James Douglas HopsonJames Douglas Hopson obituary (March 1, 1951 – April 2, 2024) was a Canadian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and executive. After playing as an
offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...
, he served as the president and chief executive officer for the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
(CFL). Hopson served in the latter role from 2005 until 2014. Under his stewardship, the Roughriders captured the
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
in 2007 and 2013, and the team recorded record profits.
Born in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...
, Hopson was involved with football in Saskatchewan for much of his life. He played high school football for Thom Collegiate in Regina, and then joined the
Regina Rams
The Regina Rams represent the University of Regina, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Rams joined U Sports in 1999 and have competed in the Canada West Conference since then. The program has wo ...
to play junior football. After completing his junior career, Hopson joined the Roughriders in 1973. He became a starter on the offensive line for the Roughriders in 1974, when his career overlapped with Roughrider greats
Ron Lancaster
Ronald Lancaster (October 14, 1938 – September 18, 2008) was an American-Canadian professional football player and coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 16 seasons, h ...
and George Reed. During 1975 and 1976, Hopson played professional football while teaching in Lumsden, Saskatchewan. After the 1976 Grey Cup, which Saskatchewan lost to the
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...
, Hopson retired to focus on his teaching career.
Hopson graduated from the
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...
with a degree in education and went on to receive a master's degree from the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
. Divorced with two grown children, as of September 2010, he was engaged to marry Brenda Edwards. In 2021, Hopson was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He died from the disease on April 2, 2024, at the age of 73.