Celebration of life to honour Jim Hopson set for Friday afternoon

A celebration of life will be held in Regina on Friday in honour of Jim Hopson.

Hopson, who helped transform the Saskatchewan Roughriders into the flagship franchise of Canadian football as the team’s president and CEO, died last month at age 73 after a battle with cancer.

The celebration of life will begin with a procession on Friday afternoon. That will begin at 1 p.m. at the intersection of College Avenue and Broad Street, with the procession making its way down Albert Street to the Legislative Building, then passing through the park to the Conexus Arts Centre where the celebration itself will begin at 3 p.m.

Speers Funeral Chapel will be streaming the celebration for those unable to attend in person.

A reception at the centre will follow the celebration.

Hopson was born and raised in the Queen City, and started his football career as a player at Thom Collegiate. He later played with the Regina Rams before joining the Roughriders as an offensive lineman in 1973.

He retired from the team in 1976 to focus on his teaching career, but applied to serve to the as the Roughriders’ first-ever president-CEO in 2004, a role he ultimately held until 2015.

Under Hopson’s leadership, the Riders won Grey Cups in 2007, 2013, and went from a team that often struggled financially to an economic powerhouse in the league.

He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Hopson was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in April of 2021, but when he joined The Evan Bray Show on Jan. 26 of this year he said the battle didn’t change his outlook on life.

“I’m still very much appreciative of the life I’ve had,” Hopson said. “I feel like I’m blessed — my friends, my family, I’m proud of my education career and the things we were able to do with the Riders …

“I think you have to learn to approach life in a positive way.”