Flory humble about Hall of Fame honour

On a typical game day, University of Saskatchewan Huskies head coach Scott Flory will deliver a speech to his players.

But on the Huskies’ most-recent game day, Flory’s speech was reserved for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s induction ceremonies.

The Regina-born Flory, who played Canada West football for the Huskies before starring for the CFL’S Montreal Alouettes, was enshrined Friday in Hamilton.

The ceremonies happened to coincide with the Huskies’ home game against the University of Calgary Dinos. Huskies specialteams co-ordinator Jerry Friesen served as the interim head coach in Flory’s absence.

“Because of the two-hour time difference, the kickoff was when the (ceremonies) were wrapping up, so I was kind of checking my phone as Barron (Miles) was doing his speech, trying to be subtle and not be rude,” a chuckling Flory said Wednesday.

“It was hard. You go through the emotions and the highs and lows of (the game), but there was nothing I could do at that point. I had no control over the situation, so I just tried to enjoy the event and enjoy the evening. I got to spend a lot of time with some really good friends and that was fun.”

Flory helped the Huskies win two Vanier Cups as a player before spending 15 seasons with Montreal. During that period, he was a nine-time CFL all-star guard and was named the league’s outstanding offensive lineman in 2008 and 2009.

A three-time Grey Cup champion, the 42-year-old Flory added another ring — symbolizing Hall of Fame enshrinement — to his jewelry collection Friday.

“(The induction) was a really good experience, but (life as a Hall of Famer) is no different,” he said. “I get a ring and that’s cool. I’m just not that kind of guy, so it’s put away already and I’ll probably never wear it again.

“But it truly is an honour and it gives a guy time to reflect back on your career and all the experiences and everything I got to experience as a player, so that was fantastic. Once that was done, though, it was right back into being here and being in the now and trying to coach my football team.”

Despite the necessity of compartmentalizing his entry into the Hall of Fame, Flory is greatly appreciative of the honour.

“It means a lot,” he said. “When you look at it, it’s an opportunity to say thanks to so many people.”