Darian Durant performed Doubles-duty on Saturday night.
In addition to leading members of the 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders out of Mosaic Stadium’s north tunnel — while holding the Grey Cup over his head — he spoke to the crowd during halftime of a CFL game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Having cheerfully adhered to all the ceremonial obligations, he went above and beyond by spending the third and fourth quarters signing autographs — creating lasting memories for people, just like George Reed would have done.
Members of the Reed family were in attendance, only six days after the iconic No. 34 had passed away.
Before Durant jogged on to the field, to a rousing response, a pre-game ceremony had been held in honour of Reed.
When Durant was next conspicuous, it was during a halftime ceremony in which the 2013 Roughriders — Grey Cup champions — were formally enshrined in the SaskTel Plaza of Honour.
By that point, the Roughriders were trailing 25-9. The final count: 38-13.
But long after many people have forgotten the score — what was it again, anyway? — they will remember the grace, generosity and general greatness of Durant.
A decade after his greatest days as a Roughrider, “Doubles” still has a sense of the moment.
His mere presence was a source of comfort.
Highlights of No. 4, dissecting defences with precise passes and winning the 2013 West semi-final with his feet, prompted yet another ovation.
Amid the cheers, there were also tears.
The loss of Reed continues to weigh heavily on our hearts and minds.
Even after 15 years, it is still difficult to digest the reality that we have also lost his dear friend and fellow legend, Ron Lancaster.
Thankfully, we are still blessed with legends who we can welcome back, appreciate, and thank.
Durant reminded us of that on Saturday night.
Ronnie and George always signed every autograph. So what did Durant do? A full lap of the stadium, while obliging everybody.
While the game was getting out of hand, there wasn’t any removing of the pen from between his fingers.
He smiled. He chatted. He signed.
Images of the interactions were shown on the MaxTron and TSN. Countless fans posted photos on social media.
It would have been a lovely scene under any circumstances.
On Saturday night — with so many emotions coming to the fore — Durant made us all feel better, simply by being nice.
He could have watched the final two quarters from the considerable comfort of the great indoors.
He could have taken a bow, savoured a standing ovation, and spent the second half with friends and teammates he rarely gets to see.
Nobody would have blinked or bemoaned the decision had he chosen either option.
Instead, he added to his legacy by reaching out to the fans and accepting their footballs, caps, jerseys and, well, anything else that anyone wanted to be signed.
That was in keeping with the way Durant had conducted himself from the moment he arrived in Regina on Friday.
The demands on his time were unrelenting and, in some cases, unexpected.
It seemed like he was being pulled in every direction. Take it from someone who pulled him in two directions — first for a video, and then for an interview — when there were so many obligations.
He handled everything with a smile.
Nothing seemed to be a bother or an imposition.
He took the same approach on Saturday night, when he gave back to the fans who gave it up for him in the form of a standing ovation.
That is what our legends do.
Reed, for example, was honoured many times over for accomplishments that didn’t have anything to do with yards gained, touchdowns scored or games won.
In 1978, he received the Order of Canada on the strength of his involvement in charitable and community endeavours.
He always had time for everyone — until, sadly, our treasured time with him came to a close, one day shy of his 84th birthday.
With that in mind, the timing was perfect for the return to Regina of someone who had quarterbacked the Roughriders to three Grey Cup appearances, including a landmark home-field championship-game win.
That victory was celebrated on Nov. 24, 2013, when Durant threw three touchdown passes in a 45-23 victory over Hamilton on the old Taylor Field site.
Nearly a decade later, we all took note of and appreciated his first signature moments — one autograph after another — at the new Mosaic Stadium.
When we really needed him, the compassion and class of No. 4 came to the fore.
Thank you, Darian Durant.
