Where there was once discord, there is now harmony – and this happened on the CFL's most sacred day.
For Football Reporters of Canada (FRC), the Canadian Football Hall of Fame media induction breakfast is a staple of Sunday's Gray Cup tournament. This year's inductees are Paul Friesen of Winnipeg Sun and Judy Owen from Canadian Pressboth are talented and hardworking reporters with nearly three decades of experience.
Most inductees prefer to be introduced at breakfast by a longtime colleague, close friend, or family member. Owen, for example, was introduced by Ed Tate, who is now a staff reporter for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Friesen, whose unconventional, never boring style has made him a Winnipeg legend, chose perhaps the most unconventional option: Mike Kelly, the subject with whom he had perhaps his most controversial relationship.
Kelly was the head coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2009. It was a short but extremely newsworthy tenure. Friesen kept the team in the loop, which led to must-read reporting on a daily basis.
There was the infamous “inside” news fight that is still often shown on television compilations today, along with countless other memorable moments. Friesen asked tough questions, held Kelly accountable and criticized the struggling team, earning the coach's ire. In one particular interview, Friesen recalls Kelly telling him to take the pencil he was holding and “stuff it” somewhere.
After Kelly was released, Friesen drove to the parking lot of the old Canad Inns stadium for one last interview. Kelly accused the reporter of being happy about being fired, but that was completely untrue. If anything, Friesen wanted the embattled coach to stay another year because he kept creating such incredible storylines.
On Saturday, word spread around FRC that Friesen's speech would not be a live speech, but a pre-recorded video. This caught many by surprise, given that Friesen doesn't make much use of technology developed after 1975. He also kept the identity of who would appear in the video a closely guarded secret. Even with the increased media presence in Winnipeg, there were no leaks.
Kelly's three-minute video introduction as a showman was full of laugh-out-loud moments. He took several hits on Friesen, who was revealed to be the play-by-play statistician in Matt Dunigan's record 713-yard CFL passing game, which occurred while Kelly was the team's offensive coordinator in 1994.
“I was so impressed that this little red-haired guy could almost count to 800,” Kelly joked. “It was very good for him!”
While interviewing for a head coaching position at Widener University in 2014, Kelly said a school official handed him an inch-thick stack of papers and asked, “Who is Paul Friesen?” Supposedly the school did some research and read all about Kelly's time with the Blue Bombers on the online pages Winnipeg Sun.
“I looked him straight in the eye and said, '(Friesen) is the one who did his job better than me,' and that's what it came down to. Paul did his job and I let him get under my skin, but that's what he was supposed to do,” Kelly said.
“Paul makes people want to read about the Blue Bombers and the Canadian Football League and everyone who does it, they're in my heart because I love those two institutions. What Paul did was create interest where others couldn't, so it's well deserved. I applaud Paul for what he's done, I think it's amazing.”
Friesen was at it again during Gray Cup week in Winnipeg, asking tough questions of CFL commissioner Stuart Johnston and writing a scathing column. accusing him of ignoring negative feedback about upcoming league rule changes.
Two days later, Johnston attended Friesen's swearing-in ceremony, briefly greeting the assembled media and shaking a reporter's hand.
And that's for the best, because it's nothing personal with Friesen—just ask Mike Kelly.
To watch the full video of Kelly's performance, click Here.
