Six members of the Ottawa REDBLACKS have been chosen for the team’s player awards and nominated for league honours, as selected by members of the media regularly covering the team and football operations staff.
The only unanimous selection, to no surprise, went to quarterback Henry Burris, who has been nominated as the team’s Most Outstanding Player.
The 40-year-old Burris leads the Canadian Football League with 453 pass completions and 5,335 passing yards, heading into the final game of the regular season, a showdown for first place in the East Division against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday at TD Place.
Burris requires 32 passing yards to equal a personal season best, set in 2012 with the Tiger-Cats. The Oklahoma native and Temple grad also has a chance to set the all-time completions-in-one-season record, but needs 27 completions on Saturday to break Ricky Ray’s mark of 479, set in 2005 while Rayplayed for the Edmonton Eskimos.
Burris’ 453 completions ranks fifth on the all-time CFL list for completions in one season, behind Ray’s 479, Anthony Calvillo with 472 (2008), Doug Flutie with 466 (1991) and Kent Austin with 459 (1992).
The other team awards went to the following:
Outstanding Defensive Player: Damaso Munoz
Outstanding Canadian: Brad Sinopoli
Outstanding Offensive Lineman: SirVincent Rogers
Outstanding Special Team Player: Antoine Pruneau
Outstanding Rookie: Forrest Hightower
Munoz, playing his second season with Ottawa and fifth in the CFL, leads the REDBLACKS with 69 tackles and also has recorded four sacks (career high) and one 40-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Sinopoli, the former University of Ottawa Gee-Gees quarterback, leads all Canadian receivers with 1,006 catching yards and currently leads the league with 452 yards after catch.
The 27-year-old Peterborough native also has 83 catches and two touchdowns.
Rogers, signed as a free agent during the off-season, has started every game at left tackle for the REDBLACKS. The Houston native and former Houston Cougar has been credited as a key addition to the squad, solidifying the Ottawa offensive front five.
Pruneau, a fan-favourite in Ottawa and Gatineau, leads the team with 17 tackles on special teams and ranks sixth in the CFL in the category. The second-year graduate of the Université de Montréal Carabins is a regular starter at linebacker and also has two interceptions.
Hightower, a native of the San Francisco area and a grad of San José State, has 15 defensive tackles and has garnered praise from coaches for his work ethic and versatility.
All REDBLACKS player award nominees are eligible for next week’s voting by media and football operations staff to determine divisional nominees for the overall league awards, which will be presented during Grey Cup week festivities later this month in Winnipeg.
