EDMONTON, AB - Once. Always.
The CFL's return to play has given the Edmonton Elks an opportunity to honour a cherished member of the football club and the Edmonton Oilers who passed away last October.
The Elks are paying homage to Joey Moss with a pair of initiatives, including a helmet decal worn by all players during the 2021 season, as well as a permanent fixture during training camp.
Starting this year, at the end of Elks camp, one player is selected as the recipient of the Joey Moss Award for perseverance through adversity and the embodiement of Moss' positivity. The inaugural winner was defensive back Jonathan Rose, who has returned to the CFL after recovering from spinal fusion surgery due to a neck injury suffered during the third game of his 2019 campaign with Ottawa.
"It's a huge honour and what I've learned about Joey Moss is that he was resilient," Rose told
GoElks.com
upon receiving the award. "He was always a guy that had energy, whether it was an up or a down day and that's what I pride myself on."
"Joey was training camp," said Elks Director of Football Operations Kris Hagerman, who came up with the idea for the annual camp acknowledgement. "He would be up here eating lunch with the guys, coming up to your table and cracking jokes. He had all his Joey-isms that brightened everyone's day and we needed to keep that in the locker room."
Moss started working for the football club in 1986, two years after he joined the Oilers as their dressing room attendant. He became a beloved member of the Edmonton sports community and was a role model for all people living with Down syndrome. After his passing, the Winnifred Stewart Association established the
Joey Moss Memorial Fund
to continue Moss' legacy of advocating for employment and other meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities.
Edmonton Public Schools also
announced in June
that a new kindergarten to Grade 9 school in southwest Edmonton will be named Joey Moss School, opening in September 2022.
BLOG: Elks honour Joey Moss with award, helmet decal
Football club dedicates training camp accolade for perseverance and positivity to beloved longtime dressing room attendant
