Rob Vanstone: “Dad was so proud to be a Saskatchewan Roughrider” — the remarkable Georgette Reed

What Georgette Reed has done is, once again, Olympian. 

The youngest of George and Angie Reed’s three children has emulated her famous father in recent days by carrying the ball in a manner that inspires awe and reverence. 

Since the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ iconic fullback passed away on Sunday, one day shy of his 84th birthday, Georgette has represented her wonderful family at two public events and, in so doing, reminded everyone of her dear dad. 

George Reed’s life, as accomplished as it was, was not without adversity. There were health scares — such as a brain aneurysm he suffered in 2001 — and other matters that reminded us that even a legendary, larger-than-life figure is not immune from the type of issues we all face. 

But that is where No. 34 once again set a shining example. If you get stopped on first down, run over someone on second down. Or third down. All the way to the end zone. 

That is what George did for 13 seasons as a Roughrider. 

Like father, like daughter. 

Speaking about her dad on Thursday at the Legislative Building and on Friday at a celebration of his life, Georgette spoke without anything in front of her except an appreciative audience. 

She didn’t use any notes. 

Every syllable she uttered from the heart warmed the heart. 

At this time of grieving, she was nonetheless able to smile as she talked about her dad, her mom (Angie) and her siblings (Keith and Vicki). 

Listening to Georgette, I thought about the time when her dad was in the audience, watching her compete on sport’s highest stage. 

There was George Reed, who fans flocked to see from 1963 to 1975, at Olympic Stadium in Barcelona during the summer of 1992. He travelled to Spain to watch Georgette compete in the women’s shot put. 

Georgette proudly wore the Maple Leaf at the Olympics on Aug. 5, 1992 — the 29th anniversary of her father’s first game with the Roughriders. 

He joined the Green and White after starring at Washington State University, which Georgette attended after receiving a swimming scholarship in 1986. She soon transitioned into track and field, one of the three sports in which her father had lettered in high school in Renton, Wash., and went on to win 17 Canadian titles (15 in shot put, two in discus). 

All these years later, we marvel at her supreme strength. 

She was the last of 10 people to address a universally green-clad crowd on Friday at the International Trade Centre. 

Protocol for such occasions typically calls for applause to be withheld. 

An exception was made, wonderfully, for Georgette after she packed so much humour and humanity into slightly more than minutes. 

She spoke of Angie, who was married to George for 62 years, as “the love of his life.” 

She spoke of the family’s attachment to and association with this part of the world. 

“We are so honoured and grateful that we got a chance to come to Saskatchewan and be a part of Saskatchewan,” Georgette said. 

“Most people didn’t know how to spell ‘Saskatchewan’ in Mississippi, where he comes from. Whenever we would drive down to Texas to visit my grandparents, people would look at the license plate and go, ‘Where is that? Is that across the ocean somewhere?’ My dad would just smile and say, ‘No, it’s up in Canada. It’s Saskatchewan and I’m proud to be from there.’ ” 

And that’s the thing. He was born in Vicksburg, Miss., and grew up near Seattle. He spent 25 years of his life in Calgary. But he is, and always will be, one of us. 

“Dad was so proud to be a Saskatchewan Roughrider and so proud to be a resident of Saskatchewan,” Georgette said. “He was so proud to be able to be part of making dreams come true for our family, for the Roughriders and for our province.  

“Thank you so much for honouring him today and helping to put together this wonderful event, especially on such short notice. I appreciate you sharing your weekend with us and being able to celebrate my dad.” 

George is to be honoured before Saturday’s CFL game between the Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium). A special tribute to No. 34 is to begin at 4:50 p.m. 

This has been a week of tributes and testimonials, leading up to Friday afternoon’s event at REAL District. It is a challenging proposition indeed to pick out the highlights, a small fraction of which we recapture here: 

• “George didn’t tell us how to live. He lived and he let us watch him.” — Wayne Morsky, close friend and former Roughriders Board Chair.
•  “George Reed personified everything that is good about Saskatchewan.” — Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan since 2018.
•  “As well as being the best running back ever to play in the CFL, he was this great man, this genuine person.” — Brad Wall, Premier of Saskatchewan (2007 to 2018).
•  “We will forever be grateful that we had an opportunity to share the world with George Reed.” — Randy Ambrosie, CFL Commissioner.
• “We have to say thank you to his family, because they gave that time (with George) to us.” — Darren Mitchell, board member, George Reed Foundation (now the George Reed Legacy Fund).
• “For the Saskatchewan Roughriders, George Reed was not just a player. He was a symbol of pride and resilience.” — Cleveland Vann, close friend and fellow Roughriders alumnus.
•  “George Reed was my childhood hero.” — Greg Fieger, Roughriders alumnus, representing the CFL Players’ Association.
•  “He was the best of the best.” — Jim Hopson, Roughriders President-CEO (2005 to 2015) and former teammate.
• “We actually had to move his office closer to the elevator because of the traffic he created.” — Twyla Meredith, President-CEO, Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation (2008 to 2015).
• “George was the most humble person I have ever met.” — Eric Johnson, close friend and owner/manager of Smokin’ Okies BBQ.

The last words, all of which were perfect, were those of Georgette. 

With a smile, she told the gathering that her father taught her “to never look down on anybody, unless you were lending a hand to help them up … to be able to do whatever you could to just show people that there’s goodness out there.” 

There was greatness in our midst every time George Reed stepped on the football field — always as a teammate of his dear friend, Ron Lancaster. 

“I say this respectfully,” Georgette said near the conclusion of her tribute to her father. “Everyone says that he should rest in peace. I actually hope that he’s up there with Ronnie having a cigarette and just talking about football and talking about all the things that we should be doing, because I think that’s the way that he’d want to go.”