University grants $45,000 for Bisons football championship rings

Magally Zelaya, Staff

The university has awarded the Bison football team $45,000 to purchase championship rings for their 2007 Vanier Cup win. The amount equals $425 for each of the 106 players, coaches, therapists, and associated staff directly involved with the team and will cover the price of a basic-style ring.

“As far as we’ve heard, it’s the largest gift given,” said Stan Pierre, assistant head coach of the Bisons football team. He said they found about the financial assistance shortly after the team returned from their Nov. 23 championship win over the Saint Mary’s Huskies.

“If we have to scrape together a little bit from here and a little bit from there, then I think that that’s money well spent,” said U of M president Emöke Szathmáry, who granted the team the funds.

“We would not be able to afford the amount of publicity that the Vanier Cup win brought to us if we actually had to pay for it,” she said.

The $45,000 was allotted from Szathmáry’s discretionary fund. Accordingly, the gift did not need to be approved by any outside bodies, such as the Board of Governors.

“I happen to think that it was a small amount of money, it was really an act of generosity when I found out that in fact it’s convention,” she added.

Most Vanier Cup winners do purchase championship rings, and many — but not all — receive financial support from their universities.

“You’re generous,” said Brian Towriss, the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s Huskies, on the amount of the gift.

The U of S Huskies have won the cup three times in the last 18 years: in 1990,1996 and 1998.

“The first time, the president gave us, I think, five grand just out of his own fund . . . and I think we just got it the one time. We may have gotten it twice,” said Towriss.

“We don’t think we got anything from the university the third time,” he added.

At Wilfred Laurier University, the Golden Hawks won the Vanier Cup in 2005 and according to reports from their student newspaper, the Cord Weekly, the players were set to fundraise as the university was not prepared to provide financial support. In the end, the team received between $10,000 and $15,000.

“[The president] was good enough to dig in and find us some money and helped out a little bit,” said Gary Jeffries, the Golden Hawks’ head coach.

“I think it might have made a difference of 100 bucks a ring per kid,” said Jeffries.

As for determining who would receive rings, the situation is the same at all three universities where all those directly involved with the team are eligible.

“Anybody directly connected to the program, our equipment guy, our assistant equipment guy, the kids who brought out the water. We pretty much got ’em for everybody,” said Jeffries. “They’re every bit as much a part of it. They were there the same amount of time as the kids who were on the field.”

The Bisons team has 68 players listed on their Canadian Interuniversity Sport roster and 21 coaches and athletic therapists listed on their website.

An unknown number of “red shirts” —  players who train with the team but are not on the roster and consequently are not using up one of their five years of eligibility — also received rings.

“Some did, some didn’t, depending on their status,” said Pierre.

Szathmáry said she did not expect that there would be so many people on the roster. “I was a bit surprised at how many people were involved, but once you find that out you can’t very well withdraw your offer.”

Bison receiver Jessey Ternowetsky, a second-year University 1 student, did not play in the final game, but said that the rings will help the team and the university.

“They’re giving [the rings] because the football team will draw more people,” he said. “I know right now, Coach Dobie is going to have so many new recruits next year and really good recruits,” he added.

“So not only does that make the football team better, it makes the school better,” continued Ternowetsky.

UMSU president Garry Sran said the rings are “well-deserved” but noted that all teams deserve the same rewards for winning national championships. “We would expect that any sport team would receive the same treatment,” he said.

In January, Brad Black, a fifth-year receiver, started a Facebook group aimed at increasing funds for the rings, a story reported on by the Winnipeg Sun.

Szathmáry said that Black had since apologized and that other players have given her personal thanks.

“This was a gift from their university. We’re proud of their achievement. It’s hard to be a good athlete and a decent student at the same time, many of them do exceptionally well, and so it was a gift,” she said.

The basic ring design consists of a band with the Bison logo and “National Champion” on it, according to Pierre. Individuals were able to upgrade rings at their own cost. The rings have been ordered and are expected by the end of the month.