A sold-out crowd gathered Saturday to hear two star receivers and a second-year head coach speak about their journey to the CFL and the upcoming season, among other topics.
Saskatchewan Roughriders receivers Geroy Simon and Weston Dressler joined head coach Corey Chamblin as the guest speakers at the annual Estevan football fundraising dinner at the Days Inn Plaza.
The event was held by Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football and the ECS Elecs' high school program.
Although it wasn't clear on Monday how much the two organizations raised, the live auction at the dinner made $12,100, while the 50/50 brought in $930.
Among the live auction items were a Simon jersey that sold for $2,800, and a Dressler jersey that went for $4,300.
Simon was the first speaker, and the newly acquired star joked, "I'm so used to being booed by you guys."
The CFL's all-time leader in career receiving yards, Simon was acquired from the B.C. Lions in an off-season trade.
Although he called it a "business decision" by the Lions in an interview with The Mercury, Simon said it was also time for him to move on, despite winning two Grey Cups in Vancouver.
"I was at a point where I had done everything I could do. Football had become monotonous for me in B.C. I wanted a new challenge," he told the audience.
He expanded on that in an interview, noting that he chose to come to Saskatchewan because he felt the Riders had a chance to win.
"At first there was a lot of emotion involved and things like that. But once the Lions made it clear they were making a business decision, then I had to step back and say, 'I need to make a business decision for my family and myself.' Once they started talking in that language, I knew that it was all business and I was going to go where I had the best opportunity to take care of my family and play for a team that has an opportunity to win a Grey Cup," he reflected.
"Saskatchewan is a great organization. They run it the right way. They have great fans, they're loyal and they had a young team that I felt, if I can come in and use my experience, I can help them get over the hump."
Simon, who is from Johnstown, Penn., and played at the University of Maryland, said his attitude held him back before he joined the Lions.
"I didn't care about anyone but myself and my stats. But it worked for me. I was Geroy Superman," he laughed.
After refusing to play special teams to get his foot in the door in the NFL, Simon came to Canada and things changed.
"When I stopped caring about those things, that's when I started getting somewhere."
Chamblin, who is entering his second season as Riders' head coach, was the second speaker at the dinner. He commended the audience for coming out to support local football programs.
"The superstars are all of you in this room who are doing it for minor football," he said.
Looking back at the 2012 season, which ended in a West semi-final loss to the Calgary Stampeders on a last-minute touchdown by Romby Bryant, Chamblin joked that there was an upside to that disappointment.
"I'm pretty excited about this year and I don't think we'd have made these changes if we went further we gave them that game last year just so we could get Geroy," he laughed.
Chamblin told The Mercury there are still a couple of areas on the roster that need to be shored up.
"We still have to make sure, whether it's Tristan Jackson or whoever, we find an electrifying punt returner. I think we've strengthened a lot of areas of our team, I think we're strong, I think we'll be a contender. That's the one area I think we have to make sure, and a little bit of depth at the end spot would be the (other) thing."
Chamblin added that he's still learning on the job.
"The first year, you try to do a lot of different things and once you get things settled in place and lay a firm foundation, then you're able to go on to the second stage. I think that's where I am now, learning how to lean on the coaches, (ensuring) players and coaches know how I coach and I know how they coach and we know how to work together."
Dressler was the final speaker of the evening. The sixth-year slotback from Bismarck is coming off a career year with 94 catches for 1,206 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2012.
Dressler, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 179 pounds, said he had to overcome his size to make it to the pro level.
"Every step of the way, there was someone telling me I was too small to play football."
He wasn't recruited heavily and opted to play at the University of North Dakota. He thought his football career was over after he wasn't selected in the NFL Draft, but then he discovered he was on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' negotiation list.
"I got out of that somehow," he joked, eventually signing with the Riders in 2008.
