Ploen a modest, everyday icon

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This article was published 28/02/2024 (614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wednesday’s celebration of life for Ken Ploen was heartfelt and humorous, tearful and touching.

It was also a good history lesson.

The story of an ordinary guy who performed extraordinary feats but also served as an explanation for how a legendary football star could be so revered 57 years after he hung up his cleats.

Ploen, who died on Feb. 13 after a lengthy struggle with dementia, was 88.

He is survived by his wife Janet, son Doug, daughters Kendra and Carol, their spouses and eight grandchildren.

“My tears today have been happy tears,” Janet Ploen told a crowd of several hundred at Celebrations Canad Inns Fort Garry. “It’s been a long journey. It’s been almost 15 years and my heart goes out to anyone who has experienced or is experiencing this horrible disease called dementia.

“Everyone in Winnipeg told me that Ken was an icon but to me he was just my husband and the father of my children. For the love and support I have felt this past week and for all you being here today, I can’t thank you enough. Ken always said the best decision that we made was to stay in Winnipeg. He was right.”

Doug Ploen was a preschooler when his dad retired in 1967 and had only a vague understanding of Ken’s notoriety as a member of four Halls of Fame, the MVP of the 1957 Rose Bowl and six trips with the Blue Bombers to the Grey Cup game, including four victories.

“He was your dad,” said Doug Ploen. “You talked to him. He raised you. He taught you right from wrong and then you kind of dug around in the back room and you found a scrapbook and you flipped it open and you went, ‘Oh, wow, That’s kind of cool. You know, (scoring the) overtime touchdown in ‘61 (Grey Cup). Wow.’ I probably wasn’t 15 or 16 before I saw that footage. That’s pretty cool, right? He never, ever talked about that. We never talked about the glory days — ever.”

His youngest child, Carol, had a similar story to tell.

“My dad was an extremely modest man and to be honest, what I knew about his football career was what other people told me,” said Carol Ploen-Hosegood. “He never boasted about what he had accomplished and I admired him for that. What I do know for sure, is the best team he ever played on was the team of Ken and Jan. Together, they were magic.”

Ploen’s reputation for humility and class transcended the generations.

Franchise great, punter Bob Cameron, remembered getting to know Ploen better as the co-host with Cal Murphy and Ploen on a Blue Bombers Caribbean cruise in 1991.

“I knew all about him,” said Cameron, whose Canadian Football Hall of Fame career stretched from 1980 to 2002. “I was a kid when he was a superstar and every time he’d come up to me and say, ‘Hi Bob.’ He was that type of guy — never putting on any airs at all. He was just a super guy and I’m so proud of him to stay in Winnipeg. I wasn’t from here either and to stay here and make your life here is fantastic.”

Family life came first for Ploen.

“I think what you heard today — and we all knew it — is what he did on the field was was nothing compared to what he did off the field,” said club president and CEO Wade Miller. “And you heard that from everybody that spoke today.”

To honour their dad’s memory, the Ploen family has decided to created a lasting tribute to his spirit. The Kenny Ploen Foundation has been created to support amateur sports in the province by promoting the development of leadership skills.

“He was always so grateful for what the city of Winnipeg gave to him,” said Carol Ploen-Hosegood. “So I think for us, it’s how can we give back to the city of Winnipeg? But let’s be honest, Dad played in an era where he worked full-time while he was playing, our pockets are only so deep. Our family will certainly support a foundation as best we can, but I thought about it and I went, ‘Well, with all these people that love him, why don’t we all put in a buck and let’s see what we can do for the city and for amateur sport.’ ”

Gifts to the Foundation will be endowed at The Winnipeg Foundation and the income earned will be distributed annually as grants to community agencies.

In Ken’s memory, gifts can be made to the Kenny Ploen Fund at the Winnipeg Foundation, 1350 One Lombard Place, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0X3.Tel 204-944-9474 or online at https://mycharitytools.com/gift/wpgfdn/KennyPloen.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca