Roughrider Plaza of Honour undergoes Canadian name change, 2 inductees announced
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Plaza of Honour just got a little more Canadian.
With the new Mosaic Stadium came the opportunity for a fresh start and the former Plaza of Honor has been met with the addition of a "u."
The Plaza of Honour originated in 1987. No one with the Riders is sure why it donned the American spelling of "honour" for all of these years, other than it is what was on the original cairn.
With the club erecting a new cairn — which will be found outside the southeast gate of the new stadium, adjacent to Elphinstone Street — it was their opportunity to make all Canadian spellcheckers happy.
Along with the name change, two new inductees were announced on Tuesday. Wes Cates and Roger Brandvold will have their names etched into a piece of Riders history as the class of 2017.
Wes Cates
Cates (#20) played five of his six CFL seasons with the Roughriders, originally acquired by the team in June 2007 after spending one season with the Calgary Stampeders.
Cates won the Grey Cup with Saskatchewan in 2007; was selected as the CFL All-Star in 2008; was the West Division All-Star in 2008 and 2010; and was nominated as the Riders Most Outstanding Player in 2008.
Former Rider Gene Makowsky, who spoke about the inductees on Tuesday, said only George Reed has rushed for more career yardage than Cates.
In his 76 games with the Riders, the running back had 904 carries for 4,761 yards and 38 touchdowns, and 183 receptions for 1,779 yards and five touchdowns.
"Wes was a great teammate. He was always prepared. He played hard. He's very calm and stoic in the huddle. He is a class individual, number one," said Makowsky.
"It was a real pleasure to play with him."
Roger Brandvold
Brandvold is being inducted as a builder of the Roughriders for his work with the club for over a decade.
Makowsky said Brandvold made sure the team's success on the field was matched by success in business operations.
"No organization is successful without vision and leadership, and Roger Brandvold supplied a lot of both," said Makowsky.
Brandvold was a member of the executive committee for the 2003 Grey Cup.
He was appointed to the Riders board of directors in 2005 and held a variety of positions since. Brandvold served on the CFL board of governors.
Brandvold was also co-chair for the 2013 Grey Cup and helped push for the new Mosaic Stadium.
"Being part of the Roughriders was such a big part of my life and it gave me back so much," said Brandvold. "To really reach this level is really difficult for me to describe but it is a tremendous honour."
Brandvold described being in the new stadium as surreal.
"We figured out a way to build this fabulous facility and it's almost hard to believe that we're here today with it."
The Plaza of Honour has inducted 125 individuals who have made major contributions to Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club.
