Chris Best is still close to Darian Durant.
Just like not-so-old times.
Best’s name appears just below that of his team’s former marquee quarterback on the brand-new Plaza of Honour cairn — a tribute to Saskatchewan Roughriders greats that was unveiled just outside Mosaic Stadium on Thursday morning.
Best, Alex Smith Sr. and Steve Molnar comprise the Plaza’s Class of 2025, which will be formally inducted into the Riders’ shrine at halftime of Saturday’s home game against the Montreal Alouettes.
Durant, a teammate of Best’s for nearly a decade, was enshrined alongside Roy Shivers last year.
The good names of Durant, Shivers, Best, Molnar and Smith Sr. appear on one side of a monument. Seconds after it first went on display, Best ran his fingers across the engraving of his name.
“I just wanted to make sure it was real,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s amazing. This is such a cool thing we’ve got here with such incredible players. I recognize a lot of these guys — guys I played with, guys I met in the past.
“To be here with these people and on the same (cairn) as these people, it’s a dream come true.”
Since 1987, a total of 143 individuals and four teams — the Grey Cup champions of 1966, 1989, 2007 and 2013 — have been inducted.
Best, a Roughriders offensive lineman from 2007 to 2016, was on two of the Grey Cup-winning teams.
Smith Sr., the longest-serving assistant coach in franchise history, celebrated a title in 2007. He was also on the coaching staff when the Roughriders won West Division titles in 1997, 2009 and 2010.
“It is a privilege and an honour to have spent 16 years with this organization,” he said.
“I’ve seen most of these guys (in the Plaza) play, so it is really a privilege.”
Molnar, who was inducted posthumously, was a Roughriders running back from 1969 to 1978. He played in the 1969, 1972 and 1976 Grey Cups.
The Roughriders advanced to the ’76 championship game after Molnar rushed for a career-high 144 yards in the Western Final against Edmonton.
“What really strikes me is the feeling that Dad had a part in growing this,” said Jeremy Molnar, Steve’s son. “He was Saskatchewan-born, Saskatchewan raised. I see that spirit coming alive with what I see behind me today.”
The Plaza was established as the Roughriders’ Hall of Fame in 1987. The following year, the name was changed to Plaza of Honour and the first cairn was erected outside Taylor Field. Inductees’ names continued to be added on an annual basis through 2016 — the year before new Mosaic Stadium officially opened.
“Ever since the stadium was built, we’ve had a plan to celebrate this Club’s proud history and the greats that have helped to build this franchise,” President-CEO Craig Reynolds said on Thursday, near the Brandt Industries gate (Gate 4) on the southeast corner of the facility.
“We had a pandemic, unfortunately, that delayed our plans a little bit, but today we are very excited to unveil the new Plaza of Honour cairn with the names of the players and builders who have received the highest honour we as a Club bestow on an individual.
“These cairns represent the greatest Saskatchewan Roughriders of all time. Every day, thousands of Rider fans will stream past this monument to look at our history. Fans young and old will be able to walk by and remember some of their favourite moments.
“Grandfathers will be telling their grandchildren about the time they watched George Reed rush for 268 yards against the B.C. Lions, or how they just knew a touchdown was possible every time Ray Elgaard touched the ball. Friends will reminisce about 2013 and the play of Darian Durant and Weston Dressler.
“Our inductees will be able to bring their families and see their names proudly etched in Roughrider history. This cairn represents some of the most special moments and people who have been a part of our organization.”
Reynolds extended heartfelt thanks to P3A Architecture (which designed the cairn), PCL Construction (which built the monuments), and Chief Financial Officer Kent Paul “for all his efforts in managing this project, which really started over six years ago.”
Eight past inductees were present at Thursday’s announcement: Roger Aldag (1993), John Lipp (2003), Steve Mazurak (2004), Dan Rashovich (2011), Nate Davis (2012), Gene Makowsky (2013), Ivan Gutfriend (2016) and Mike McCullough (2022). Reed’s wife, Angie, was also in attendance.
“I want to thank Craig and the Board of Directors for coming through on a commitment and a promise to bring the cairn back alive — and rebuild and reposition it, not forklift it, so it better fits with new Mosaic Stadium,” said Mazurak, who chairs the Plaza’s Selection Committee.
“It will be a place for the entire Rider Nation to come and to share stories, and for players young and old to come and reminisce and share some of their own memories with their families.”
