Commentary: Hall of Fame Weekend

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It’s Hall of Fame Weekend in the Canadian Football League. To me, that qualifies as one of the top three weekends of the year (Grey Cup and Labour Day being the others), and there’s a great new wrinkle which I’ll get to in a moment.

But most importantly, there’s a distinct Roughriders flavor to this year’s class as receiver Weston Dressler and D-lineman Vince Goldsmith are entering the Hall.

Weston’s one of the most popular Riders of all time and his story doesn’t need to be re-told here. We did that when the induction class was first announced.

As for “Goldie”, he spent six seasons in Saskatchewan over two separate stints in the 1980’s. The last of which was during the 1989 Grey Cup season. He was member of “The Gang”, the feared Rider defensive front which was featured on posters which every kid I knew had on his bedroom wall, both rural and urban.

Those Roughriders marketers during that period really knew what they were doing. Take a bow Barry Taman and Larry Mueller.

Goldsmith’s first stint with the Riders came between 1980 and ’83, and what I remember most – and you likely will as well – is that Vince was one of many Rider players featured on trading cards which the team partnered up with the RCMP to promote.

As little kids, we had to nervously approach the police station in our little towns to get our player cards at the front desk. It was a great way to get to know the cops on a friendly basis.

(That helped out immensely during our teenage years when we had brushes with the police almost every weekend! But I digress. Those were just harmless road parties or breaking into the rink to go skating after hours).

That’s when my Rider fandom began; all because of those trading cards.

The new wrinkle is that tonight’s induction will be livestreamed at CFL+. I gotta think this is a new development because I’m a Hall of Fame junkie and have long bemoaned the fact that the ceremony wasn’t televised anywhere. (Now I just have to pray that the feed is available in the USA).

The Flyin’ Hawaiian Chad Owens is going into the Hall tonight and he was a Roughrider as well. I called his games in Green & White but that was just a footnote on his illustrious career. A great guy who’s getting his due this weekend.

Marvin Coleman and S.J. Green are going into the Hall this evening, along with former Bombers and Eskimos coach Ray Jauch, a former Roughriders offensive coordinator in the 90s.

That’s going to be a clutch part of the evening as well. I helped Ray’s son Joe with his Dad’s nomination and that family’s going to be brimming with pride tonight on the field in Hamilton.

My brothers used to joke that Ray Jauch looks exactly like our Uncle Gary.

Both are Hall of Fame men.

What a great night and weekend this will be!

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 4 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)