The Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 induction class has considerable splashes of blue and gold.
Five players and two builders were announced as the 2024 inductees to the shrine on Friday, including former Winnipeg Blue Bombers cornerback Marvin Coleman (2001-03), receiver Weston Dressler (2016-18) and Ray Jauch, who played for the club in 1960-61 and was later its head coach (1978-82).
They join a class that also includes receivers S.J. Green and Chad Owens, defensive end Vince Goldsmith and Ed Laverty in the builder category, while TSN’s Farhal Lalji and Steve Daniel, the CFL’s Associate Vice-President of Football Analytics, will join the Football Reporters of Canada wing at the hall of fame and museum.
The class will be officially inducted at the annual Hall of Fame Game on September 13th featuring the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa RedBlacks.
Interestingly, both Dressler and Coleman arrived in Winnipeg as already-established CFL stars. Dressler broke into the league with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2008 and spent the majority of his career there before being cut by then new head coach Chris Jones. Less than 10 days later he had been scooped up by the Blue Bombers and posted solid numbers in 38 games through the 2018 season with Winnipeg – including his first year in which he had 80 receptions for 1,003 yards. He finished with 176 receptions for 2,229 yards and 10 touchdowns in his days with the Blue Bombers.
Dressler said in a media conference call he was at a whisky tasting event at his home in North Dakota when he got the news of his induction.
“It’s not something I would normally do,” said Dressler. “I actually missed the phone call and then I got a text that said, ‘Give me a call back. I need to talk to you.’ I went to the side of the room and made the call back.
“It hasn’t really set in yet. I put my phone back in my pocket after that quick conversation. I got back and was there with my wife and a few of my friends; tasted a couple whiskeys after that and just smiled. It was like, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool.’ And then let it sink in.”
Dressler’s stats spoke for themselves when he was released by the Riders – he had already posted five 1,000-yard seasons – and it was his connection with Paul LaPolice that ultimately had him heading east to join the Blue Bombers.
LaPolice, you may recall, was a Saskatchewan assistant from 2007-09 before rejoining the Blue Bombers as offensive coordinator in 2019.
Paul LaPolice and Weston Dressler
“I appreciated his attention to detail,” Dressler said. “He was always hard on us as receivers, but in a good way – he was coaching us to make us better. One of the first things he said to me when I signed in Winnipeg was, ‘What happened to your waggle? Let’s figure your waggle out.’
“We went through some of the film at that point in time and I hadn’t noticed it myself how much less and less I was utilizing that part of the Canadian game after he left.”
Coleman, meanwhile, came to the CFL in 1994 with Calgary and hit the free agent market after the 2000 season as the Stamps looked to go younger at the cornerback position. The Blue Bombers swooped in to grab the veteran defensive back and Coleman made an instant impression. He manned the cornerback spot while handling some punt and kickoff return chores and had eight interceptions for the club – including three Pick-6s.
“That Winnipeg team reminded me of the Calgary teams,” said Coleman when asked about arriving in Winnipeg in 2001. “It was more older players mixed in with younger players. Everbody bought in and it felt like family. I had a lot of fun in the three years I was in Winnipeg.”
Marvin Coleman played with the Blue Bombers from 2001-03
And, not to open an old wound, but he will always remember how the 2001 Blue Bombers – a team that finished the year 14-4 – fell to the Stamps, 8-10, in the Grey Cup that year.
“It’s crazy that my first year in Winnipeg we played Calgary in the last game of the regular season and they beat us and that’s how they made the playoffs that year,” Coleman recalled. “We ended up playing them in the Grey Cup and they beat us in the Grey Cup. I was like, ‘Oh my Lord.’ I just knew I was going back to Calgary to brag about how I won a Grey Cup with Winnipeg that next year, but it didn’t happen.”
Ray Jauch, with Buddy Tinsley, during his playing days with the Blue Bombers from 1960-61
Jauch began his professional career with the Blue Bombers in 1960, opting to come north despite being drafted by the Buffalo Bills out of the University of Iowa. He dressed for nine games as a rookie and a dozen more in 1961 before suffering an Achilles injury in the 1961 Grey Cup. Sidelined due to the injury, Jauch became the sports director at United College in Winnipeg and began coaching the St. James Rods.
He began coaching in the CFL in 1966 with Edmonton, becoming the then-Eskimos head coach in 1970 and leading them to victory in the 1975 Grey Cup. He was named the Blue Bombers head coach in 1978 and coached the squad through 1982 before leaving for the Washington Federals in 1983. He was the CFL’s Coach of the Year in 1980 and had a 45-35 record during his days with the Blue Bombers. His 127 victories as a head coach ranks sixth all-time.