Passion for the rich history of Blue Bombers football was on full display this week as the club revealed their uniforms for the upcoming season, officially switching back to their traditional royal blue and gold. As the excitement dies down, and with over two weeks to go before training camp, we should turn our attention to another part of their tradition, which has yet to be tapped into since the football club moved across town from Maroons Road to their comfy new digs at the University of Manitoba. That is the addition of the Blue Bombers ring of honour.
CEO Wade Miller announced that a ring of honour will be displayed at Investors Group Field starting this season, and that automatically gets fans thinking about who will be included. There are obvious choices, such as Milt Stegall and Ken Ploen, but where does the club go from there? They have two options: either induct a pile of impactful players, coaches, and builders, touching on as many great memories as we can, or limit the ring of honour to a very small, prestigious group.
Lets keep in mind that there are several examples of watered-down lists of retired numbers (see Houston Astros) and of halls of fame gone wrong (see Rock ‘n’ Roll). The more you let in, the lower the standard becomes, and any prestige is lost.
On the other hand, keeping the list of inductees to a minimum would make the honour much greater, and set the bar higher for years to come. Nobody is going to sit in the stands, reading off a list of 25 or so players who have been enshrined, and actually remember, or care to learn about every one of those people. However if there is a smaller, elite group, the ring will carry more clout, and the inductees will be forever be recognized for their greatness. And the club does not have to officially retire the numbers worn by the members of the elite club. That’s unsustainable, and should not be implemented.
So who is worthy of such an honour? The fans should have the ultimate say, similar to how they were polled when deciding which four former players would have gates at IGF named after them. But for the sake of argument here is a list; take it for what its worth.
Players:
- Rod Hill
- Ken Ploen
- James Murphy
- Jack Jacobs
- Leo Lewis
- Chris Walby
- Joe Poplawski
- Milt Stegall
- Doug Brown
Coaches:
- Bud Grant
- Cal Murphy
The new uniforms are spot on, gaining much praise from fans, and the product on the field appears to be headed in the right direction with solid drafting over the past three years, and some notable free agent signings this off-season. Now let’s hope the Blue and Gold brass take this ring of honour and knock it out of the park.
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