For Trevor Harris, it was an off-the-wall experience to see his jersey on the wall.
Although the veteran CFL quarterback routinely wears No. 7 on behalf of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he nonetheless did a double take after seeing an assortment of replica jerseys — those bearing his surname and trademark single digit — on sale at the team’s Mosaic Stadium store on Saturday.
“It’s crazy,” Harris marvelled while referencing a Canada Day autograph session that also featured teammates Mario Alford and Shawn Bane Jr.
“I remember seeing my jersey for the first time in the green and white and realizing that they sell my jersey. When you’re a little kid, you wear jerseys and you envision being your favourite players in your backyard.
“To see your jersey hanging on the wall is just unbelievable — one of those things that’s really cool.”
And there was more.
“To get to meet the fans — the real owners of the team, which is the community — it was a really good time,” Harris continued. “A lot of people had come from Saskatoon to meet us.
“It was just really cool to sit there with Mario and Bane and be able to meet some of the people.”
The visit to the store balanced the scales, considering that Harris had visited Saskatoon earlier in the Roughriders’ bye week and spent time at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.
“The kids are just so resilient,” Harris said. “A lot of the kids don’t have the days that we have.
“I think about that all the time. We have a garage — a house for our car — and a lot of these kids just wish they could be in their house and live a life where they can get up and walk and do the things that they want to do, so the perspective is absolutely incredible.
“Their attitudes are always what blow you away, because they’re just so happy. A little guy named Landon was cookin’ us in all the games and having a lot of fun. His spirit was just contagious.
“It was just awesome to be with those people, even for a short few hours.”
Time spent with the kids really hit home for Harris and his wife, Kalie, because they are the parents of three sons.
“My wife got to go to Ronald McDonald House in the morning, but she was glad that she didn’t get to go to the hospital because it just chokes you up a lot, just knowing what those kids go through,” Harris said.
“But seeing their spirit and how jovial they are, it just brings a smile to your face. It’s just one of those situations where it’s an honour and privilege to be able to go there and spend time with them.”
Tom and Suzanne Harris of Waldo, Ohio instilled the importance of giving back in their four children — Trevor, Cody, Autumn and Chantress.
Cody succeeded Trevor as a top-flight quarterback at Pennsylvania-based Edinboro University.
In both cases, the statistics were impressive, as were the good deeds.
After the 2012 and 2013 CFL seasons, Trevor — who was then early in his tenure with the Toronto Argonauts — and Cody travelled to the Dominican Republic on mission trips.
“When I went down there, I was thinking, ‘I’m going to give back. This is going to be awesome,’ ” Trevor Harris recalled. “You want to do things to make Jesus proud and help other people be there for other people.”
In that spirit, the Harris brothers mentored university students while in the Dominican Republic.
“It was just something that we’ve always wanted to do, to make sure that we’re able to give back and see what the other side of the fence is like, because we all live very privileged lives,” the Roughriders’ signal-caller said.
“My parents have been tremendous parents my entire life. They’ve been there for me every step of the way. I’ve never had to worry about where my next meal is coming from so, to see the other side of the fence, it led to a lot of gratitude.
“But you also get way more out of it than you’re ever going to go there and give.”
