The people from Swaggersville and their Mayor paid the ultimate tribute to a fallen friend.
Doug Brown stands 6-foot-9, but on Thursday night he stood so tall he probably could have touched the sky, the celestial ceiling to which he had looked up to several times since the untimely death of Richard Harris on Tuesday.
Perhaps Doug Brown more than any other player on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' team - and quite possibly the entire organization - felt the agonizing hurt of a man who was larger than life, literally but more so figuratively. Harris, who worked for the Bombers as assistant head coach and defensive line coach, passed away suddenly of a heart attack at age 63. He was a bear of a human being with his bulk, but considered a gentle, kind human being who loved his players and workmates as much as his wife, four children and three grandchildren. Harris had been into his sixth season with the Bombers, a constant through various regimes and coaching changes, such was the presence he commanded.
Brown has played for the Bombers since 2001 as a defensive tackle and is one of the greatest at his position in the modern era of the Canadian Football League. He readily admits he owes a great deal of credit to Harris for helping him develop as a football player and a man.
"He was more than a coach," Brown said on Wednesday. "He made more of an impression on me and was a greater influence on my football career really than any coach I've been around. He's one of those guys that everyone he met, he affected."
Brown is known a man's man, an individual who plays football with grit, intensity and desire. He has never been afraid to play through physical pain, but on Thursday night he played through emotional pain when the Bombers played host to the B.C. Lions. When members of both the Blue Bombers and Lions gathered together before the game began in a tribute to Harris, who had worked for the Lions at one point in his coaching career, you could clearly see the hurt on Brown's face. As he exited the field, it appeared as if was crying, or either close to it.
And to think he had to turn that switch off and suddenly put on his game face, well, that tells you a lot about him. He wasn't the only one, but as the face of the Blue Bombers he was being watched closely. Every time the television cameras focused on him, he clearly had to know why, but he kept his mind on the game. That was his way to pay respect to Harris - stay in the moment.
Brown had a great game, like he does most of the time, taking on double blocks. He had only two tackles, but he did his job so that others could take an easier path to the quarterback or ball carrier. The Bombers, as they have done regularly this season, dominated on defence, recording six sacks. This was a defensive battle in which players from both teams took some vicious hits that forced them out for a few plays or for the balance of the game.
The Bombers prevailed 25-20, and they are now 4-1 on the season, which is amazing because last year they won all of four games in the entire 18-game season. A big reason is the defence, which has become known as Swaggerville, and Brown is considered its Mayor.
The Bombers honoured Richard Harris with the ultimate tribute, winning a game with every ounce of their collective abilities. Perhaps it was good that the game took place only two days after Harris's passing, allowing the team a physical outlet and a purpose to take its mind off the emotional strain. Had the Bombers' lost, it would have only exacerbated their pain, but they won, and in a dramatic, defensive way that would have made Richard Harris proud.
"The only tribute you can make to the guy is to try and do him service on the field," Brown said on Wednesday. "The biggest concern is how do you live up to it? How can you honour a guy that's done so much, that's been an ambassador for this province and this football team? How can you pay him enough respects on the football field."
After the game, the media gravitated to Brown, as it always does. He is the go-to guy for anything pertaining to the team, the organization and, occasionally, the CFL and all it represents. He is articulate, and when he speaks people listen.
When asked how he felt, Brown said: "Just relief. That was probably the most difficult game most guys in this dressing room ever had to play. Hopefully it's going to get easier."
The Bombers have endured numerous losses in Brown's tenure with the team, but he and his teammates experienced the ultimate loss earlier in the week. They truly honoured Harris with their efforts.
Brown publicly indicated before the season started that this will be his last, after which he plans to retire. He turns 37 in September and as much as he loves the game and has kept himself in great physical shape, Brown plays a position that involves unnatural physical punishment because massive amounts of weight are battling in a small space and bodies are constantly twisting and turning in ways that are not natural.
Brown doesn't want to be dragged off the field, nor does he want someone else dictating when his career is over. All he wants is to end it with a Grey Cup win. It's the one thing missing in what has otherwise been a career that will one day earn him a place in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Much of that due to Richard Harris.
