Stegall named to Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame

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This article was published 16/10/2023 (729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Milt Stegall has the key to the city, the Order of the Buffalo Hunt and a street named after him.

The accolades keep coming for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers legend, who will officially become an honoured member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame early next month.

The greatest receiver in CFL history will be in town for the induction ceremony, set for Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre.

The 2023 class also includes long-distance runner Chris Glowach, swimmer Kelly Stefanyshyn, builder Brent Bottomley (cross-country skiing), builder Alex Gardiner (athletics), and the 1965 Terry Braunstein curling team.

“I would have no idea, no clue, going back to September of 1995 that my life would change so much with me signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. And just this honour right here is outstanding,” Stegall said in a Zoom call Monday.

“I told some of my friends and they were like, ‘Hold on, man. How are you getting inducted? You were born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and you live in Atlanta, Ga.’ But it’s just so overwhelming that I’m able to have this honour bestowed upon me. It means a lot to me and I don’t take any of this for granted.”

Stegall never envisioned becoming one of the city’s most decorated athletes. He spent the first three years of his pro career with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals before trying out for the Green Bay Packers. An injury on the first day of training camp led to his release, and he was convinced his football days were over.

Fortunately for Stegall, former Bombers’ director of player personnel Paul Jones jumped at the chance to bring him up north.

The late Cal Murphy, Winnipeg’s head coach at the time, had concerns Stegall wasn’t fast enough for the Canadian game, but Jones saw something in the University of Miami-Ohio product and went to bat for him.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“I won’t lie, it was tough when I first got there. I get to Winnipeg, it’s all flat, there’s no expressways, no traffic, and I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And right when I get off the plane, I think I’m gonna take a physical and then I’ll take a couple days, but I get off the plane and (equipment manager) Brad Fotty gives me a uniform and I’m practising on turf,” Stegall recalled.

“Cal Murphy is screaming at me because I have on a long shirt. ‘You don’t need that long shirt on, it’s not cold enough!’ So, I’m like, ‘Hold up, what have I gotten myself into here?’ But as the weeks went on, as the years went on, it was the best decision I ever made besides marrying my wife (Darlene) and my wife having my two beautiful sons (Chase and Colin).”

After 14 seasons in Winnipeg (1995-2008), Stegall retired as the CFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards (15,153) and touchdowns leader (147). Geroy Simon took the leading receiver title (16,352) in 2012, but Stegall’s touchdown mark remains untouched.

His first TD came in his first start — Sept. 19, 1995 against the Calgary Stampeders — when Murphy inserted him into the lineup to replace Fred Ward. He caught a 14-yard touchdown from quarterback Kevin McDougal in a 43-28 loss at McMahon Stadium.

“I was returning punts that game, and they didn’t tell me all the rules, so I’m back to return a punt and I’m trying to fair catch it. Luckily, there was a guy back there, Shannon Baker, saying, ‘You can’t fair catch it!’ We ended up getting crushed that game, but I had a decent game,” Stegall recalled.

“Kevin McDougal threw me an eight — or nine-yard out route and I took it in. I always say if I write a book about my football career in the CFL it’s going to be (called) From Kevin to Kevin because Kevin McDougal threw me my first touchdown pass and Kevin Glenn threw me my last touchdown pass.”

Stegall, now 53, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Bombers Ring of Honour in 2016. Whenever Stegall earns recognition for his career, he’s quick to thank his family and give credit to his father Garland, who passed away in 1987, for his mindset and work ethic.

“My father provided me and my four older siblings and my mother with everything because he literally worked himself to death,” said Stegall.

“I owe everything to what my father instilled in me, what he embedded in me, and not what he said to me but what I saw him do for the 18 years that he was here for my life. Whenever these moments pop up, of course there’s other individuals that come to mind, but he’s the first one to come to mind because the way he lived his life every single day.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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