Roughriders make history — and celebrate history — with 2023 Plaza of Honour inductees

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are celebrating a first and a third. 

On Thursday, the late Wendy Kelly became the first female to be inducted into the CFL team’s shrine — the Plaza of Honour. 

Neal Hughes, meanwhile, is entering the Plaza for the third time. 

Previously inducted individually and as a member of the Grey Cup-champion 2007 Roughriders, Hughes is now being honoured as part of the 2013 team. 

The 2013 Roughriders won the fourth title in franchise history — and in grand style. On Nov. 24, 2013, Saskatchewan defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 at historic Mosaic Stadium. 

“This year, we’ve made the decision that since three of our four Grey Cup championship teams have already been inducted into the Plaza, and this being the 10-year anniversary of one of the greatest Rider days ever, we thought it was appropriate that we would induct the 2013 Grey Cup team,” said Plaza of Honour Selection Committee Chair John Lipp, who was the Roughriders’ volunteer President from 1992 to 1995. 

“And this is a very historic moment. I’ll go back to my term as President. I decided at that time that it was a good idea, for the first time ever, to have a woman serve on our Executive Committee (now the Board of Directors). When Wendy agreed to serve, that was historic. 

“Now, coming to today, again it’s a very historic decision that Wendy Kelly has been nominated to go into the Plaza.” 

Kelly was a member of the Roughriders’ Executive Committee from 1993 to 1995. 

Previously, she was a team nurse for seven years in addition to volunteering for 10 Ladies Nights.  

In 1995, she co-produced the Grey Cup Parade and halftime show. Also of note, she chaired the 2012 Plaza of Honour dinner committee and was the Production Manager of the 2013 Grey Cup Gala. 

Born in Moose Jaw in 1949, Kelly passed away in Regina on April 5, 2018. 

“She wasn’t really what you would call a very outgoing person, but when you asked her to do something, she would take it on and you knew she would get it done,” Lipp said. “She just had that air about her of confidence. 

“She had the ability to get people to work with her. She was just one of those leaders who attracts people to work with her. That’s why she was so successful on a lot of the committees that she was involved with and that she chaired.” 

Kelly was among the 44,710 spectators who attended and revelled in the 101st Grey Cup game — the last championship contest to be played on what was once known at Taylor Field. 

It was a familiar and cherished setting for the Regina-born Hughes, who played on the traditional tundra with the Thom Trojans and the Regina Rams (junior and university versions) before suiting up for the Roughriders from 2004 to 2014. 

Hughes was still a member of the Green and White when the 2007 team, of which he was a part, entered the Plaza alongside the Cup-winning editions of 1966 and 1989. 

In 2019, Hughes and Kerry Joseph were called to the Plaza as individuals. Joseph was the starting quarterback with the 2007 Grey Cup champions. 

Hughes now joins a select group of three-time Plaza inductees.  

The other Plaza members who have been recognized individually and as part of at least two championship teams are centre/Board member Ted Urness (inducted in 1989), player/GM Alan Ford (1992), quarterback/Head Coach Kent Austin (1999), Equipment Manager Norm Fong (2009), Athletic Therapist Ivan Gutfriend (inducted in 2016), Board members Roger Brandvold (2017) and Paul Hill (2021), President-CEO Jim Hopson (2018), receiver Chris Getzlaf (2021) and linebacker/special-teams captain Mike McCullough (2022).

McCullough’s final CFL game was the 2013 Grey Cup. The Roughriders punctuated that contest with three late-fourth-quarter handoffs to Hughes, who produced 32 yards. 

“It’s another great honour that the Riders have bestowed upon us players,” Hughes said. “In 2013, we had a special team. We didn’t have any individuals in the locker room. 

We had a team and it showed, not only in the regular season, but more importantly in the playoffs. We all came together at the right time to do the next to impossible — winning a championship at home, which doesn’t happen very often in professional sports.” 

The 2023 Plaza inductees and 2013 Grey Cup champions are to be formally feted on Oct. 7 — Legends Night — at Mosaic Stadium. 

Hamilton, appropriately enough, will be the visiting team for a CFL game that is to begin at 5 p.m. The first 5,000 fans who enter the stadium will receive a free replica 2013 Grey Cup championship ring.  

OUR FRIEND FRED 

Along with Kelly, Fred Wagman joined the Roughriders’ Executive Committee in 1993. 

Wagman, who succeeded Lipp as the Roughriders’ President and held that post during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, passed away on Tuesday at age 86. 

Before Thursday’s announcement, Lipp took a few moments to honour his great friend and former Board colleague. 

“Fred had a great business background and a great history of community involvement,” Lipp said, “and he was really a great Rider fan. 

“He was the perfect candidate for the Board and, it turned out, he was. He was a good Board member and then, of course, when he became President we had a couple of really tough years financially. 

“I don’t think people realize how bad it was financially. We were close to not surviving if we didn’t find a way to raise some money. 

“So, under Fred’s leadership, we did some fund-raising. The big one, of course, was the province-wide telethon (in 1997), which helped us raise enough money to carry on and eventually helped us get to the point where we are now — a highly successful financial Club. 

“I was saddened when I heard about Fred. He was a very good long-time friend. The Riders will miss him, as will all football fans.”