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Good morning, folks.
When I was a kid, they were known as the Schenleys — the annual awards presented to the top players in the CFL.
It all started in 1953, when the three-down league hooked up with the well-known distiller to honour the most outstanding player in the Canadian Rugby Union. (It wasn’t until January of 1958 that the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union merged to form the CFL).
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The first winner of the Schenley Award was Billy Vessels of the Edmonton Eskimos. Who? Yeah, I have to admit I had never heard of him, either, until I looked it up on Wednesday.
After leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a national championship in 1950 and then winning the Heisman Trophy in 1952, Vessels was chosen first overall in the 1953 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. But instead of joining the Colts, he chose to head north and play for the Eskimos.
Say what?!
Yep, they did that back then when the NFL was a fledgling league and often did not offer the same kind of coin that was being doled out in Canada. Times have definitely changed.
During his rookie year — and the only season he played north of the border — Vessels led the WIFU in rushing with 926 yards and eight TDs. He also caught 20 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown and passed for 393 yards and four TDs. On defence — the guy did it all — he snagged four interceptions.
The year-end awards grew after that initial season: in 1954, a most outstanding Canadian award was added and the following year a most outstanding lineman award was established. In 1972, an award for top rookie was started and in 1974, the lineman award was replaced by two awards — most outstanding offensive lineman and most outstanding defensive player.
Schenley’s sponsorship of the awards ended following the 1988 season and sponsorship has been sporadic ever since. They were known as “The Truckies” for a spell when GMC Trucks sponsored the awards from 1991-1993 and in 2019 they were the Shaw CFL Awards — but many of us will always refer to them as the Schenleys.
This year’s team nominees were announced by the league on Wednesday. Voted on by the Football Reporters of Canada and each team’s head coach, the Bombers nominees for 2021 are: QB Zach Collaros (MOP); LB Adam Bighill (Defence); Nic Demski (Canadian); Stanley Bryant (O-line); DeAundre Alford (rookie) and FB Mike Miller for special teams, a category added in 1999.
I am not going to quibble too much with those picks, although I encourage you to, if you like. I will say I’m inclined to believe the team’s most outstanding player should likely have come on defence, but how would you choose between Bighill, Willie Jefferson, Jackson Jeffcoat and Brandon Alexander.
Having said that, Bighill should be a shoo-in to capture his third win for top defensive player and Collaros looks like a lock to win his first MOP award: he would be the first Blue Bomber to snag that honour since Milt Stegall won it in 2002, the year after Khari Jones won it in 2001.
In 67 years, the MOP has been won by a Bomber eight times: Tom Clements in 1987; James Murphy in 1986; Willard Reaves in 1984; Dieter Brock in 1980 and 81; and Don Jonas in 1971 was the first to win it wearing Blue & Gold.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Doug Flutie scrambles with the ball during first half action against the Edmonton Eskimos at the Grey Cup in Hamilton, Ont., on November 24, 1996. Former CFL star Flutie isn’t the least bit surprised to see star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees still going strong. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Doug Flutie won the MOP more than any player in history — a whopping six times, including four straight from 1992-97.
Russ Jackson, Jackie Parker and Anthony Calvillo each won it three times while Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Pringle, Ron Lancaster and Henry Burris join Brock as two-time winners.
I’ve always been a fan of awards shows and I will always remember covering my first Schenleys — known as the Truckies that year — during the 1991 Grey Cup festivities here in Winnipeg.
Held at the concert hall, reporters were sequestered in a lockup backstage with a list of the winners prior to each being announced to the crowd and making their acceptance speech. Back then there was a friendly wager amongst the scribes to tally up who each player would thank first — the most popular recognitions going out to teammates, coaches, family and God.
I don’t recall who won the pool that night — it wasn’t me — but the award winners were Flutie (MOP); Edmonton fullback Blake Marshal (Canadian); Bombers LB Greg Battle (defence); and BC’s Jim Mills (o-lineman) and Jon Volpe (rookie).
Just for fun, here are a few of my favourite winners over the years:
• MOP: Mike (Pinball) Clemons in 1990. Nobody played the game with more joy and was more accommodating during an interview than Pinball;
• Canadian: Tony Gabriel in 1974, 76, 77 and 78. For me, no player epitomized the Canadian game more than the Rough Riders legendary tight end. Terry Evanshen and Joe Pop would be a close second;
• Defence: Not even close. Greg Battle, who won in 1990 and 1991, was a combination of humility and talent that was and is second to nobody;
• Offensive lineman: Chris (Bluto) Walby, who won in 1987 and 1993, was in many ways the straw that stirred the drink of those Grey Cup winning Bomber teams;
• Rookie: In 1977, the award was won by Leon (Neon) Bright. I mean, come on: do I need to say more?
That’s it. Feel free to send me yours. You can do that by replying to this mailing or by sending me an email here.
Have a great rest of the week, folks.
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