and a lot of people in the province.”
That is the word from an endlessly proud and grateful dad.
“It’s awesome coming home from work and having your kid — soon to be kids — excited to see you,” Johnson says.
“You watch them grow and develop and learn new things. With Mav at home right now, he’s learning new words and he’s developing his mannerisms.
“It’s fun to see how things change and to hear some of the cute words that aren’t right and then slowly get corrected. Then you’re happy they got corrected but you’re sad that the cute word is gone.
“It’s special being a dad. Obviously, it brings a lot of stress and responsibility to it. You’re being pulled in different directions more so than you were before you had kids.
“Because of that, it’s a bit of a juggling act trying to balance the high-stress environment of football as well as the requirements of fatherhood and still maintaining that husband relationship as well.
“But it makes it all worth it, coming home to the kids. No matter what happens throughout the day, they’re happy to see you.”
