The newest members of the Plaza of Honour were unveiled on Thursday. The 2013 Grey Cup Champion squad along with Wendy Kelly (posthumous) will be inducted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders this October.
Kelly will become the first woman to be inducted into the Plaza of Honour, she was the first female on the Roughriders board of directors. Selection Committee Chair John Lipp said Kelly was volunteered for the team for many seasons. She served as the team’s nurse for seven years and was a co-chair for the 1995 Grey Cup Parade in Regina.
“Women are a very important part of the fanbase and it’s important for us to recognize that.”
In 2013, the Roughriders claimed the Grey Cup Championship team for the fourth time. It also marked the only time in franchise history Saskatchewan won the Grey Cup on home turf.
Fullback Neil Hughes was on hand for the announcement of the team’s induction. As a local product growing up in the Queen City, he said a dream came true when the green and white won the Grey Cup in 2013.
“We all came together at the right time, to do the next to the impossible and winning the Grey Cup at home, which doesn’t happen very often in professional sports, you don’t get to win a championship at home. ”
The inductees will be honoured at half-time during the Roughriders home game on Saturday, October 7 when Saskatchewan hosts the Hamilton Ti-Cats. On that evening, the first 5,000 fans will receive replica 2013 Grey Championship rings.
138 individuals have been inducted into the Plaza of Honour with the previous three Grey Cup Championship teams (1966, 1989, 2007) inducted.