October 26, 2011
ESKS.com
Rose Mary Phillip
We’ve all been there: You get all dressed up in your finest attire just to find out that you have to wear a football helmet that is growing deer antlers.
No?
 |
| Rod Davis was awarded the Antler Helmet for his hard hit in the Argo game last weekend. |
Well it happened to linebacker Rod Davis last night at the 47th Edmonton Eskimo Annual Dinner presented by Capital Power.
The gala event’s connection to the Empire runs deep. The inaugural dinner, held in 1964, raised funds to help keep the team afloat. Today, thanks to a loyal fan base and wise leadership, the football club no longer needs the event to keep the gates open and stadium lights on. Instead, all proceeds support the Eskimo Champions in the Community programs.
It began with a cocktail reception featuring the full roster mingling with the over 800 fans in attendance and answering questions like “Is that all your real hair Marcus Howard?” and “How great does it feel to be in the playoffs during a ‘rebuilding’ year?” It’s amazing, actually.
The formal program kicked off with two routines by the Eskimo Cheer Team. Then came Master of Ceremonies Mark Scholz channeling what can only be described as a mixture of preacher Billy Graham, Bryan Hall and Lady Gaga. In his opening theatrics, he raised a 2005 Grey Cup ball high above his head and raced it around the room to touch the golden hands of the alumni in attendance, including Willie Pless and Hugh Campbell.
After a vow to bring the Grey Cup home, Scholz invited linebacker J.C. Sherritt to the stage to announce a special giveaway. It’s a rookie tradition. One lucky person from each table took home a football autographed by the entire team. If you missed out, a large number of signed balls may appear on e-Bay shortly. Sheer coincidence.
One of the many important traditions recognized at the Annual Dinner is paying tribute to the late, great Eskimo David Boone who was a humanitarian, outstanding ball player and terrific teammate. His namesake award is given to a player of the same character. The 2009 recipient Patrick Kabongo had the honour of presenting this year’s award to centre Aaron Fiacconi. His community work includes helping rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake and talking to kids about bullying. During his acceptance speech, Fiacconi invited several teammates, who are active in the community, to share in his award. That’s class.
|
|
| Steve Giang accepts the Wes Montgomery Award. |
The Wes Montgomery Award was also handed out last night to Edmonton Wildcat defensive lineman Steve Giang. The bursary was established in 2005 by the Eskimos and the Edmonton Sun after the passing of the beloved columnist and radio play-by-play announcer.
The dinner was stamped as an immediate success, but it was the little extras that made the night special. Not the least of which was the Capital Power photo booth, a new addition to the event. Dinner guests posed for photos with their favorite players against a locker-room backdrop complete with football, helmet and jersey props. The keepsakes were printed, framed and autographed on site.
The night culminated with the induction ceremonies of former Eskimo linebacker Larry Wruck and kicker Sean Fleming to the Wall of Honour at Commonwealth Stadium. John Sexsmith of Global Sports hosted this portion of the evening that also saw Head Coach Kavis Reed join his former teammates on stage for a round table discussion. If you were one of those in the photo booth with quarterback Ricky Ray or asking running back Jerome Messam about “the incident” at BC Place, here are the key points:
 |
| Sean Fleming and Larry Wruck were inducted to the Eskimo Wall of Honour. |
a) Wruck and Fleming embody the very best of Eskimo tradition.
b) Once an Eskimo, always an Eskimo.
c) We’ll be in BC on November 27 to claim what is rightfully ours.
Much the surprise (Okay, it was shock) of Bob Turner, he too was added to the Wall of Honour. You can see the former board member and past board chairman’s name “when you go to the concession to get a beer,” as said by Eskimo President and CEO Rick LeLacheur.
With another successful Annual Dinner in the bag, let us turn our focus to the green and gold getting the number one spot on Saturday and bringing the Grey Cup back home where it belongs! Go Esks.