Durant, Shivers, Molnar to be inducted into Roughriders Plaza of Honour

Article content

Quarterback Darian Durant, general manager Roy Shivers and running back Steve Molnar have been announced as the 2024 inductees into the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Plaza of Honour.

“I can’t think of three greater people to induct into the Plaza of Honour, as all three men have made an immeasurable impact on the Saskatchewan Roughriders,” Plaza of Honour selection committee chair Steve Mazurak said in a release.

Article content

“Among their many accomplishments, Darian Durant and Steve Molnar have seven Grey Cup appearances between them, and Roy Shivers made history when he hired Danny Barrett to become the first Black GM/head coach tandem in professional football.

“On behalf of all of Rider Nation, as well as the selection committee, I want to congratulate them on this great honour.”

After first joining the Riders in 2006, Durant was part of the 2007 Grey Cup winning squad as a practice roster player before becoming a full-time starter in 2009. And in his first year at the helm, the South Carolina native helped Saskatchewan finish atop the West Division standings for the first time since 1976.

He led his team to the Grey Cup that season, before losing to the Montreal Alouettes. The next year after a second straight first-place finish, Durant and company would get back to the Grey Cup but once again fell to the Alouettes.

In 2013, Durant quarterbacked Saskatchewan to victory in the Grey Cup at historic Mosaic Stadium, throwing three touchdown passes in a 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Article content

Article content

Durant played 10 total seasons with the Riders, passing for more than 28,000 yards and 149 touchdowns, while also becoming the team’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback with 2,922 yards. He was also inducted into the Plaza of Honour in 2023 alongside the 2013 championship team.

“It’s amazing,” Durant said of his induction. “Whenever you come to Saskatchewan and you see the rich tradition of the guys who have been inducted before you, it’s always in the back of your head to be able to have such an accomplishment.”

When Shivers was hired by the Riders after the 1999 season, he became the first Black general manager in team history. When he hired Barrett to be the head coach, the duo became the first Black GM/head coach tandem in professional football.

Taking over from a three-tin team in 1999, the Arkansas native guided Saskatchewan to West Division finals in 2003 and 2004. As a GM, Shivers signed or recruited 16 players who went on to earn CFL all-star honours, while also negotiating a trade that saw Durant and fellow Grey Cup-winning QB Kerry Joseph come to Saskatchewan in 2006.

Article content

Shivers — who was also inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2022 — was with the Riders until August 2006. Saskatchewan went on to win the Grey Cup the next season.

“I never thought it was going to happen first of all,” Shivers said of his induction. “So it was kind of a shock and a surprise when I first heard about it.

“I was happy and I was kind of satisfied … I never thought it would happen.”

Molnar, a Saskatoon native who is being inducted posthumously, was a Roughriders running back from 1969 to 1978 and played a key role in getting Saskatchewan to the Grey Cup in 1976.

After legendary fullback George Reed retired in 1976, Molnar led the Riders with 822 rushing yards that season, including a career-high 144 yards in the West final.

In his career, Molnar — who died in 2021 — racked up 2,549 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. He was Saskatchewan’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1976 and 1977.

“When (Mazurak) reached out to my mom and mom called me, it was all these emotions from the years of talking about football and being in Saskatchewan and what it meant to my dad being from Saskatchewan,” said Jeremy Molnar, Steve’s son. “We kind of just broke down and cried.

Article content

“There was a huge emotional release and it means a lot.”

Durant, Shivers and Molnar will formally be enshrined into the Plaza of Honour during a halftime ceremony on Oct. 12 when the Roughriders host the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium.

Alongside Mazurak, who is the new Plaza of Honour chair, the selection committee is made up of former players Cleveland Vann and Wes Cates, as well as former player/GM Al Ford. Broadcaster Don Hewitt, board member Terri Strunk, former board chair Barry Clarke and Roughriders’ historian Rob Vanstone are also on the commitee.

tshire@postmedia.com

The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content