This past season, the CFL had several double award nominees and even one triple nominee, as players like Brady Oliveira, Justin McInnis, Rolan Milligan Jr., Cameron Judge, Drew Desjarlis, and Tyrice Beverette sought to earn hardware in multiple categories.
It’s rare for a player to win more than one award in the same season as only nine individuals have previously done so in the CFL, including one in 2024. Let’s take a look back at the previous multi-award winners in league history.
Players are listed alphabetically by last name.
RB Jon Cornish, Calgary Stampeders — 2013
The native of New Westminster, B.C. rushed for 1,813 yards, caught 42 passes for 344 yards, and scored 14 touchdowns to finish this season with the fourth-most yards from scrimmage in league history. Cornish was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian and also won the Northern Star Award, formerly known as the Lou Marsh Trophy, for his dominance.
LB Solomon Elimimian, B.C. Lions — 2014
The six-foot, 225-pound native of Calabar, Nigeria became the first and only defence-exclusive player to win Most Outstanding Player after he made 143 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, five sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and one interception in his fifth CFL season. Elimimian also won Most Outstanding Defensive Player, an award he won again two years later.
TE Tony Gabriel, Ottawa Rough Riders — 1978
The native of Burlington, Ont. caught 67 passes for 1,070 yards and 11 touchdowns to win Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian in his eighth CFL season. Gabriel won three previous Most Outstanding Canadian awards, including one when he set a career-high with 1,362 receiving yards in 1977 and another when he caught 14 touchdown passes in 1976.
QB Russ Jackson, Ottawa Rough Riders — 1963, 1966, 1969
The Hamilton, Ont. native was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian three different times during his storied career. His best season was arguably his last in 1969 when he threw for 3,641 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, won Grey Cup MVP, and earned the Northern Star Award.
KR Albert Johnson III, Winnipeg Blue Bombers — 2000
The five-foot-nine, 180-pound speedster was impactful in two phases of the game as he recorded 50 catches for 778 yards, 664 punt return yards, 1,506 kickoff return yards, 277 missed field goal return yards, and scored five total touchdowns. Johnson won Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player with his 3,241 combined single-season yards remaining the ninth-most in CFL history.
DL Brent Johnson, B.C. Lions — 2006
The native of Kingston, Ont. made 23 tackles, 16 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions to win Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Defensive Player in his sixth CFL season. The only other player in league history to win both awards is Dave Fennell, though he didn’t do so in the same year. This was Johnson’s second Most Outstanding Canadian selection as he also won it in 2005.
RB Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg Blue Bombers — 2024
The University of North Dakota product doubled-dipped this past season, winning Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Player. Oliveira ran for 1,353 yards, caught 57 passes for 476 yards, and scored four touchdowns over 17 games with his hometown team. The bruising ball carrier is one of five players ever to win Most Outstanding Canadian in back-to-back years, joining Normie Kwong, Gabriel, Ben Cahoon, Johnson, and Cornish.
DL Cameron Wake, B.C. Lions — 2007
The six-foot-three, 260-pound product of Penn State University took the CFL by storm in his first season, making 72 defensive tackles and 16 sacks to win Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Rookie. Wake made 23 sacks the following year before transitioning to the NFL where he made 100.5 sacks over 11 seasons as a member of the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, earning five Pro Bowl selections.
K Lewis Ward, Ottawa Redblacks — 2018
The University of Ottawa product took the league by storm in his first season, winning Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and Most Outstanding Rookie. The five-foot-seven, 176-pounder went 51-of-52 on his field goal attempts with a long of 52 yards, setting a new single-season record for accuracy that still stands today. He was also named All-East Division and All-CFL.
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