Elks alumni signing autographs have won 68 Grey Cups in Green and Gold between them

Shhhhhhh! Don’t tell thieves there will potentially be thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of jewellry to steal on Saturday between noon and 1:30 at the Commonwealth Stadium fieldhouse.

That’s when 24 members of the Edmonton Elks alumni — if they were to wear all 68 Grey Cup rings they won as players and staff among the 14 championships the franchise has claimed over its history — will be signing autographs for fans as part of the team anniversary celebrations.

Among them are record-setters such as Warren Moon, Damon Allen and Ricky Ray, career-long stalwarts such as Jed Roberts, Bayne Norrie, Larry Wruck and Mike McLean, or players who fit both descriptions such as Dave Cutler, Sean Fleming, Gizmo Williams and Brian Kelly.

They’re marking 75 years of football up on Stadium Road this season, where the Elks have entertained their faithful at Commonwealth Stadium and a punt or two away at the site of old Clarke Stadium.

The team is calling the alumni autograph session its largest ever and is scheduled ahead of the 2 p.m. kickoff to the Elks’ season when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Here’s who is scheduled to be signing autographs between noon and 1:30 p.m.

Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray looks for an open receiver in a game against the Montreal Alouettes during the first half of CFL action at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Friday, October 31, 2008. (Jimmy Jeong/The Canadian Press)

Noon-12:30 p.m.

Michel Bourgeau: 1989-93, defensive line-long snapper. Nose tackle picked up by team in 1989 after Ottawa released the then-five-year CFL veteran in pre-season. Montreal native, Boise State alumnus, Grey Cup winner in 1993.

Gregg Butler: 1977-80, defensive back-kick returner. Three-time CFL defensive all-star with Double-E from 1978-80. Won Grey Cup three times, 1978-80. Washington, D.C., native graduated from Howard University. Played with Philadelphia Bell of World Football League before joining Edmonton. Later played for Montreal Alouettes, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and USFL Washington Federals.

Rod Connop: 1982-97, offensive line. Spent entire 16-year career in Green and Gold, is all-time team leader in games played with 274. Three-time Grey Cup champ. Named CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman in 1989. Member of Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Born in North Vancouver, B.C. Alumnus of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont.

Sean Fleming: 1992-2007, kicker-punter. Spent his entire 16-year CFL career in Green and Gold, playing second-most career games in team history with 268. Holds team record for most career points (2,571) and several EE all-time kicking records, including most career converts (713), most career field-goals (553), most career kickoff yards (69,973), most career punts (1,264) and punting yards (52,927). Won Grey Cup three times (1993, 2003 and 2005). Burnaby, B.C. native played U.S. college football at Wyoming.

Edmonton Eskimos kicker Sean Fleming follows through on a kick during a team practice on Nov. 12, 2003, in Regina ahead of that year’s Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)Joe Hollimon: 1976-85, defensive back-kick returner. Member of five-in-a-row Grey Cup teams 1978-82. Holds two EE records: most return yards in one game with 239 (vs. Calgary in 1976), and most interception returns for a touchdown with seven, four of them coming in 1978. Fourth on team all-time returns list with 118 and in career yards with 3,171. Fifth on EE list for most career interceptions with 36. CFL all-star in 1978. From Trumann, Ark., and attended Arkansas State.

Stephan Jones: 1986-1989, wide receiver-kick returner. Signed with Edmonton as a free agent after stints in Saskatchewan and Ottawa. Sixth on all-time team list for career kickoff return yards with 2,441 in 112 attempts, also sixth on the all-time EE list. Among league leaders in kickoff return yards in 1986 and in Grey Cup-winning 1987 season. Second on team in receiving yards in 1987 with 1,147. Flint, Mich., native played U.S. college football at Central Michigan. Left Edmonton for Ottawa, where he finished his CFL career in 1994 with two all-star nods.

Ricky Ray: 2002-03, 2005-11. Free-agent signing made team out of camp, stepped in for injured starter Jason Maas in late July and led EE to Grey Cup berth. As starter in 2003 and 2005, quarterbacked team to two CFL titles. First on many all-time EE lists: most career pass attempts (4,827), most career completions (3,225), most career passing yards (40,531), most career touchdown passes (210), most career interceptions (130), most passing yards in a season (5,663 in 2008), most pass attempts (715) and completions (479) in a season (2005), most pass attempts (56) and completions (40) in one game (vs. Toronto Aug. 20, 2005). Sacramento, Calif., native played U.S. college ball at Sacramento State. Spent 2004 season with NFL’s New York Jets. Traded by Edmonton to Toronto in 2011, where he led Argonauts to two Grey Cups (2012, 2018), retiring after the final title.

Michael Reilly: 2013-18, quarterback. Acquired from B.C. in 2013. Fifth EE all-time for passes thrown (1,920), sixth in career touchdown passes (83). Holds team record for highest pass completion percentage (70.77) in 2016, second in most completions in a season with 448 in 2016, third on team list for most passing yards with 5,554 in 2016. Won Grey Cup in 2015. Traded back to B.C. in 2019. Hails from Kennewick, Wash. Central Washington alumnus.

Jed Roberts: 1990-2002, defensive end-linebacker-special teams stalwart. Holds team record for most career special teams tackles with 163. Initially retired after 2000 season but came back in 2001 to bolster roster. Won Grey Cup in 1993. Ottawa native played U.S. college ball at University of Northern Colorado. Joined EE during 1990 training camp after being cut by Winnipeg.

Grant Shaw: 2012-16, kicker-punter. Third all-time for career EE kickoff yards with 20,203, fourth on EE’s career field-goal list with 97, fifth for singles with 42 and twice kicked the pigskin 95 yards in a game, tying a team record with three others. Part of 2011 trade that sent Ricky Ray to Toronto Argonauts. Jasper Place high school, junior Edmonton Huskies, University of Saskatchewan grad.

Edmonton Eskimos players, including from left Bruce Green (38), Gizmo Williams (2), Jerry Kauric (4), Larry Wruck (47) and Stewart Hill (36), celebrate with the Grey Cup after beating the Toronto Argonauts 38-36 in the 1987 Grey Cup game in Vancouver. (Staff/The Canadian Press)

12:30-1 p.m.

Damon Allen: 1985-88, 1993-94, quarterback. San Diego, Calif., native and Cal State Fullerton grad joined Edmonton in 1985 as a backup to Matt Dunigan. Replaced the injured starter in the 1987 Grey Cup, leading the double-E to victory over the Toronto Argonauts. Took over as starter from Dunigan (who was traded to B.C.) the next year, left for Ottawa in 1989 and returned to Edmonton in 1993, quarterbacking team to another Grey Cup. Departed after 1994 campaign. Played 13 more seasons in the CFL and won two more championships, retiring in 2007 as not just the CFL’s all-time passing yards leader but all-time pro football leader with 72,381. Of them, 13,393 came with Edmonton, good for sixth all-time on the team list.

Danny Bass: 1984-91, linebacker. Michigan State standout joined Edmonton in a 1984 trade from the Calgary Stampeders for receiver Tom Scott. Bass would be named a CFL all-star four times in Green and Gold, winning the Grey Cup in 1987. Finished with 465 tackles over eight years with double-E, good for fourth on team’s all-time list. Entered Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Dave Cutler: 1969-84, place kicker. Holder of most Edmonton place-kicking records until Sean Fleming broke them two decades later, the Simon Fraser University product played all 16 of his CFL seasons with the Green and Gold and won six Grey Cups. Second on the team after Fleming in all-time points scored with 2,237. Third in all-time team games played with 254. Kicked the most EE field-goals in a season with 50 in 1977 and holds the team record for longest field-goal: 59 yards vs. Saskatchewan on Oct. 28, 1970. The two-time CFL all-star is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Mike McLean: 1986-92, linebacker. Drafted by Edmonton in the ninth round of the 1985 college draft, the University of Alberta product and native of Red Deer suited up primarily as a backup linebacker and special teams player. Member of the 1987 Grey Cup team. Started the 1990 Cup against Winnipeg as one of four Canadians in the defensive front seven. Retired prior to 1993 training camp.

Tom Scott: 1978-83, receiver. The California native and University of Washington product spent four years in Winnipeg before joining Edmonton in 1978, playing with the double-E for their five-in-a-row Grey Cup run. In six seasons in Green and Gold, the receiver caught more than 1,000 yards five times, his highest annual output coming in 1982 with 1,518 yards receiving. He’s fourth on the team all-time for career receiving yards with 7,160 and sixth in career receptions with 426. The member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame ended his CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders in 1984 after being traded by Edmonton for Danny Bass.

Henry (Gizmo) Williams: 1986-88, 1990-2000, returner-wide receiver. ‘The Giz’ holds most of the team’s all-time career kick and punt return records. A two-time Grey Cup winner, the Memphis Tenn.-born East Carolina alumnus played 14 seasons in Green and Gold and holds all-time EE career marks for punt returns (1,003), punt return yards (11,177), punt-return touchdowns (26), kick returns (335) and kick-return yards (7,354). Also holds team records for most punt return yards in a season (1,440 in 1991), the top four spots on the list for most punt return yards in a game (tops is 232 vs. Ottawa in 1991), most punt return touchdowns in a season (five in 1991) and three times has had two punt return touchdowns in a game.

Larry Wruck: 1985-1996, linebacker. The Saskatoon Hilltops product started his career with the Double-E in 1985 and played his entire 12-year CFL career with the team, playing 213 games (sixth on the all-time list), recording 30 sacks in that time and winning two Grey Cups.

Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Tom Wilkinson gets instructions from coach Hugh Campbell during Grey Cup action against the Montreal Alouettes in Toronto on Nov. 26, 1978. (The Canadian Press)

1-1:30 p.m.

Hugh Campbell: 1977-82, 1986-2006, head coach-general manager-president-CEO. ‘Gluey Hughy,’ a former receiver with Saskatchewan in the 1960s, came to Edmonton as head coach in 1977 following seven years coaching Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash. His teams made the Grey Cup in all six years he coached them, winning five in a row from 1978-82. Left in 1983 to coach USFL’s Los Angeles Express then did the same for NFL’s Houston Oilers from 1984-85, returning to Edmonton as general manager in 1986, replacing Norm Kimball. Added president and CEO duties in 1998. Over his 21 years as an administrator, the double-E won four more Grey Cups. Retired following the 2006 season.

Brian Dickinson: 1989-90, assistant coach. Special assistant under head coach Joe Faragalli was also on the University of Alberta coaching staff before and after his CFL stint. Head coach of the junior Edmonton Huskies in the early 1980s.

Paul Hickie: 1983-84, punter. The University of Saskatchewan product was taken by Edmonton in the sixth round of the 1983 college draft. Won the training camp battle that year with Sergio Capobianco to be the EE starting punter, replacing Hank Ilesic. Traded at the beginning of the 1984 season to Saskatchewan for junior prospect linebacker Larry Wruck.

Ed Jones: 1976-84, safety. The three-time CFL all-star out of New Jersey (Rutgers) won Grey Cups as a member of the five-in-a-row teams from 1978-82. He’s the only double-E player to record two interception returns for touchdowns, accomplished against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 7, 1980. He caught three interceptions that game, an all-time team mark that’s been matched 10 other times. 1980 also saw Jones make 10 INTs, tied for second most in a season in team history.

Brian Kelly: 1979-87, receiver. Edmonton’s all-time touchdown leader with 97 joined the Green and Gold in 1979 out of Washington State. The native of Arcadia, Calif., also caught 75 passes for 11,169 yards — both marks also all-time team records — over his nine-year CFL career, all with Edmonton. He also caught the most touchdowns in one season (18 in 1984) and holds two of the top three club single-season receiving yards record with 1,812 (No. 1) in 1983 and 1,665 (No. 3) in 1981. Kelly had 41 games of 100-plus yards receiving and six with 200-plus yards, both all-time EE marks. The member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame is an six-time CFL all-star and five-time Grey Cup champ.

Warren Moon: 1978-83, quarterback. The only player who’s a member of both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and America’s Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Los Angeles native and Washington product signed with Edmonton right out of college in 1978. A member of the five-in-a-row Grey Cup-winning teams, he amassed 21,228 yards passing over his six CFL seasons in Green and Gold, second all-time and the best career mark by a double-E signal-caller until Ricky Ray broke it more than 20 years later. He threw 2,382 passes over his CFL career, good for third all-time on the team, and sits third in career completions with 1,369. In 1983, his final year with Edmonton, Moon put up team-record numbers of 5,648 yards passing (eclipsed by Ray 25 years later by 15 yards), most pass attempts in a season (664) until Ray threw more in 2005 and three all-time best marks that still stand: most yards in a game (555 vs. Montreal on Oct. 15), most touchdowns thrown in a game (five) in that same 45-32 win over Montreal (since matched six other times), and highest season passer rating of 108.3. He also holds the record for most touchdown passes in a season, 36 in 1982, a total tied by Tracy Ham in 1990. Moon left Edmonton for the Houston Oilers in 1984, earning nine Pro Bowl berths over 17 seasons in the NFL before retiring after the 2000 season. His 70,553 career passing yards was a pro record until Allen passed the mark in 2006.

Bayne Norrie: 1968-75, defensive back-returner. The North Bay, Ont., native and Queen’s product played eight years with the Green and Gold, lining up primarily as a defensive back and a returner but also filling in as needed in other positions such as receiver, running back and punter. Second on the team’s all-time punt returns list behind Henry (Gizmo) Williams, with 299. Won Grey Cup in 1975, retiring at the start of training camp the next year.

Tom Wilkinson: 1972-81, quarterback. Wyoming product ‘Wilkie’ joined Edmonton after being cut by the B.C. Lions during 1972 training camp and went on to play 10 seasons in Green and Gold, platooning first with Bruce Lemmerman then with Warren Moon at quarterback and winning five Grey Cups along the way. He completed 1,382 passes for Edmonton, a team stat that now sits second all-time behind Ricky Ray. Made 2,252 passes and threw for 129 touchdowns and 16,684 yards with Edmonton, all marks good for fourth on the team’s all-time list. Wilkinson retired immediately after winning the 1981 Grey Cup.