WINNIPEG – The chair of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' organization will make history when her name is engraved on the Grey Cup.
It will be the first time in the cup’s 107-year history that a woman’s name will be included with the names from the winning team.
Dayna Spiring was appointed chair of the Winnipeg Football Club in January after a number of years on the board.
She was in Calgary for the Bombers’ Grey Cup win against The Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday night.
“Last night when I got to hoist that cup – it was pretty special to understand that my name was going to be on that,” Spiring told CTV News Winnipeg. “We’re about 107 years into this Grey Cup history and it’s about time we had some more women that are playing a role.”
Spiring said she had no idea her name would be included until last week, when she was approached by the keepers of the Grey Cup. They told her the chair’s name would be included, and a woman’s name had not yet graced the cup.
“In the sports superstition world, you don’t really talk about winning until you’ve won, and so I didn’t really give it much thought,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to be there, and from a woman’s perspective – it’s nice that some of these barriers start coming down and it’s about time.”
This isn’t the first time Spiring has made history in the CFL. When she was appointed chair, she became the first woman to hold the position with the Bombers, and the second woman to have chaired a team in the CFL.
“It’s a pretty great way to start off, I have to say.”
With the Bombers ending a 29-year Grey Cup drought last night, Spiring said it was special to be at the game.
“Winnipeggers are notoriously really happy for our team and really hard on them when it doesn’t go well,” she said. “To play the way we did on Sunday was pretty spectacular.”
-With files from CTV’s Megan Benedictson
