CALLED TO THE HALL: SEVEN TO BE ENSHRINED IN HAMILTON

TORONTO (June 12, 2025) – Five legends of the game and two prominent builders have been elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) and Museum as the Class of 2025. Tickets are on-sale now for this year’s Induction Ceremony on the evening of Friday, September 19.

Offensive linemen Bryan Chiu and Jovan Olafioye, wide receiver Jeremaine Copeland, defensive back Scott Flagel and linebacker Darryl Hall will be elected in the Player Category, while Glen Johnson and Frank McCrystal will enter as Builders.

“On behalf of the entire Canadian football community, we are incredibly excited to celebrate these seven legends,” said CFHOF Executive Director Eric Noivo. “Their contributions on and off the field have helped set the standard for excellence in our game. For their countless accomplishments, their scores of accolades and all the inspiration that they have provided to so many, it will be an absolute privilege to have them join their peers in the Hall.”

This year’s class will be officially inducted in an evening ceremony on Friday, September 19 – the eve of the Hall of Fame Game with the Edmonton Elks visiting the hometown Tiger-Cats. Tickets to the event with are available here.

The media wing of the CFHOF will open its doors to Paul Friesen and Judy Owen – a pair of veteran sports journalists who have dedicated their careers to chronicling the tales of their hometown heroes, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum, located on the fourth floor of Hamilton Stadium, operates as a non-profit registered charity. Since 1963, it has been home to more than 80,000 Canadian football artifacts, ranging from equipment and trophies to photos and videos, spanning the rich history of the game.

CANADIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME – CLASS OF 2025

After being drafted by Montreal in the second round (18th overall) of the 1996 CFL Draft, the former Washington State Cougar went on to play his entire 13-year career with the Alouettes. In addition to capturing the 2002 Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award, Chiu was named to nine All-Division Teams and seven All-CFL Teams. Across his career, the team amassed a 152-81-1 (.652) record, while making the playoffs in each season.

The Vancouver native played in seven Grey Cup championships, winning in 2002 and 2009.

The charismatic receiver’s career spanned 11 seasons (2001-2011) and 168 games with Montreal, Calgary and Toronto. The native of Harriman, Tenn., registered five 1,000+ receiving yard seasons, including a stretch from 2003-09 where he averaged 1,173 yards per campaign. He stands as one of 18 players in league history to reach the 10,000-yard plateau (10,115), while adding 622 receptions and 75 touchdowns.

Copeland was named to three All-Division Teams and two All-CFL Teams. He hoisted the Grey Cup in 2002 with the Alouettes, and again in 2008 with the Stampeders.

The Western Arizona product played 163 games over a 10-year career (1982-1991) with his hometown Blue Bombers, Calgary, Hamilton and Ottawa. He recorded 60 defensive takeaways (40 interceptions and 20 fumble recoveries) to sit 12th all-time, and added seven blocked kicks.

Flagel was named to six All-Division Teams and three All-CFL Teams, and was recognized as the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1987. He won the Grey Cup in 1984 with Winnipeg.

Hall helped revolutionize the linebacker position, displaying an uncanny ability to drop back into coverage just as easily as he stopped the run or blitzed the quarterback. In eight seasons with Calgary (1990-92, 1996-2000), he played 143 games, tallying at least 50 tackles per year en route to 546 in total, as well as 23 sacks, 36 tackles for a loss, and 16 interceptions.

The former Washington Husky made three All-Division Teams and two All-CFL Teams. He played for the Grey Cup on four occasions, winning twice (1992 and 1998).

Johnson spent 24 years as a CFL On-Field Official, working 416 games and 11 Grey Cups. He was named the Head Referee of the championship contest in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012. In 2013, following a distinguished on-field career, his wealth of knowledge and expertise earned him a place at the League Office as Vice-President of Officiating. Three years later, the Winnipeg native was elevated to Senior Vice-President of Football to help oversee the product on the field. His career spanned almost three decades in service to the game.

Beginning in 1984, McCrystal served as Head Coach of the Regina Rams as the team competed in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL), winning the Canadian Bowl on seven occasions. He continued with the program when it transitioned to collegiate play with the University of Regina in 1999 until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2014 season. For his commitment and dedication to guiding young players, he was presented with the Gord Currie award as CJFL Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1998, and with the Frank Tindall Trophy in 2007 as Canadian Interuniversity Sport Coach of the Year. McCrystal was elected to the Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

The product of North Carolina Central was the model of consistency and durability throughout his nine-year career with BC and Montreal, playing a full 18-game schedule on eight occasions. He totaled 156 games and earned seven nods to the All-Division Team and six to the All-CFL Team.

The Detroit native was a three-time finalist for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman and he captured the award in 2012. Olafioye raised the Grey Cup in 2011 as a member of the Lions.

CANADIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME MEDIA WING – CLASS OF 2025

Paul Friesen
​Friesen grew up devouring the sportswriting of Jack Matheson in the Winnipeg Tribune. Little did he know that one day, he would cover the same league as 'Matty', but with the Winnipeg Sun – the newspaper that emerged from the ashes of the Tribune.

Friesen’s time with the Sun began in 1997, and he was elevated to columnist in 2001. He has covered nearly everything, but there has always been a special place in his writer's heart for the CFL. Throughout his journalistic career, he has seen ups and downs and victories and defeats, and his words have elicited both joy and fury from teams and fans alike. Through it all, his guiding principle has remained the same: tell it like it is, without any sugar coating. Because that's what readers deserve.

Judy Owen
​Owen’s first professional connection to the CFL came in 1991 when she was assistant city editor at the Winnipeg Sun. Her boss asked her to co-ordinate news coverage for Winnipeg’s first time hosting the Grey Cup, knowing she was a sports fan and a Winnipeg Blue Bombers season-ticket holder.

One year later, she joined the paper's sports department, bringing together her passions for feature writing and general sports reporting. In 1997, she became the beat writer for the Bombers – a rare position at the time for a female sports reporter in Canada.

Owen found the perfect work-life balance as Winnipeg’s freelance sports stringer for The Canadian Press in 2002. Her coverage of Winnipeg’s fifth time hosting the Grey Cup in 2025 will be a full-circle moment, coinciding with her induction into the CFHOF.