The Riders top draft pick Ben Heenan met with the Regina media May 3, 2012 in Regina, SK.
CFL draft announcements don't get more dramatic that the one staged Thursday morning in Saskatoon.
Nearly 2,000 onlookers broke into a standing ovation when Saskatchewan Roughriders' president and CEO Jim Hopson announced that his team would take University of Saskatchewan star Ben Heenan with their first overall pick when the CFL draft went live later in the day.
The ruckus at the University of Saskatchewan Huskies' fundraising Dogs' Breakfast started before Hopson was halfway through the announcement - spontaneous applause that broke out all over the sprawling facility, as Hopson proclaimed from the stage: "I'm pleased to announce that later today, with the first pick in the 2012 draft, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be selecting University of Saskatchewan offensive lineman Ben Heenan."
A teary-eyed Heenan hugged his parents at their table before threading his way through the crowd to accept a jersey from Hopson onstage. The announcement ended weeks of speculation about what the
Roughriders would do with the pick.
Heenan is a homegrown talent and widely considered a can't-miss player, but the Roughriders are deep on the offensive line and entertained offers for the pick.
"(Roughriders' general manager Brendan Taman) debated long and hard, and he had some good offers," Hopson said later. "But in the end, he said 'I can't pass this guy up. He's too good.' "
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Heenan was still emotional after the breakfast had ended.
"I had a strong inkling the past few days, but nothing was official until today," Heenan said. "To spend today with 2,000 Huskie supporters, my teammates and my family really does mean a lot.
"For right now," he added, "I'm just going to soak this in and enjoy it with my family and teammates. Later on, next week, we'll figure out where I fit into the grand scheme of things."
Taman didn't attend the Dogs' Breakfast - he was back in Regina preparing for the draft - but Hopson said the team wanted to make sure they didn't pick Heenan just because it was popular with fans.
Other factors were at play, he said - foremost the likelihood that Heenan can have a long career on the Roughriders' line.
"He's from Grand Coulee (just outside Regina), and from my understanding, he's going to become part of the family farm operation," Hopson said. "You probably don't have to worry about him wanting to sign with somebody else down the road, and that can happen. You draft a kid from the east, and there's no guarantees he doesn't want to go home - I think a guy named Andy Fantuz kind of showed us that, and (Brendon) LaBatte showed the same thing (when he left the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to sign with the his home-province Roughriders). Long-term, it's a good football decision."
But it wasn't a decision set in stone until Hopson formally made the announcement, which was first suggested by Huskies' head coach Brian Towriss.
He and Hopson were talking at a mini-camp in Moose Jaw last week when Towriss planted the seed.
"(Towriss) said, 'I don't know what you're going to do, but if you're taking Ben, it would be really cool to be able to announce it at the Dogs' Breakfast,' " Hopson recalled.
"Right away, the bells went off. I said, 'Brendan, no pressure, but if that's your call, let us know.' We called the league. We called TSN. I was a little worried. I thought they might say no, but they said 'Great. Fabulous.' It all came together. But even this morning, I waited for my phone to ring and Taman to say, 'Hey; I just traded the first.' But it worked out perfect."
Heenan is the second Huskie selected first overall. In 2008, Hamilton picked safety Dylan Barker with their first overall pick.
The moment left a deep impact on Heenan's parents, Dale and Deb.
Father Dale said he grew up a Roughriders' fan, though he's focused more on the Huskies than the local CFL team the last few seasons.
"As a little kid, we used to go with my grandfather to the football games," Dale Heenan said after the breakfast.
"We sat in Section 4, and we went to Rider games all the time with grandpa - my cousins, my sister, my mom and dad. We had three season tickets there for, it seems, forever. It's kind of neat - we watched the Riders during those really good years, and never did I guess in my wildest dreams that one day, after watching all those guys, that I'd be watching my son play on the field."
Towriss, meanwhile, reiterated his belief that Heenan is most complete player the Huskies have ever produced and that includes past offensive-line greats like Gene Makowsky and Scott Flory, both of whom went on to long CFL careers.
"He's the most CFL game-ready guy we've had - his strength, his agility, his speed," Towriss said.
"And over and above that is his character. There's no red flags anywhere. He works every day to get better, he's had a great upbringing, he's polite, he's modest, he has a fire. He's going to be a great pro if he can stay healthy."
Nearly 2,000 onlookers broke into a standing ovation when Saskatchewan Roughriders' president and CEO Jim Hopson announced that his team would take University of Saskatchewan star Ben Heenan with their first overall pick when the CFL draft went live later in the day.
The ruckus at the University of Saskatchewan Huskies' fundraising Dogs' Breakfast started before Hopson was halfway through the announcement - spontaneous applause that broke out all over the sprawling facility, as Hopson proclaimed from the stage: "I'm pleased to announce that later today, with the first pick in the 2012 draft, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be selecting University of Saskatchewan offensive lineman Ben Heenan."
A teary-eyed Heenan hugged his parents at their table before threading his way through the crowd to accept a jersey from Hopson onstage. The announcement ended weeks of speculation about what the
Roughriders would do with the pick.
Heenan is a homegrown talent and widely considered a can't-miss player, but the Roughriders are deep on the offensive line and entertained offers for the pick.
"(Roughriders' general manager Brendan Taman) debated long and hard, and he had some good offers," Hopson said later. "But in the end, he said 'I can't pass this guy up. He's too good.' "
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Heenan was still emotional after the breakfast had ended.
"I had a strong inkling the past few days, but nothing was official until today," Heenan said. "To spend today with 2,000 Huskie supporters, my teammates and my family really does mean a lot.
"For right now," he added, "I'm just going to soak this in and enjoy it with my family and teammates. Later on, next week, we'll figure out where I fit into the grand scheme of things."
Taman didn't attend the Dogs' Breakfast - he was back in Regina preparing for the draft - but Hopson said the team wanted to make sure they didn't pick Heenan just because it was popular with fans.
Other factors were at play, he said - foremost the likelihood that Heenan can have a long career on the Roughriders' line.
"He's from Grand Coulee (just outside Regina), and from my understanding, he's going to become part of the family farm operation," Hopson said. "You probably don't have to worry about him wanting to sign with somebody else down the road, and that can happen. You draft a kid from the east, and there's no guarantees he doesn't want to go home - I think a guy named Andy Fantuz kind of showed us that, and (Brendon) LaBatte showed the same thing (when he left the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to sign with the his home-province Roughriders). Long-term, it's a good football decision."
But it wasn't a decision set in stone until Hopson formally made the announcement, which was first suggested by Huskies' head coach Brian Towriss.
He and Hopson were talking at a mini-camp in Moose Jaw last week when Towriss planted the seed.
"(Towriss) said, 'I don't know what you're going to do, but if you're taking Ben, it would be really cool to be able to announce it at the Dogs' Breakfast,' " Hopson recalled.
"Right away, the bells went off. I said, 'Brendan, no pressure, but if that's your call, let us know.' We called the league. We called TSN. I was a little worried. I thought they might say no, but they said 'Great. Fabulous.' It all came together. But even this morning, I waited for my phone to ring and Taman to say, 'Hey; I just traded the first.' But it worked out perfect."
Heenan is the second Huskie selected first overall. In 2008, Hamilton picked safety Dylan Barker with their first overall pick.
The moment left a deep impact on Heenan's parents, Dale and Deb.
Father Dale said he grew up a Roughriders' fan, though he's focused more on the Huskies than the local CFL team the last few seasons.
"As a little kid, we used to go with my grandfather to the football games," Dale Heenan said after the breakfast.
"We sat in Section 4, and we went to Rider games all the time with grandpa - my cousins, my sister, my mom and dad. We had three season tickets there for, it seems, forever. It's kind of neat - we watched the Riders during those really good years, and never did I guess in my wildest dreams that one day, after watching all those guys, that I'd be watching my son play on the field."
Towriss, meanwhile, reiterated his belief that Heenan is most complete player the Huskies have ever produced and that includes past offensive-line greats like Gene Makowsky and Scott Flory, both of whom went on to long CFL careers.
"He's the most CFL game-ready guy we've had - his strength, his agility, his speed," Towriss said.
"And over and above that is his character. There's no red flags anywhere. He works every day to get better, he's had a great upbringing, he's polite, he's modest, he has a fire. He's going to be a great pro if he can stay healthy."
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