Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans wrapped their collective arms around Milt Stegall Friday night in a warm, heartfelt embrace that brought the Canadian Football League legend to tears.

Returning to Winnipeg for the first time since the sudden passing of his oldest son Chase back on June 2nd as part of the CFL on TSN panel — which was in attendance at Princess Auto Stadium — Stegall was saluted with a message on the jumbotron that prompted the ovation. Stegall stood to acknowledge the crowd, which only made the ovation grow louder, and several current Blue Bomber players, including Willie Jefferson, were seen tapping their hearts as they ran by the hall of fame receiver.

We spoke to Stegall moments after the ovation and during the conversation he was moved to tears in trying to explain what the show of support meant to him.

“That tops everything in my Winnipeg Blue Bombers career right there,” he said. “When I broke the touchdown record, when I had that last second catch (100 yarder), anything, that tops everything and nothing comes close. I wasn’t expecting the emotion. It wasn’t just cheers that were coming out, it was ‘We’re with you, Milt.’ That’s what it felt like. ‘Your pain is our pain’ but we’re all going to get through it.

“I’m not surprised, but it was still unexpected. It was good. It was good. It was good.

Thank you @cityofwinnipeg, the @Wpg_BlueBombers, and the greatest fans in the world. The energy in the stadium was unreal, electric from start to finish. That was, without a doubt, the most unforgettable moment I’ve ever experienced in #Winnipeg. My heart is full. #PaperPlates

— Milt Stegall (@MiltStegallTSN) July 19, 2025

Chase Stegall, a soccer player in his second year at DePaul University in Chicago, died suddenly last month and the outpouring of support from across the CFL and Canadian sporting community has been overwhelming. Stegall has said his son suffered a seizure during his first year, but the family is still waiting for results of an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

Stegall said returning to work has help in his recovery — he was back on TSN for Thursday night’s Montreal-Toronto telecast — and coming back to Winnipeg has been like a warm embrace.

“It’s therapeutic because I’m around so many people who care and have love for me and it’s all genuine,” he said. “They’re not just saying it. All these fans are saying it because they mean it. They feel like I’m one of their family members and I feel the same way. Even though I don’t know all their names that’s the feeling I get from this community — that we’re all family members and they’re right here with me and they understand my pain and they want to help me heal.

“The hugs came out when I was at the airport. It was, ‘We’re sorry for you. We’re here for you.’ That’s special.”

Stegall said he wished his wife Darlene and younger son Collin, 17, could have been with him here tonight.

“I wish they were here. You read my mind because I wish they were here,” he said. “But, believe me, they felt that (ovation) all the way down in Atlanta. I honestly don’t know how to explain that. I’m trying my best to explain it, but I don’t know if I really can put it into words.

“I’m just so thankful.”