Winnipeg To Host CFL HOF Induction Weekend

20/03/2009 05:18

WINNIPEG - The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is taking its show on the road for only the second time in 39 years.

Organizers of the induction weekend announced Wednesday that this year's events will be held in Winnipeg from Sept. 24-26. The only other time it wasn't held at the Hall's home in Hamilton was 2003 in Calgary.

Hall executives were reluctant to move the festivities. But organizing committee chair Paul Bennett believes it will help fans across the country share in the weekend.

"If you can create the energy that I think that were going to create here, it only makes sense to move it around," said Bennett, who was inducted into the Hall in 2002. "When you see the event, its cool. Yeah, I was a part of it so for me it's a little bit more emotionally, but fans have huge emotion and they're going to be able to make that connection.

"Just move it around, move it around. The Hall will always be in Hamilton for the foreseeable future and that's fine by me, but I think we need to share all the things you're going to experience here in September."

He'd like to see the event held in Saskatchewan next year, when the Roughriders will be celebrating their 100th year.

This year's inductees will be announced April 7. There are more than 200 members of the Hall, including last year's class of players -- John Bonk, Mike (Pinball) Clemons, Doug Flutie, Mike Pringle and builder Tom Shepherd.

The events in Winnipeg will begin Sept. 24 with a golf tournament featuring the new inductees and Blue Bombers alumni such as receivers Joe Poplawski and James Murphy, who were on hand for Wednesday's announcement.

A breakfast the next day will be followed up by the unveiling of the busts of the new inductees in the afternoon and a dinner in the evening.

The tribute game is Sept. 26 between the Bombers and Toronto Argonauts.

"The Canadian Football Hall of Fame belongs to Canadians and this is a great initiative by the Hall to reach out to Canadians and the people that haven't experienced it," said Blue Bombers president and CEO Lyle Bauer. "This initiative is part of a new direction for the Hall and I think it is part of the new mandate to have the Hall become important to all Canadians."

More from Canadian Press.

SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:

That ought to be a real thrill for everyone involved – having the CFL Hall of Fame weekend held in Winnipeg. Personally, I can’t thing of anything more exciting than spending Hall of Fame weekend on Milt Stegall Drive. Z z z . . .