City of Saskatoon

By Wray Morrison

Fire Chief Recalls His Time With The U of S

Saskatoon Fire Chief Doug Wegren was a Huskie from 1989 to 1993

Jun 11, 2024 | 4:31 PM

Decades after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Fire Chief Doug Wegren attributes a good portion of his success to his time at the U of S and with the Huskie men’s basketball team. “I still hold my Huskie career in high regard”, he said. Wegren, who played with the Huskies from 1989 to 1993, has been with the fire department for 25 years and in May of 2024 was promoted to fire chief. “I finished by Bachelor of Phys Ed…but then firefighting called my name”, he said.

He is quick to state that it was a privilege to put on a Huskie jersey but admits there were some character-building highs and lows. “The first year I came (1989-90), we were 3 and 17. It was definitely a learning curve”, he said. Wegren and his teammates did find their footing as their university careers progressed. In his final season of 1992-93 the Huskies improved to 12 and 8 and advanced to the Canada West championship before losing out to the Calgary Dinos in the final.

Steve Roth was the coach of the Huskie men’s basketball program from 1988 to 1997. Wegren says he and Roth developed a close relationship. Roth coached some of the provincial teams that Wegren played for while attending Walter Murray Collegiate before attending the U of S.

Huskie teammates from a quarter of a century ago include Dean Wiebe, Brad Schoenfeld, Tim Conlin, Brett Powell and Carleton Hawk just to name a few. “A lot of my teammates still influence me today”, Wegren said. “They are still my best friends in a lot of ways. We are still very close.”

Wegren says he also learned from the Huskies who played before him that he looked up to such as John Dewar, Byron Tokarchuk, David Karwacki and John Cleland.

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“I can still remember, on Sundays, going to the old Phys. Ed. Building and playing scrimmage games and I learned a lot”, he recalled. “I took a lot of lumps and learned to keep my mouth shut. I’ve had so many influences.”

There are many lessons from basketball that Wegren says transfer to his current position of Saskatoon fire chief. “Teamwork is always such a huge piece to doing well”, he said. “I always think of myself as a piece of a puzzle. Even in the role I’m in now I have a great team behind me now. The firefighters we have now are amazing. I don’t know if I’d make the fire department now”, he joked.

To this day, Wegren still pays close attention to both the women’s and men’s Huskie basketball programs. “My new position occupies quite a bit of time, but I’m always watching”, he said. “One of my best friends, Dean Wiebe (former Huskie teammate), his daughter, Ella, plays with the women’s team. I watch quite a bit of the women’s games too.”

The former Huskie is impressed with the skill level of today’s Canada West players. He says the number of 3-point shots and the 24 second clock highlight the attributes of today’s competitors. “It’s a completely different game with amazing athletes”, he said.

“I’m always going to be a fan, until my last day.”

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wray.morrison@pattisonmedia.com

X: @wraymorrison