The longtime radio voice of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honour on the eve of his retirement.
680 CJOB’s Bob Irving, whose last game will be the CFL’s West Final on Dec. 5, has been the play-by-play voice for the team for almost 50 years.
He’ll be the 13th person inducted into the Ring of Honour at IG Field, the Bombers announced Thursday.
“The Winnipeg Football Club’s Ring of Honour is reserved for this franchise’s icons, both players and coaches. Now we can proudly add Bob as the icon among play-by-play callers,” said team president Wade Miller.
“This organization has been fortunate to have had such a long association with Bob, not just as a broadcaster, but as someone who always been a supporter of Winnipeg, of the Blue Bombers and the Canadian Football League.
“It only seems fitting that his name should have a place alongside the other legends in this franchise’s long and storied history.”
Throughout his storied career behind the mic, Irving has also been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the Sportswriters and Sportscasters Media Roll of Honour, and received the Order of Manitoba in 2014.
The Bombers said they’ll hold a formal ceremony before the Dec. 5 game to induct Irving into the Ring.
The game will pit the Grey Cup-defending Bombers against the winner of this weekend’s game between Saskatchewan and Calgary, with the winner on Dec. 5 advancing to the 108th Grey Cup final in Hamilton.