Some of the province’s finest football players, builders, and pioneers will be receiving top honours Thursday.
A gala event inducting this year’s Football Manitoba Hall of Fame class, including former NFL defensive lineman Israel Idonije and current CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, takes place Thursday night at the Viscount Gort Hotel.
Idonije, a Brandon native, is perhaps the highest-profile inductee. His NFL career lasted over a decade, and he’s earned a large collection of awards and accolades on and off the field, including the Order of Manitoba in 2014.
Ambrosie is a born-and-bred Winnipegger with a CFL career of his own, including a Grey Cup championship, before taking over as league commissioner in 2017.
They’re joined as inductees by members of the 1968 St. Vital Bulldogs, the 1956 Daniel McIntyre Maroons, and longtime referee Ken Lazaruk, as well as Rick Hudson, Gary Rosolowich, Rick Wowchuk, Paul Normandeau, and (posthumously) Bob Toth.
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