Buckley named Canada West Football Player of the Year; aims for second Hec Crighton
Evan Daum, Canada West Communications
CALGARY – While the University of Calgary Dinos still have work to do if they hope to claim Canada West football’s most important piece of hardware – the Hardy Trophy – the team laid claim to plenty of individual awards Thursday, as Canada West unveiled its football major award winners.
Calgary, who enters Saturday’s 79th Hardy Cup against the UBC Thunderbirds (12 PM MT / Global Television) with a perfect 9-0 record, claimed three major awards a week after the team landed 16 Canada West all-stars.
Taking home the rest of the conference hardware was the Manitoba Bisons, who earned the conference’s three other individual awards, as voted on by the conference’s six head coaches.
Leading the way for the Dinos’ awards haul was fifth-year quarterback Andrew Buckley, who was unanimously selected the Frank Gnup Memorial Trophy winner as the Canada West player of the year.
Buckley put up a phenomenal season in the Stampede City, setting a CIS single-season passing record with 3,162 yards. With his win, Buckley moves forward as Canada West’s nominee for the Hec Crighton Award, which is awarded annually to CIS football’s most outstanding player. Last year Buckley claimed the honour, becoming the fourth Dino to win the award.
While Buckley has dominated on the offensive side of the ball in 2015, third-year defensive back Robert Woodson did the same for Calgary on defence, to earn Canada West Defensive Player of the Year honours.
Woodson, who led the conference in interceptions with five, will now go forward as the conference nominee for the President’s Trophy, which is awarded annually to CIS football’s top defensive player.
Rounding out Calgary’s award winners is head coach Wayne Harris, who is the Canada West Coach of Year and becomes the conference’s nominee for the Frank Tindall Trophy – CIS football’s coach of the year.
In his first season at the helm of the program, Harris guided Calgary to a perfect 8-0 regular season, as the Dinos dominated the conference, with an average margin of victory north of 40 points.
For Manitoba, who fell last weekend in the Hardy Cup Semis to UBC, a trio of players were recognized Thursday with individual accolades.
First-year Bisons sensation Jamel Lyles is the Canada West Rookie of the Year after finishing second in the nation in all-purpose yards, racking up 1,564 yards. Lyles was the only player in the nation with at least 100 yards rushing, receiving, via punt return and kick return. He becomes the conference nominee for the Peter Gorman Trophy as CIS rookie of the year.
The conference’s outstanding lineman for 2015 and nominee for CIS lineman of the year (John Metras Trophy) is Manitoba’s David Onyemata. The defensive lineman finished second in the conference in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (7.5) and was the top ranked CIS player in the CFL Scouting Bureau’s initial draft rankings released in September, coming in at No. 2 on the list.
Rounding out the conference’s individual award winners is the Bisons’ DJ Lalama, who earns the Student-Athlete Community Service Award and becomes the nominee for CIS’ Russ Jackson Award.
The third-year linebacker has been involved in numerous charitable and volunteer organizations over the course of his four seasons at Manitoba, including Sam’s Christmas, which provides over $1 million dollars in winter clothing to the homeless via a donation by Marks Warehouse and supplies Christmas dinners to over 300 of Winnipeg's most needy.
Lalama also excelled on the football field, serving as a co-captain for the first time with the Bisons in 2015. He finished 2015 tied for 15th in the conference with 36 total tackles (27 solo) and tied for fifth with 5.5 tackles for losses.
Canada West Football 2015 Major Award Winners (Click for complete bios):
*Unanimous selection
Player of the Year (Hec Crighton Trophy nominee): Andrew Buckley, Calgary*
Lineman of the Year (John Metras Trophy nominee): David Onyemata, Manitoba
Rookie of the Year (Peter Gorman Trophy nominee): Jamel Lyles, Manitoba*
Defensive Player of the Year (President’s Trophy nominee): Robert Woodson, Calgary*
Student-Athlete Community Service Award (Russ Jackson Award nominee): DJ Lalama, Man.*
Coach of the Year (Frank Tindall Trophy nominee): Wayne Harris, Calgary