Nathan Rourke shined at the CFL awards ceremony held on Thursday night, with the West Division making a strong impression. The B.C. Lions quarterback clinched the George Reed Trophy for being the CFL’s outstanding player and was also honored as the top Canadian player at Club Regent Casino.
Rourke now joins an elite group, including Brady Oliveira, Jon Cornish, Russ Jackson, and Tony Gabriel, as one of the few players to achieve both accolades in the same season. Expressing his gratitude, Rourke acknowledged the legendary status of these players in the CFL and emphasized the significance of carrying on their legacy as a Canadian player.
Trey Vaval from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was also a double award winner, securing recognition as the top rookie and special-teams player. Other notable individual winners included Mathieu Betts from B.C. (defensive player) and Jermarcus Hardrick from the Saskatchewan Roughriders (outstanding lineman).
The awards were determined through a voting process involving the Football Reporters of Canada and all nine CFL head coaches, with a total of fifty-three ballots cast. Additionally, Logan Ferland from the Saskatchewan Roughriders received the Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Trophy, while Andrew Peirson from the B.C. Lions was honored with the Tom Pate Memorial Award for his exceptional sportsmanship and community contributions.
Rourke, hailing from Victoria, achieved career-best statistics in various categories, such as passing yards, touchdowns, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. His outstanding performance contributed significantly to the Lions leading the CFL in offensive points, net yards, and passing yards per game. Despite B.C.’s strong finish in the regular season, their playoff journey ended with a defeat against Saskatchewan.
Reflecting on his achievements, Rourke expressed his desire to have reached the Grey Cup game, indicating that he would trade his awards for that opportunity. However, he acknowledged the team effort that led to his success and expressed optimism for the future.
The upcoming Grey Cup showdown will feature Saskatchewan taking on the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday.
