Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have unveiled the latest class set to be inducted into the club’s Plaza of Honour.
Receiver Rob Bagg, offensive lineman Dan Clark and kicker Paul McCallum are the three inductees set to be enshrined in October, as it marks the first time since 2004 that the full induction list features three Canadian players.
McCallum was the longest-tenured Roughrider in the group, having played for the squad from 1994 to 2005 before also joining the team in the 2015 season. He ranks second all-time in team history with 1,615 points, 368 field goals, 408 converts and is first all-time in punts (1,116) and yardage (45,670).
In 2022, McCallum, who played for the B.C. Lions in between stints with the Roughriders, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. In his career with the Green and White, McCallum played in 185 regular-season games and nine postseason games.
“It’s just an honour,” said McCallum. “Time flies by so fast, and when things like this come upon me, I kind of start to reminisce and think about all the things that sort of happened in my career and with the Riders, and it’s just an amazing journey that I’ve been on, and I’m just really happy I get to share it with these guys.”
Bagg played for the Roughriders from 2008 to 2017 after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007 out of the Queen’s University. In 2009 and 2015, Bagg was named the team’s top Canadian while he was named a West Division all-star in 2014. In 2013, he helped the Roughriders win the Grey Cup in his second championship appearance.
In his career, Bagg played 143 regular-season games, ending his career ranked sixth all-time in club history with 364 catches, 10th with 4,706 receiving yards and 13th with 24 touchdown catches.
“It’s just been an incredibly humbling experience to find out this news,” said Bagg. “Finding out that it was Clarkie and Paul, it just makes it all that much better.
“As I’ve thought back on my time in Saskatchewan, I like to think that I gave everything I possibly could to the club, but the more and more time I have away from the game, the more time I have to reflect on what the province and the community and the organization gave me. I’m not sure it was, quite honestly, a balanced trade. It was just such an incredible experience down there.
“It’s been too long now since I’ve been back in Sask., and too long since I’ve been back in the stadium, and I can’t wait to share that moment with my own three kids.”
Clark was also a member of Saskatchewan’s 2013 championship team as he played for the Roughriders from 2012 to 2022. First joining the team as a territorial junior from the Regina Thunder, the Regina product went on to become the team’s starting centre and was named an all-star in 2019.
Twice Clark was named the team’s top offensive lineman (2019 and 2021) and in 2022, he won the CFL’s Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award. In total, Clark played 131 regular-season games and nine playoff games with the Roughriders.
“Being able to go in with both (Bagg and McCallum) is something that it definitely strikes a note in my heart,” said Clark. “Coming from a local Thom Collegiate grad going to the Thunder, it’s everything that you wish for to be able to be recognized and be able to be one of the special people that get inducted in the plaza.”
Clark admitted he was caught off guard by the announcement, which came just four years after his playing days ended.
“It’s something that, I’m not going to sugar coat it, I’m shocked,” he said. “Not to sound like that humble guy that continues to be that way, but there’s many people that deserve this over myself.
“Being a part of this group, being a part with Paul and Bagger, I definitely enjoy the group that I’m going to be with, but also I look at the other people that should be in before me. This opportunity, hopefully just shows the type of person that I am and what I’ve been willing to do for an organization.
“It definitely is an honour not to downplay that.”
During halftime of Saskatchewan’s game on Oct. 17 against the Montreal Alouettes, the trio will be honoured during a special ceremony. With their additions, the Plaza of Honour has now recognized 146 individuals and four teams.
