There are distinct commonalities among the SaskTel Plaza of Honour inductees who will be celebrated at Mosaic Stadium on Sept. 13.
Chris Best, Alex Smith Sr. and the late Steve Molnar all spent at least 10 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as Canadian-born contributors to the community-owned team.
Now they are being thanked in grand style and well-deserved fashion.
“It’s incredible,” Best, 42, said on Monday. “This is the Canadian Football League. We really are about our Canadian content.”
Best and Smith Sr. — the newest members of the Roughriders’ shrine — were both part of the 2007 Grey Cup championship team. Best earned a second Grey Cup ring in 2013.
The induction of Molnar was announced last year, only to be deferred because of an illness in the family. Molnar played for Saskatchewan in three Grey Cup Games.
Best, Smith Sr. and Molnar comprise the Plaza’s first all-Canadian group since 2004 — and the fourth overall. The Plaza was established in 1987.
Smith Sr. is the 19th Plaza honouree to have been an assistant or head coach with the Roughriders. However, he is the first to be recognized solely for contributions as an assistant coach.
He served in that role from 1997 to 2012, becoming the longest-serving coach in Roughriders history. He helped the team win four West Division championships and, over 16 seasons, worked with seven head coaches.
Beyond that, he was a dedicated and successful coach at the university and high school levels. The Plaza induction is a time to commemorate his impact on the game and his community at several levels.
“For a Regina boy who grew up about four or five blocks from Taylor Field, it’s a big deal,” said Smith Sr., 81, who coached football as recently as 2023 — with the Campbell Tartans.
When the Roughriders last won a championship, Best was a key member of a formidable offensive line that helped running back Kory Sheets enjoy a banner season while providing airtight protection for Darian Durant as he threw a career-high 31 touchdown passes.
Saskatchewan had a 10-2 record with Best in the lineup in 2013. That season culminated in a historic home-field win, with Sheets rushing for a Grey Cup-record 197 yards as the Roughriders downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23.
“I was lucky to be on a bunch of good teams, but the 2013 team was a very special one to be a part of,” Best reflected.
Best attended the Plaza ceremonies two years ago when the 2013 Roughriders were inducted as a team. Smith Sr., Best and their colleagues on the 2007 Roughriders entered the Plaza in 2010.
The Saskatoon-born Molnar established a career high for rushing yards on Nov. 20, 1976. That afternoon at Taylor Field, he gained 144 yards to power Saskatchewan to a 23-13 victory over Edmonton in the Western Final.
A Roughrider from 1969 to 1978, he was named the team’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1976 and 1977.
Molnar, who passed away at 73 on Jan. 16, 2021, was announced as a Plaza inductee on June 12. He, Durant and Roy Shivers formed the Plaza’s Class of 2024.
A ceremony honouring Smith Sr., Best and Molnar will be held during halftime of the Roughriders’ Sept. 13 home game against the Montreal Alouettes.
As a notable appetizer, there was Monday’s announcement and the resulting accolades.
“I just keep coming back to how fortunate and how thankful I am for everything that Rider Nation and the Roughriders have done for me,” said Best, a Victoria-based engineer. “To have this honour, it’s hard to put into words.
“It’s really special.”
