The words of Ken Miller, filled with wisdom and warmth, resonate with former Saskatchewan Roughriders players as they celebrate the life and legacy of a beloved coach.
“Over the last 24 hours, I don’t know how many of my teammates have reached out and, really, just sent his sayings back and forth,” Jeremy O’Day, whose 12 seasons as a Roughriders offensive lineman included Miller’s first four years with the CFL team, said on Thursday.
“It’s ongoing. One’s on top of the next one as far as sayings that he would use and that we still talk about.”
The sayings were among the recollections shared by those who played for and admired Miller, who was 82 when he died of cancer on Wednesday in Asheville, N.C.
“The saying that still hits home for me is, ‘Be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there and do what you’re supposed to do while you’re there,’ ” said O’Day, the Roughriders’ vice-president of football operations and general manager.
“It really sums up what you want in a football player. You want him to be where his feet are at. You want him to be on time and you want him to do what he’s supposed to do while he’s there.”
The sayings were typically delivered in a group setting, but Miller also excelled at one-on-one interaction.
“I always got a kick out of talking to Coach,” O’Day said. “When you talked to him, it was always a longer conversation because he was so thorough in his thought process.
“He really chose his words wisely. He just had a way about him where you knew that he was saying something that was very thoughtful. The way he communicated was really awesome.
“It didn’t take long before you realized what a great man he was. Before too long, you just wanted to do really well for him.”
That they did. The Roughriders reached the Grey Cup in three of his first four seasons with the team.
With Miller as the offensive co-ordinator in 2007, Saskatchewan won the third championship in franchise history.
As the head coach, he guided Saskatchewan to top spot in the West Division in 2009 and the first of two consecutive Grey Cup berths.
He was a coach-of-the-year finalist in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
“Some people referred to him as a father figure, but we saw him a grandfather figure — somebody you never wanted to let down and who you always wanted to do a good job for,” O’Day said.
“You always wanted him to be proud of you. It was just awesome being around him all the time.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen any player dislike Coach in all his time that he was with the team. Everyone was very respectful to him and he was respectful back.”
Miller and his wife, Maureen, were both revered by the team — and by Rider Nation at large.
“One of my favourite times with Ken and Maureen was the time when he was invited to speak in Foam Lake as the keynote at an event,” President-CEO Craig Reynolds recalled.
“With it being my hometown, I took them there. When it came time for accommodations, we of course offered him a couple of options, and one of them was staying at my parents’ house — where, of course, I was going to stay — and they chose that.
“It was just a great weekend and the whole time Ken and Maureen felt like old family friends, not like work colleagues.
“From that moment, which was really near Ken’s retirement, every single time I talked to Ken on the phone or via e-mail or was lucky enough to see him in person, he always asked how my parents were doing.
“It was always about the people first with Ken.”
Even after leaving Saskatchewan following the 2011 CFL season, the Millers regarded this province as home.
“We lost a great Roughrider and a great person,” Reynolds said.
“Both Ken and Maureen always spoke about how much Saskatchewan meant to them. It was just one of those situations where Saskatchewan was perfect for them and they were perfect for Saskatchewan. You could tell their love of the place and the people was so genuine.”
The Millers returned to Saskatchewan in 2022 for Ken’s induction into the SaskTel Plaza of Honour.
“Ken was so instrumental in what was an incredible run of success for the team during his time,” Reynolds said.
“It was so special to have him back for the Plaza of Honour and it was even more special that he went in with Mike McCullough and Weston Dressler, who were two great leaders during Ken’s time. I know each of them held Ken in the highest regard possible.”
So did legendary Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant, whose final CFL season was spent with a Montreal Alouettes team that enlisted Miller as an offensive consultant.
“Coach, from our first meeting in 2007 until my last down in 2017, your belief in me was always consistent,” Durant wrote on Instagram. “From Saskatchewan to Montreal, you were there every step of the way.
“I am so grateful for your impact on my career, but even more grateful for your impact on me as a man! I’m sure all of my former teammates would say the exact same thing.
“This is a sad day for us all. As you would say every game before we ran out of the tunnel, ‘What do Riders do?’
“It’s your time to ‘RIDE,’ Coach. We love you and will forever miss you.”
