He's bouncing and careening back to Prince George like a pinball on a points streak.
Michael Clemons was known all over the football world as Pinball, and the name still applies now that he has scored as many big moments in the board room as he ever did on the field. He came to Canada as a CFL prospect in 1989 who already had NFL experience as a punt returner and receiver. He cut a route across the record books that few will ever touch.
Many fans from that era remember his dazzling runs, defined by tenacity, speed and agility that earned him his nickname.
What many fans might not realize was he carried on doing the same thing after retirement, just as a coach, team executive (all of it with the Toronto Argonauts) and a number of social activist and business ventures.
Of the six Grey Cups he won, half were in off-field positions.
When he comes to Prince George on Saturday, as the keynote speaker at the annual Dr. Bob Ewert Dinner and Lecture, he will focus on that evolution - how a person can grow into a leader, how a community can grow into a team.
"Great communities respond to challenges. When you have things going on in the neighbourhood that upset the community, you come together, you unify to make that change," said Clemons after researching some of what Prince George has rallied around in the past.
Whether that is accommodating thousands of wildfire evacuees, banding together by the thousand to establish a university, or pulling as a team of 70,000-plus to pull off the Canada Winter Games, Prince George is emblematic of a place that works together for the greater good, whether the cause is large or small.
"There are still gaps," he said, and zeroed in on the medical theme of the dinner event. "Whether that is rehab, or people who shouldn't have to travel that far, or who are unable to get access because they can't travel that far, there is still work for us to do, so in that, we must refine ourselves and get better, and recharge so we continue to add that fuel to the community, to understand that we are growing, and sensitive to the needs of our community, and continuing to find the energy to address them."
It takes both those elements, he explained, to create a culture of success. As people and as communities, you have to be on the lookout for the problems confronting you and your neighbours. Then, you have to forget that there are always problems, disregard that there is no end to need and apply yourself anyway to the causes that will help.
"When we don't have challenges, what do we have to live for?" he said.
"I believe that's what invigorates us. That's what charges us. I used to tell my players, there is always adversity in life. If you have no adversity, you know what that means: it means you're dead.
"As long as we live, we will have challenge. And that's the lifeblood. We certainly want to enjoy life, have a good life and look for balance in life, and adversity always gives us something to fight for and something to move forward for. Challenges are as important as blessings."
The city got a taste of the Pinball Clemons experience in 2016 when he was the special guest at the UNBC Timberwolves Legacy Breakfast. In the span of 90 minutes, he went from someone the TV cameras had a hard time tracking to someone who could easily be your own neighbour. The city was charmed and motivated by his authentic presence and genuine energy for helping others.
"People there are wonderful," he said, and while that sounds like an obligatory statement from anyone in the public eye who visits a new community, he started naming names and describing situations from his last visit just to prove he was sincerely paying attention. He even suggested he'd like to start a Selan Alpay fan club after the local entrepreneur and philanthropist won his friendship last time here.
"We could use a little Prince George here in Ontario - that community in unity," Clemons said.
Pinball lights up the room on Saturday at the Prince George Civic Centre starting with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner, lecture and more. The event is a presentation of the Northern Medical Society.
In addition to Clemens, there will also be two other special guests at the Dr. Bob Ewert Dinner, with Dr. John Maile of Quesnel and Dr. David Snadden of Prince George being inducted into the Northern B.C. Medical Hall of Fame.
Seats are available via the Central Interior Tickets website.
