CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award

Last updated

The Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually awarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Lew Hayman Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy winner from the West Division. The winner of the award is chosen by the Football Reporters of Canada since 1954. [1] Players born outside Canada may win the award if they become citizens and attain National status.

Contents

Player achievements

The most wins by a player is four, for both Russ Jackson (completed in 1969) and Tony Gabriel (completed in 1978).

The first two-time winner, and also the first to win the award in two consecutive seasons, is Normie Kwong, in 1955 and 1956. The first three-time winner is Jackson, achieved as of 1966, while Gabriel is the only player to win three consecutive awards, from 1976 through 1978.

When a Canadian player is voted the recipient of the CFL's overall Most Outstanding Player Award, they are, of course, the recipient of that same season's Most Outstanding Canadian Award. Only three players have achieved this recognition: Jackson (1963, 1966, 1969), Gabriel (1978) and Jon Cornish (2013).

CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners

YearPlayerPositionClub
1954 Gerry James RB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1955 Normie Kwong RB Edmonton Eskimos
1956 Normie Kwong RB Edmonton Eskimos
1957 Gerry James RB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1958 Ron Howell FW Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1959 Russ Jackson QB Ottawa Rough Riders
1960 Ron Stewart RB Ottawa Rough Riders
1961 Tony Pajaczkowski OG Calgary Stampeders
1962 Harvey Wylie DB Calgary Stampeders
1963 Russ Jackson QB Ottawa Rough Riders
1964 Tommy Grant F Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1965 Zeno Karcz LB Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1966 Russ Jackson QB Ottawa Rough Riders
1967 Terry Evanshen WR Calgary Stampeders
1968 Ken Nielsen F Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1969 Russ Jackson QB Ottawa Rough Riders
1970 Jim Young WR BC Lions
1971 Terry Evanshen WR Montreal Alouettes
1972 Jim Young WR BC Lions
1973 Gerry Organ K Ottawa Rough Riders
1974 Tony Gabriel TE Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1975 Jim Foley WR Ottawa Rough Riders
1976 Tony Gabriel TE Ottawa Rough Riders
1977 Tony Gabriel TE Ottawa Rough Riders
1978 Tony Gabriel TE Ottawa Rough Riders
1979 Dave Fennell DT Edmonton Eskimos
1980 Gerry Dattilio QB Montreal Alouettes
1981 Joe Poplawski SB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1982 Rocky DiPietro SB Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1983 Paul Bennett DB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1984 Nick Arakgi SB Montreal Concordes
1985 Paul Bennett DB Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1986 Joe Poplawski SB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1987 Scott Flagel S Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1988 Ray Elgaard SB Saskatchewan Roughriders
1989 Rocky DiPietro SB Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1990 Ray Elgaard SB Saskatchewan Roughriders
1991 Blake Marshall FB Edmonton Eskimos
1992 Ray Elgaard SB Saskatchewan Roughriders
1993 Dave Sapunjis SB Calgary Stampeders
1994 Gerald Wilcox SB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1995 Dave Sapunjis SB Calgary Stampeders
1996 Leroy Blugh DE Edmonton Eskimos
1997 Sean Millington FB BC Lions
1998 Mike Morreale SB Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1999 Mike O'Shea LB Toronto Argonauts
2000 Sean Millington RB BC Lions
2001 Doug Brown DT Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2002 Ben Cahoon WR Montreal Alouettes
2003 Ben Cahoon SB Montreal Alouettes
2004 Jason Clermont SB BC Lions
2005 Brent Johnson DE BC Lions
2006 Brent Johnson DE BC Lions
2007 Jason Clermont SB BC Lions
2008 Kamau Peterson WR Edmonton Eskimos
2009 Ricky Foley DE BC Lions
2010 Andy Fantuz SB Saskatchewan Roughriders
2011 Jerome Messam RB Edmonton Eskimos
2012 Jon Cornish RB Calgary Stampeders
2013 Jon Cornish RB Calgary Stampeders
2014 Jon Cornish RB Calgary Stampeders
2015 Brad Sinopoli WR Ottawa Redblacks
2016 Jerome Messam RB Calgary Stampeders
2017 Andrew Harris RB Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2018 Brad Sinopoli WR Ottawa Redblacks
2019 Henoc Muamba LB Montreal Alouettes
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Bo Lokombo LB BC Lions
2022 Nathan Rourke QB BC Lions
2023 Brady Oliveira RB Winnipeg Blue Bombers

[2]

Team achievements

Teams represented by Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners through the years.

Club# of WinnersMost recent
Ottawa Redblacks/Renegades/Rough Riders [lower-alpha 1] 12 2018
BC Lions 11 2022
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 11 2023
Calgary Stampeders 9 2016
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 8 1998
Edmonton Elks/Eskimos [lower-alpha 2] 7 2011
Montreal Alouettes/Concordes [lower-alpha 3] 6 2019
Saskatchewan Roughriders 4 2010
Toronto Argonauts 1 1999
Total for Nine Clubs67

Notes:

  1. As defined in the 2023 CFL Guide & Record Book, for historical record purposes, the Ottawa Football Clubs are considered to be a single entity since 1876 with two periods of inactivity (1997–2001 and 2006–2013). [3]
  2. Edmonton Eskimos changed their name to Edmonton Elks as of the 2021 CFL season. [3]
  3. Montreal Alouettes folded and were replaced by the Montreal Concordes during a four season (19821985), but were renamed to Alouettes in 1986. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1978 CFL season is considered to be the 25th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 21st Canadian Football League season.

The 1973 CFL season is considered to be the 20th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 16th Canadian Football League season.

The 1972 CFL season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.

The 1967 CFL season was the tenth Canadian Football League season, and the 14th season in modern-day Canadian football.

The Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy is a Canadian Football League award, given to the most outstanding Canadian player in the West Division. Each team nominates a player for this award, from which the winner is chosen. Either the winner of this trophy or the winner of the Lew Hayman Trophy will also win the Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian award.

The Lew Hayman Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, awarded to the outstanding Canadian player in the East Division. Each team in the East Division nominates a player, from which the winner is chosen. Either the winner of the Hayman trophy or the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy will also win the Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian award.

The Edmonton Eskimos upset the Montreal Alouettes to send the Grey Cup trophy back west for the first time since 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Gabriel</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1948)

Anthony Michael Peter Gabriel is a former professional Canadian football pass receiver who played in the Canadian Football League from 1971 to 1981. He played for both the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Rough Riders. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in August 1985. In 2014, he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

The Edmonton Eskimos faced the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup game for the third consecutive year. And for the third consecutive year, the Edmonton Eskimos were Grey Cup champions. It was the first time in a Grey Cup that a touchdown was worth six points instead of five.

The 1958 CFL season was the inaugural season of the Canadian Football League, although the season structure was essentially identical to that of the previous season conducted under the Canadian Football Council. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers met again for Canadian football supremacy. The Blue Bombers turned the tables on the Tiger-Cats this time, winning their first Grey Cup since 1941.

The 1959 CFL season was the sixth season in modern-day Canadian football, although officially it was the second season of the Canadian Football League. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers played the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the third straight time in the Grey Cup final. The Blue Bombers won the rubber match in a defensive showdown.

The 1961 CFL season is considered to be the eighth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the fourth Canadian Football League season.

The 1962 CFL season is considered to be the ninth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the fifth Canadian Football League season.

The 1966 CFL season was the Canadian Football League's ninth season since the 1958 merger of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union to create a national league. It was the 13th season in modern-day Canadian football.

The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jackie Parker Trophy winner from the West Division.

Lewis Edward Hayman was an American sports figure. He was one of the driving forces behind the Canadian Football League as coach, general manager, team president, and league president. As head coach, he was a five-time Grey Cup winner with three different teams. Hayman was a pioneer in bringing African Americans into the CFL, hiring one of professional football's first Black players, Herb Trawick, and coach Willie Wood. He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the Canadian Football League. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes opening the season against the visiting BC Lions on Thursday, June 30, 2011. The season was among the most notable in the modern era for the competitiveness of the teams; going into the final week, five teams were tied for first place in the league, a first in modern CFL history. It was also the first time since 1982 that all teams finished with fewer than 12 wins in the regular season. As well, for the first time since 1950, the start of the modern era, all four teams competing in the division finals were different from the four teams that had competed in the division finals the previous year. Newly renovated BC Place Stadium in Vancouver hosted the 99th Grey Cup on November 27, with the hometown Lions defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23 in front of a sold-out crowd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hénoc Muamba</span> Congolese-Canadian gridiron football player (born 1989)

Hénoc Muamba is a Congolese-Canadian football player for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected first overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2011 CFL Draft, becoming the first player from St. Francis Xavier University to be chosen first overall in the draft. In 2022, he won the Grey Cup with the Argonauts and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) and Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian; the 2nd player in history to ever earn both awards.

The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centre in Toronto hosted the 100th Grey Cup on November 25, with the hometown Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders 35-22.

The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League.

References

  1. https://www.cfl.ca/gibsons Archived 2015-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Gibsons Finest Player Awards
  2. https://www.cfl.ca/page/more_player_awards_ocanada Archived 2011-05-18 at the Wayback Machine Most Outstanding Canadian
  3. 1 2 3 "CFL Guide & Record Book: 2023 Edition" (PDF). Canadian Football League. p. 12. Retrieved December 8, 2023.