Brady Oliveira owns the night at CFL Awards

11/15/2024 12:27 AM

VANCOUVER — The goal will be to win on Sunday, but Brady Oliveira dominated the CFL Awards presented by Securian Canada on Thursday night.

The Winnipeg Blue Blue Bombers’ running back won the CFL’s George Reed Most Outstanding Player and the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award. The 27-year-old captured his first-ever MOP award, after being a finalist in 2023 and has now won the Outstanding Canadian award for the second consecutive year. He joins Jon Cornish, Russ Jackson and Tony Gabriel as the only players to manage the feat in the same year.

“To be up here with two of the most prestigious awards in this league that I’ve been watching since I was a kid…it’s awesome,” Oliveira said, standing next to both of his awards.

The winners were selected by the national and local members of the Football Reporters of Canada, and the league's nine head coaches. In total, 56 ballots were completed.

Oliveira garnered 31 votes to become the ninth Blue Bomber to win the award, including a pair of two-time recipients – Dieter Brock (1980-1981) and Zach Collaros (2021-2022). He had 55 votes for the Most Outstanding Canadian Player. Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill won the Tom Pate Memorial Award.

The Toronto Argonauts — the Blue Bombers’ opponents in Sunday’s 111th Grey Cup game — had a pair of winners in Thursday’s festivities. Ryan Hunter won the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award, while Janarion Grant ran away with the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.

CFL AWARDS

» Oliveira wins George Reed Most Outstanding Player; Most Outstanding Canadian
» One More Pick: Rolan Milligan Jr. wins CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player
» Alouettes’ Jason Maas named CFL Coach Of The Year
» Collect, Connect And Win: Introducing the Grey Cup Festival Hub

Rolan Milligan Jr. was named the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, giving the Saskatchewan Roughriders some representation, while long snapper Jorgen Hus won the Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award, given to a player who best demonstrates the attributes of Canada’s veterans: strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contribution to Canadian communities.

Edmonton Elks’ linebacker Nick Anderson was named Most Outstanding Rookie, while Jason Maas of the Montreal Alouettes took home the Coach Of The Year award.

Oliveira topped the league in rushing yards (1,353) for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat since Andrew Harris from 2017-2019. He has now eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the past three seasons. Oliveira was instrumental to the Blue Bombers claiming their fourth consecutive West Division title. The former North Dakota Fighting Hawk led the CFL in yards from scrimmage (1,829) for a second straight year.

Milligan recorded 111 defensive plays this season – good for fifth overall. The Lake Wales, FL native tallied a career-high eight interceptions to sit atop the league leaderboard and he equaled his personal best with 71 defensive tackles.

He received 35 votes to become the fourth Roughrider to claim the award and the first since 2009. He is the first defensive back to earn the honour since Jovon Johnson in 2011.

Milligan led a stout Roughriders defence that allowed the third-fewest points (24.1 per game) and the second-fewest yards (356.1 per game) while forcing a league-high 49 turnovers. The team went on to host its first playoff game since 2021.

Hunter was key to an Argonauts’ offence that scored a league-high 514 points (28.6 per game), while allowing Ka'Deem Carey to set a new career-high with 1,416 yards from scrimmage. The team also topped the East Division in rushing yards (121.3 per game), rushing first downs (158) and time of possession (30:33). Hunter received 40 votes to become the third Argonaut to win the award after Dejon Allen (2023) and Mike Kiselak (1996-1997).

The Bowling Green product started 17 games, including time spent at guard and tackle.

Grant led the CFL with a 14.8-yard punt return average (minimum 22 returns), three punt return touchdowns and a career-best four total return touchdowns. He tallied 45 votes to become the second consecutive Argonaut to win the award (Javon Leake) and the fifth overall.

The Rutgers product dwarfed his previous career-highs, setting new personal marks in punt returns (67), punt return yards (989), kickoff returns (41) and kickoff return yards (1,000). His season was punctuated by a stretch of three consecutive games with a return touchdown, including a career-long 103-yard effort in Week 6.

As a rookie, Anderson led the league in total tackles, while finishing tied for first with 111 defensive tackles alongside fellow Elk, Nyles Morgan. The dominant duo became the first teammates to record 110-or-more defensive tackles in the same season.

Anderson received 43 votes to become the fifth Edmonton player to win the award and the first since Derel Walker in 2015.

The former Tulane Green Wave finished second in defensive plays with 130, including three sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles on the year.

In his second season with the Alouettes, Maas guided the Alouettes to their first division title since 2012. Montreal had not recorded 12 victories since 2010. The team led the league in quarterback completion percentage (71.3), offensive touchdowns allowed (31) and yards allowed per play (6.32).

Maas collected 30 votes to join Marc Trestman (2009), Don Matthews (2002), Charlie Taaffe (2000 and 1999) and Marv Levy (1974) as the only Alouettes to win the award.