CFL LEGEND MEMORIALIZED WITH FINAL TRIP ALONG GREEN MILE

`Hoppy' remembered as kind-hearted man who rebuilt Riders into a model franchise

There's no such thing as a good day to memorialize Jim Hopson.

“Hoppy” was a guy nobody wanted to lose, a big-hearted

Hall of Famer as an administrator, educator, athlete, friend and community builder before dying of cancer on April 2 at age 73. So it was fittingly coincidental that his memorial was held in Regina on Friday, when four former Saskatchewan Roughriders joined Hopson — a 2019 inductee — in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Among the hall's Class of '24 inductees was receiver/returner Weston Dressler, one of Hopson's favourite players during the 10 years he served as the Roughriders' first full-time president/ CEO. During an online media conference, Dressler was asked about Hopson.

“I remember a lot and one of the things that stands out for me most about Jim Hopson — there's too many,” said Dressler. “I was thinking of one and then three more just popped in my head.”

Dressler continued by recounting the team's memorable 2013 Grey Cup victory at home, following which he had an NFL tryout. Upon his release from the Kansas City Chiefs, Dressler wanted to rejoin the Roughriders, but had other options, and it seemed like there wasn't enough money available to re-sign him under the salary cap.

“I got a quick phone call from Jim one night throughout that process and I could tell he was busy,” said Dressler. “There was a lot of noise in the background. He was at a gala or some party or something somewhere and he took five minutes to stay in the corner of that room and just talk to me.

“That, to me, meant so much. It definitely factored in my decision to come back to Saskatchewan at that point. I always got the impression that Hoppy really cared for all the players, more so as individuals than just football players.”

That's the overriding sentiment: Hopson cared about everyone who worked or cheered for the community-owned Roughriders, often sending handwritten notes or gifts to people who were sick or had lost a family member. He cared about the students he taught, the teachers and principals who worked for/with him during his career as an educator and supervisor. He learned about caring, he was wont to say, from Regina Rams football coach Gord Currie, who encouraged Hopson to begin teaching while playing for the Roughriders.

Hopson also cared about his hometown and province, serving on numerous committees and ultimately with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency to advise everyone about the importance of getting tested for the disease. That came after he had spent 2006-15 rebuilding the Roughriders from a debt-ridden franchise into the CFL'S wealthiest with four Grey Cup appearances and two victories during his time at the helm. Before resigning because he believed he had served long enough, Hopson spearheaded efforts to build Mosaic Stadium, the team's new home.

Friday's memorial included a processional along the Green Mile, a section of Albert Street where the Grey Cup previously travelled en route to the provincial Legislature. Also on the schedule were testimonials from friends and former co-workers Dan Sherven and Terry Kuz, Hopson's children Carrie and Tyler and his widow Brenda Edwards, plus Steve Mazurak, a former Riders teammate who also interviewed for that CEO job in 2007 before being hired to work as a vice-president.

“I knew why he was at the hotel and he knew why I was at the hotel,” said Mazurak, recalling a haphazard meeting during the interviews. “We sat down and Jimmy says, `If I get the job will you be my VP of something?' And I said, `If I get the job, will you come back and be my VP?' We just laughed.

“At the end of the day, I made my best pitch ever. But when I did come back to Regina and I was a week into my job (with the Riders), I knew they had the best guy for the job.”

Following a departure with distinction ceremony with the Grey Cup, Hopson's memorial was slated to move from the auditorium of the Conexus Arts Centre into the lobby for “Hoppy Hour” with former Riders linebacker Mike Mccullough and current president/ceo Craig Reynolds, who Hopson had hired as a financial VP and potential successor.

“When he passed we had made all the arrangements,” said Edwards. “We tried really hard to make it about Jim as a person. While the Rider aspect is important and that's what he's known for, we wanted it to be about his whole life.”

I always got the impression that Hoppy really cared for all the players, moreso as individuals than just football players.