Dressler, Miller, McCullough set to enter Plaza of Honour

Three men associated with some of the most successful years the Saskatchewan Roughriders have seen will take their place among the CFL team’s greats.

Ken Miller, Weston Dressler and Mike McCullough are to be inducted into the Plaza of Honour on Friday when the Riders host the B.C. Lions.

Kickoff for the game at Mosaic Stadium is set for 8 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show will begin at 6 p.m.

“It’s kind of a surreal moment,” Dressler said during a media conference Thursday. “I came here in 2008 and as a young kid fresh out of school, it’s not something I thought about at that point in time. I just wanted to play football.

“To be here today and in this moment, it’s just a cool moment. It just captivates everything we went through in my time here.”

Dressler, a product of Bismarck, N.D., joined the Roughriders in 2008 and was named the CFL’s most outstanding rookie that season.

He appeared in 123 regular-season games with Saskatchewan during his career and recorded 539 catches for 7,797 yards and 51 touchdowns. The slotback had five seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.

Dressler also played in nine playoff games with the Roughriders, catching 44 passes for 695 yards and six TDs. He helped Saskatchewan win the 2013 Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium.

Joining him will be his former coach.

Miller was with the Roughriders from 2007 through 2011, serving as the team’s offensive co-ordinator, head coach and vice-president of football operations during his tenure.

The product of The Dalles, Ore., was hired as the Roughriders’ offensive co-ordinator in the Grey Cup-winning season of 2007 under then-head coach Kent Austin.

Miller succeeded Austin in 2008 and guided Saskatchewan to Grey Cup appearances in 2009 and ’10. He resigned as head coach after the 2010 season but returned to the post midway through the 2011 season.

He recorded 36 regular-season wins and three post-season victories over his career as the Roughriders’ head coach.

“It is a tremendous and awesome feeling,” Miller said. “When we came into Regina, it was just a tender moment for us to realize we were coming home to be part of a tremendous celebration.”

This week has also been Miller’s first time inside the new Mosaic Stadium.

“I had seen it under construction from the outside but (this is my) first time inside. I’m looking forward to the game and being able to see a game in this place,” Miller said. “What a wonderful stadium this is.”

Miller also spoke to the current edition of the Riders earlier in the week.

“I told them I was here five years so I had five thoughts from those years I’d share with them,” Miller said. “It really revolved around focusing on process as opposed to being worried about outcome. When you’re worried about outcomes, it takes away from your thought process and your ability to work on individual aspects of your process.

“And effort — effort is the edge and not just when things are going well.”

McCullough, who claims he’s the least important of the three inductees, made his own mark on the Riders during his career.

The linebacker joined the Roughriders after being selected in the third round (23rd overall) of the 2003 CFL draft out of St. Francis Xavier University.

A product of Kingston, Ont., McCullough played all 11 years of his career with the Roughriders, appearing in 185 games. He’s second all-time in franchise history with 113 special-teams tackles.

McCullough played in four Grey Cups with Saskatchewan, winning in 2007 and ’13.

“I’m going to bawl like a baby (when I’m on the field Friday),” McCullough said. “(The fans) are all here for Dressler; we all know that. I’m just a space-filler. I’m cool with that.

“I’m going to stand super-close to him so I feel like they are all applauding me and not him.”

For McCullough, the best thing about this is that he can show his kids and grandchildren some proof of what he accomplished.

“No matter what happens from here on out, they are going to know that Dad did something at one point and was cool for a few minutes,” McCullough said.

As for Dressler, he has no idea what emotions he will feel when it’s announced at the game the three have been put into the plaza.

“I have three little kids now. My oldest is four years old, so I’m excited for him to see and take part in a game and share with him a little bit of the history and what I was able to do,” Dressler said.