'We had a damn good football team:' 2 Roughriders legends welcomed to Plaza of Honour

The two Saskatchewan football legends being inducted into the Roughriders' Plaza of Honour have a special connection.

Darian Durant and the former general manager who brought him to Saskatchewan, Roy Shivers, were back in Regina on Thursday, ahead of a Saturday ceremony for this year's SaskTel Plaza of Honour inductees.

When Shivers was hired in 1995 by the Birmingham Barracudas — a now defunct team that was part of the CFL that year — he made history by becoming the first-ever Black general manager in the football league.

Shivers joined the Roughriders in 1999, and when he hired Danny Barrett, they became the first Black general manager and head coach tandem in professional football history, the club says.

"The only thing I knew about Saskatchewan is what I used to get from [former Riders head coach] Don Matthews, and it was like purgatory for him, you know what I mean?" Shivers said at a news conference on Thursday.

"Every time he cut somebody, he threatened to send them to Saskatchewan, you know, and I never could figure it out," said Shivers. 

"Then I thought about it, and ain't this just like Green Bay? The town centres around the football team. Green Bay is the same way, you know." 

Shivers served as Saskatchewan's general manager until 2006, during which time he signed or recruited 11 future SaskTel Plaza of Honour inductees and 16 players who earned CFL all-star honours while in Saskatchewan. 

"We had a damn good football team," said Shivers. 

'He put everything in place'

Durant holds a special place in the heart of Rider Nation. He spent 10 years with the club, becoming the team's full-time starting quarterback in 2009. 

Durant is also well known by Riders fans for being a part of the historic 2007 and 2013 Grey Cup championship teams. 

He began his career with the club in 2006 — a trade that was orchestrated by Shivers.

Sitting beside the man who brought him to Saskatchewan at Thursday's news conference, Durant reflected on being inducted into the plaza with his long-standing general manager. 

"Roy bringing me here, it's just a crazy moment," said Durant.

"I think back to, you know, our first year and our first team meeting and just being around him.… He put everything in place," he said.

"He did an amazing job, amazing teammates we had that year."

Feeling it more the 2nd time 

Durant was previously inducted into the Plaza of Honour last year, along with the full 2013 Grey Cup team. 

As an individual inductee this year, Durant says he can appreciate the era of football he was a part of even more. 

"It's the ultimate individual award for being a Saskatchewan Roughrider, and I'm just happy that, you know, I'm able to go." 

The two will be honoured in a special ceremony during halftime at Saturday's home game against the B.C. Lions. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. CST.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.