November 27, 2015 - 12:30 PM
WINNIPEG - Doug Brown, Rodney Harding, Derrell Mitchell and James West are the newest members of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
The four players were announced at a celebration during the 103rd Grey Cup Festival.
They're joined by Don McDonald in the builder category.
"Every one of these gentlemen had a positive impact on the growth of football in our country, and for that we are forever indebted to them," CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge said in a statement.
Brown played his entire CFL career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, from 2001 to 2011. The seven-time CFL all-star won the league's most outstanding Canadian player award in 2001, and was a nominee for most outstanding defensive player in 2008.
The Simon Fraser University grad is second on the Winnipeg all-time career tackles list with 426.
Harding started his CFL career in 1985 with the Toronto Argonauts, then wen to play for the Memphis Mad Dogs and the Calgary Stampeders. He won a Grey Cup title with the Argos in 1991, is a seven-time division all-star, ranked first among all Argonauts in career sacks with 92, and ranks ninth in CFL history with 105 sacks.
"Mookie" Mitchell played for the Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos between 1997-2007, and was a three-time CFL all-star. He is ninth on the all-time receiving yards list with 12,014 and was CFL rookie of the year in 1997.
Mitchell appeared in two Grey Cups, winning in 1997 and 2005.
West played his entire CFL career with Calgary and Winnipeg, twice earning CFL all-star honours. He was a finalist for most outstanding defensive player in 1987. He is fifth all-time on the Blue Bomber tackle list with 400. James made three Grey Cup appearances, winning in 1988 and '90.
McDonald was a long-time administrator of minor football in Saskatchewan, He started in 1970 as a volunteer with the Saskatoon Hilltops where he became president in 1975. He was also vice-president for Football Canada from 1989 to '92.
The new inductees will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 283 in the Hall's Zone of Champions.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015