Tributes to Jim Hopson given by friends and family at Celebration of Life

Hundreds arrived dressed in their very best Roughrider green for Jim Hopson’s Celebration of Life.

Many fans dressed in Hopson’s #52 jersey, as they entered through the doors of the Conexus Art Centre on Friday.

Hopson helped transform the Saskatchewan Roughriders into a flagship franchise of Canadian football as the team’s President and CEO from 2005 to 2015.

Today we celebrate the life of our friend, Jim Hopson — educator, visionary for our Club, and a friend to all.

Those unable to join his Celebration of Life in person, can do so via livestream.https://t.co/MFtkX04g6e | https://t.co/u8akCoaqOP pic.twitter.com/vbj0V2K5vX

— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) May 3, 2024

He was born and raised in Regina, starting his football career at Thom Collegiate. He played with the Regina Rams before joining the Roughriders as an offensive lineman in 1973.

Hopson died at age 73 last month after a long battle with cancer.

In 2010, Hopson married Brenda Edwards, who said Hopson was a true inspiration. Edwards was Hopson’s caregiver for three years while he was sick.

“I considered being his caregiver the greatest gift of our relationship,” she said. “To be able to be with someone you love, and to be able to provide that care that you love, each and every day up until the last breath was so meaningful for me, and I thank him for being able to have that privilege.” Edwards said the two met in the 1970s during their time working in education. After years of friendship, their relationship turned romantic.

Edwards said Hopson took his love for the Rider’s everywhere they went. “We never had the Rider truck without a case of Rider hats, a case of Rider flags, or a case of Rider beads,” she said. Hopson would give the merchandise to different fans wherever they went she added.

During Hopson’s time as President and CEO, the Roughriders would make four Grey Cup appearances, winning in Toronto in 2007, and again at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field in 2013.

In 2019, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

An eruption of laughs came from the room as Edwards told everyone how the pair would read each other romantic cards at Dollarama, then put them back on the shelf.

“I truly love you; I miss you and I thank you for being a part of my life,” she said. “You’ll be with me forever.”

Tyler Hopson and Carrie Hopson Stewart both stood in their dad’s jersey, and remembered some of the happier times.

“He was such a larger-than-life person, it was easy to feel like he would always be with us,” Tyler said.

Carrie said she will hold all the lessons her dad taught her close to her heart.

Tyler said part of Hopson’s last day on earth was spent watching the 2013 Grey Cup.

Other tributes were given by those close to Hopson, like Steve Mazurak, Terry Kuz and Don Sangster.