The celebrations and the glory years may have passed for some athletes from the Battlefords, but June 18 those memories were revisited for four football players.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum held its annual induction dinner a month ago, as six athletes, three builders and a team were inducted as part the class of 2011.
The four football players from the Battlefords entered the hall of fame as members of the 1996 Saskatoon Hilltops. Sandy Martin, Neale Sendecki, Leo Grosjean and Mike Humenny were members of the Canadian Junior Football Champion Saskatoon Hilltops.
The Hilltops were 8-1-1 in the Prairie Junior Football League. They beat the Edmonton Wildcats 35-25 in the semi final that season and defeated Regina 27-23 in the league championship. In the Canadian final, the Hilltops went to Oshawa, Ont. and beat the Windsor AKO 39-7 to win the Canadian Bowl. They also won the Intergold Cup over the Okanagan Sun 28-21.
The Hilltops started a streak of six years of finishing first in the Prairie Junior Football Conference. The Hilltops have dozens of accomplishments and records posted in the Canadian Junior Football League record book. Some of the accomplishments from that season include 35 passing touchdowns, which is second all-time, and 62 total touchdowns, which is also second all-time. The 1996 Hilltops are sixth all-time in first downs in a season with 228, and passing yards per season at 3,097. A mark of 4,501 puts them third on the offence yards per season list and they scored 486 points, which was also third in the record book.
Along with the impressive records and championships, the Hilltops had three players voted all-Canadians, one player won the John M Bannerman Memorial Trophy, one was the Paul Kirk Memorial Trophy winner and the first ever Ed Henick Meritorious Service Award was also claimed by a Hilltop.
Both quarterbacks, Brad Williamson and Sheldon Ball, had completion percentages higher than 65 per cent and both are in the top four all-time for their completion percentage during the 1996 season in Canadian junior football.
The 1996 Hilltops were also inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Martin and Sendecki both went on to play football with the University of Albert. After their football careers, Humenny and Grosjean, continue to show their passion for the game of football as they coach, Humenny in North Battleford at North Battleford Comprehensive High School and Grosjean in Saskatoon at Walter Murray Collegiate.
Another athlete with ties to the Battlefords was also inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The late Clayton Gerein was also inducted in June. Gerein's bio of accomplishments and induction will be in next week's Regional Optimist.
