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March 30, 2020

Upon Further Review

Before the recent COVID-19 outbreak, I had a chance to sit down with Stamps Equipment Manager extraordinaire, George Hopkins, to talk about some of the greatest moments in team history.

Geo, as he’s affectionately known, is a wealth of football knowledge and tradition. With an incredible 835 regular-season games, 45 playoff contests and 12 Grey Cups under his belt, he’s a staple in the locker-room and on the sidelines.

And if you know Geo, he has a quick wit, a dry sense of humour, and an eager willingness to share tales of tradition and lore.

So who better to walk us down memory lane?

This is the first instalment of a blog series featuring our football staff’s most memorable Stampeders’ moments.

2014 Wall of Fame Game – September 13 vs Toronto

“One that stands out for sure is the 2014 Wall-of-Fame Game, when my name went up on the wall at McMahon Stadium,” says Hopkins, who is currently working his 49th season with the Red and White.

“I can remember going into halftime thinking, well this one is going to be one I’ll want to forget.”

The Red & White were struggling, to put it nicely. For most of the first half, the Stamps trailed the Toronto Argonauts 29-3. Thanks to a late second-quarter touchdown from Bo Levi Mitchell to Sederrik Cunningham, the good guys made it 29-10 at the break.

This particular game is also etched in the memory of President and GM John Hufnagel.

“It was a slow start to the game. Offensively and defensively we just weren’t getting it done, but also another example of the character and never-quit attitude of our players,” says the man who patrolled the sideline that evening.

With the home team trailing, Geo’s name was unveiled on the Wall at the half, along with James Sykes, Ron Allbright, Jamie Crysdale, Stu Laird, and fellow builder Pat Clayton.

The second half would be an entirely different game for the Stamp, ignited by a 79-yard rushing touchdown by Jon Cornish, who would win Most Outstanding Canadian for the third season in a row later that year.

At the final whistle, they had stormed back with 30 second-half points, shocking the Argos en route to a 40-33 win.

“Our defence completely shut them down in the second half and offensively, we moved the ball up and down the field and scored 30 points in the second half. Another big thing about that game was Bo Levi went down and Drew Tate comes in and throws two touchdowns in the second half to be a big part of the comeback win,” recalls Huff.

The game equalled the largest comeback margin in team history. In 1987, the Stamps held their first 26-point rally in a road game against the Ottawa Rough Riders as they trailed 37-11 to win 39-38.

“What I thought was going to be an awful loss on a big day for me personally, turned out to be OK,” smiled Hopkins.