CALGARY - Another year, another CFL most outstanding player award for Anthony Calvillo.
The Montreal Alouettes quarterback received the league's top
individual honour Thursday night for the second straight year and third
time in his illustrious 16-year career.
"It just blows me away because I remember where I came from,"
Calvillo said. "I was from California, a little Mexican kid probably
not more than 145 pounds.
"I didn't know anything about the CFL until someone gave me a call. I think of the whole process and it humbles me."
Calvillo
received 44 of 55 ballots in voting conducted by the Football Reporters
of Canada and the CFL's eight head coaches. Calgary Stampeders tailback
Joffrey Reynolds, who ran for a league-best 1,504 yards, was the West
Division finalist.
Calvillo, 37, becomes just the fourth player in league history to
win the award three or more times, joining Canadian Football Hall of
Famers Jackie Parker, Russ Jackson and Doug Flutie.
"I remember watching Doug Flutie when I came into the league and I
wanted to be an elite quarterback," Calvillo said. "It (winning award
three times) is something I'm always going to remember in my living
room and seeing these trophies.
"It's amazing."
Calvillo enjoyed a banner '09 season, completing a stellar 72 per
cent of his passes in leading Montreal to a CFL-best 15-3 record.
His completion percentage this year was his best since coming north of the
border in 1994 with the expansion Las Vegas Posse.
Calvillo finished the season with a league-high 108.4
quarterback rating, exceeding last year's mark, and threw just six
interceptions in 550 pass attempts - the fewest picks given up by a CFL
starter.
Calvillo said a stringent off-season training program was a big
reason for his success. While he wants to continue
playing, he'll again take the off-season to re-evaluate his future.
Calvillo was one of three Alouettes to receive awards as Scott Flory
was named top lineman and kick-returner Larry Taylor captured
special-teams honours. Defensive end Anwar Stewart and slotback Ben
Cahoon were finalists as top defensive player and top Canadian,
respectively.
All five Alouettes will be in action Sunday when Montreal faces the
Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 97th Grey Cup at McMahon Stadium (6
p.m. ET).
The other award winners were Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive
end John Chick (defensive player), along with defensive end Ricky Foley
(Canadian) and tailback Martell Mallett (rookie) of the B.C. Lions.
Wally Buono, the B.C. Lions head coach and GM, received the
commissioner's award for his outstanding contribution to Canadian football.
Buono completed his 20th season as a CFL head coach, becoming the
winningest coach in league history (235 wins). Buono, 59, was a
linebacker-punter with the Alouettes from 1973 to '82 before becoming
an assistant coach with the club in '83.
"I never thought of what I did as a contribution," Buono said. "I
thought it was something I was very fortunate to do for 37 years as a
player, coach and assistant coach and I got paid to do it and the CFL
gave me that opportunity."
Marwan Hage of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats received the Tom Pate award for outstanding community service.
Calvillo has flourished the past two seasons under head coach Marc
Trestman's pass-first offensive approach and it's no coincidence that the
Alouettes find themselves in the Grey Cup for the second straight year
and seventh time since 2000. Montreal has won just one championship
over that span.
Calvillo's experience creates a huge challenge for a defence,
because there's little he hasn't seen during his stellar CFL
career.
With a solid supporting cast around him, Calvillo is a master of not
only finding the open receiver, but spreading the wealth. Montreal
had three 1,000-yard receivers this season, and the presence of tailback
Avon Cobourne gives Calvillo a running back who's a rugged rusher, but
also a solid part of the passing game.
Calvillo anchored an offence that led the CFL in scoring (33.3
points per game), passing (288.4 yards), touchdowns (50) and passing
TDs (33).
The six-foot-three, 250-pound Chick was a force for the Riders'
defence, finishing fourth overall in sacks with 11, just one behind
league-leaders Foley, teammate Stevie Baggs and Montreal's John Bouman.
Chick added 32 defensive tackles and two fumble recoveries and
received 31 first-place votes.
Making Chick's accomplishments more impressive is his daily battle with type 1 diabetes.
"It's very humbling," Chick said. "I wouldn't be able to do what I do without the defence around me.
"All the things they do make it easier for me. They definitely make me feel good."
The six-foot-two, 245-pound Foley had the unenviable task this
season of replacing Cameron Wake, the former CFL sacks leader who
signed in the off-season with the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
The native of Courtice, Ont., received 31 first-place votes after
performing admirably, finishing the season tied for the league lead in
sacks with 12 his first season as a CFL starter, despite playing with a
broken thumb.
"It's been a long time coming," Foley said. "It feels good to be
recognized but I almost don't want to be too happy about it because
we're not playing Sunday.
"I was just thankful for the opportunity. I never felt pressure to
have the stats he (Wake) had. I was just glad to get the opportunity to
be the player I could be."
Taylor, who received 36 first-place votes, was tops in the CFL with
788 punt-return yards and two TDs, and third in kickoff returns. He also
returned a missed field goal for a TD against Winnipeg, which Taylor
said was his season highlight.
"It was a special moment," he said. "I still continue to learn in
this league with the field being so big coming from the United States."
Jason Aragki of the B.C. Lions, a native of Oakville, Ont.,
finished second overall with 35 special-teams tackles this season. He was
the other finalist for the award.
Flory, 33, of Regina, received 37 first-place votes to become the
third straight player to win top lineman in consecutive years, joining
Saskatchewan's Gene Makowsky and former Lion Rob Murphy. The
six-foot-four, 300-pound University of Saskatchewan grad, a six-time
CFL all-star, was part of a Montreal unit that helped the Als
lead the CFL in scoring (33.3 points per game), passing (288.4 yards
per game) and total yards (390.3 per game).
"It's nice," Flory said.
"But I'm up standing up here because of those guys, AC (Calvillo), Avon
Cobourne, my linemates.
"It's easy when you play with guys like that."
Ben Archibald of the Calgary Stampeders was the runner-up.
The six-foot, 195-pound Mallett, who received 35 first-place votes,
had a sensational first season with B.C., rushing for 1,240 yards and
eight TDs. Mallett, 23, ran for a club-record 213 yards against
Montreal on Sept. 4, 2009. He said that when he reported to the Lions' camp
in June, he simply wanted to make the team.
"Coach Wally (Buono) gave me the opportunity and I just took it and ran with it," Mallett said. "It worked out really well.
"I'll come back smarter and healthier and do big things next year."
Defensive back Jonathan Hefney of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was the Eastern finalist.
