California Contingent with Strong Showing at 2016 CFL Awards
- Updated: November 25, 2016
An integral part of every Grey Cup week is the handing out of the hardware. On Thursday, the 2016 CFL Awards took place at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario and a couple of California products left a little more decorated than they arrived.
At Thursday’s ceremony, 12 awards were handed out with the California contingent being named Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, respectively.
Solomon Elimimian, veteran linebacker for the B.C. Lions, took home Most Outstanding Defensive Player honours for the second time in his career. Elimimian first won the award in 2014 along with Most Outstanding Player honours. But for the Nigerian-born linebacker, 2016’s win was extra special given that his career was in jeopardy not too long ago due to an Achilles injury.
BC Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian
(Photo credit: Ric Ernst / PNG)
Thankfully for Elimimian, who began playing football at Crenshaw High School in South Los Angeles, his long road to recovery has been a successful one. In fact, 2016 saw the University of Hawaii alum play in all 18 games, recording a league-leading 129 defensive tackles in addition to eight sacks and one interception – a vast improvement from a 2015 campaign that limited him to just seven games.
“It means a lot,” Elimimian said on Thursday night. “As you guys know, I tore my Achilles last year. Something my dad always told me there’s three things always guaranteed in life: death, taxes and adversity.
“Adversity hits us all in different ways, shapes and forms. The biggest thing about it is bouncing back, overcoming and if you overcome, things will be better for it.”
For the 30-year-old, 2016 was just what the doctor ordered.
For the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, that honour went to Santa Clara native – and UCLA alum — Justin Medlock, who is the kicker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Justin Medlock
(Photo credit: Kevin King/Winnipeg Sun/Postmedia Network)
A six-year CFL veteran, the 33-year-old Medlock had a solid 2016 campaign in his first year in Winnipeg, going 60-for-68 on field goal attempts – in addition to making all 33 convert attempts – while making 112 punts, averaging 42.7 yards in the process. Medlock even kicked a 58-yard field goal this season, which tied him with Brett Maher of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the longest in 2016.
“It’s exciting and an honour to win this award,” said Medlock. “I’m very proud to be here.”
“I had some other good years. It’s all luck of the draw,” the veteran kicker added. “I’m glad I could win it in here in Winnipeg. It means a lot more, a little later on [in my career].”
Other winners on Thursday include Calgary’s Dave Dickenson, who took home AGF Coach of the Year honours to add to his already-successful rookie season as head coach. His quarterback, Bo Levi Mitchell, was also a winner on Thursday night as he won the prestigious Most Outstanding Player award. But the Stampeders weren’t done there as RB Jerome Messam was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian.
As if the Calgary Stampeders needed any extra confidence heading into Sunday’s Grey Cup matchup, they do so having dominated Thursday’s 2016 CFL Awards. With that said, though, do not overlook the impact of the California contingent, who continue to strengthen the Golden State’s status on the Canadian Football League.
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