A TALE OF GENEROSITY
Grey Cup ring goes home
From two-time Grey Cup champion to making headlines for all the wrong reasons after becoming homeless on the streets of Winnipeg at one point, Milson Jones hardly has the squeakiest of clean legacies.
But thanks to the selfless effort of a complete stranger clear across the country, memories of the better times have literally been brought home for the Jones family.
Prominent Ottawa businessman Walter Pamic had been looking to reunite Jones with the 1987 Grey Cup ring the former Edmonton Eskimos fullback won on the way to being named Canadian MVP of that championship game.
Pamic bought the ring at Empire Auction in the nation’s capital in 1996, and mostly kept in tucked away at the back of a closet.
“I only wore it out to sporting events, usually, if I went to see a Redblacks or Rough Riders game,” said Pamic, who had no prior knowledge of the ring ’s history or the name etched on it.
“Nobody could understand why somebody would give up something so precious.”
All Pamic knew was he wanted to give it back. While he wasn’t able to track down the former player, he managed to get in touch with Jones’s son, Devon, through social media.
“I sent him a message and said, ‘Hey, by any chance would you be Milson Jones’s son?’” recalled Pamic. “He didn’t really respond right away.
“He told me that when people called looking for Milson, it was never a good thing.”
At least, there haven’t always been positive intentions.
“We were pretty hesitant at first,” said Devon, especially since Pamic simply wanted to give the ring back, not sell it back. “This type of stuff doesn’t happen unless you’re in Hollywood writing scripts. His only stipulation was, ‘If I give you this ring, I hope you keep it.’
“It’s completely overwhelming because for as much troubles and hard times have found my dad, he’s still a wonderful guy. He’s just got problems that are bigger than him. Mental illness and such are just prevalent.”
Jones could not be reached for this story.
“Unfortunately, my dad is still on hard times,” Devon said.
“He’s back in Winnipeg now and, unfortunately, he’s not doing too well.
“With media, we kind of keep tight-lipped about it because a lot of the time, he’ll get painted a villain and all that. We don’t want to compound his issues. Anybody who knows him knows the situation.”
Somewhere along the line, Milson sold not only his 1987 ring, but also the ’89 Grey Cup ring he won with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Devon has a theory why.
“It was most likely to keep the family safe,” he said. “It is what it is, and it is just amazing that it’s come full circle now.”
That process began back when Devon, now 31, started following in his father’s footsteps while growing up in Edmonton, having played
(What) sort of closed the loop for me, was actually getting to meet Devon in person and getting to spend some time with him.
junior football with the Edmonton Wildcats alongside his brother, Tristan, 33, who ended up setting the Canadian Junior Football League record in 2006 for most points and most rushing yards in a season.
Their earliest memories are of running around Taylor Field while their dad played in Saskatchewan, handing them a ball or two in the stands following a touchdown.
While those are the memories the ring represents, they have had to take the good with the bad, including the arrest of their father, which culminated in a Winnipeg court in 2005 with a guilty plea to possession of cocaine, attempting to cash a stolen cheque and stealing meat from a store.
“I haven’t shown it to him yet, I’d have to travel to Winnipeg with the ring, but we’ve had a couple of conversations, and he’s pretty speechless when it comes to that stuff,” Devon said.
“I don’t talk to him too often, but when I do, I just like to catch up and keep it light and see how he’s doing.”
While the ring made its way back to Edmonton in 2016, Devon finally got the chance to meet Pamic face to face on March 29, while in town attending meetings.
“It’s just so nice to have it back in the family, most everybody just kind of breathes a sigh of relief. It just feels good to have that part of his legacy restored,” Devon said. “I told him, ‘Thank you doesn’t do justice for what you’ve done.’
“I’ve been closer with my dad than maybe the rest of the family, and to have that connection back and be able to hold it and know he did great things — for the family, not just in football — and not to mention the ring, what’s it valued at?”
The Eskimos priced that year’s ring at $10,000, which coincides with an appraisal Pamic had done, which came back in the $10-15,000 range for materials. A collector would have to do their own math.
“(What) sort of closed the loop for me, was actually getting to meet Devon in person and getting to spend some time with him,” Pamic said. “He’s a wonderful young man. He’s had a tough life with his poor dad and everything.
“I think I’ve gotten more out of this myself than they have. It puts a smile on my face, I’m just so happy for them. I’m glad the ring is back where it belongs.”