Nov. 21, 2013

QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – McMaster wide receiver Danny Vandervoort, has been named the 2013 recipient of the Peter Gorman Trophy as CIS rookie of the year.

Other CIS award winners announced during the Sun Life Financial All-Canadian Banquet were Bishop's quarterback Jordan Heather, the 2013 Hec Crighton winner as CIS football player of the year; Western linebacker Pawel Kruba, who captured the Presidents' Trophy as defensive player of the year; McGill offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who merited the J.P. Metras Trophy as most outstanding down lineman; Bishop's head coach Kevin Mackey, who claimed the Frank Tindall Trophy; and Calgary quarterback Andrew Buckley, the recipient of the prestigious Russ Jackson Award honouring excellence in football, academics and citizenship.

The gala was held at Hilton Quebec Hotel as part of the TELUS Vanier Cup celebrations. Laval and Calgary face off in the 49^th CIS championship final Saturday at 1 p.m. EST at TELUS-Université Laval Stadium in Quebec City, live on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360 and Radio-Canada, as well as on the web at www.cis-sic.tv.

Official TELUS Vanier Cup website: www.vaniercup.com

PETER GORMAN TROPHY – DANNY VANDERVOORT (McMaster)

Vandervoort became only the second Marauder to receive the Gorman Trophy. He joins running back Kojo Aidoo, who was named rookie of the year in 1998 and went on to capture the Hec Crighton Trophy as CIS MVP two years later.

A highly-touted recruit from Bear Creek Secondary School in Barrie, Ont., Vandervoort quickly made his mark on the CIS circuit. After catching six passes, including one for a touchdown, in McMaster's season opener versus Ottawa, he had seven receptions for 172 yards in his second outing against Queen's, including a 73-yard major, en route to OUA offensive player-of-the-week honours. In week four, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman scorched York for five catches, 117 yards and three scores.



Vandervoort ended his freshman season with 31 catches for 594 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games, earning him a spot on the second OUA all-star team. His eight receiving majors, one shy of the team record and a new McMaster standard for a rookie, were good for third place in Ontario, while his 594 yards ranked eighth in the conference.

"Danny had a great year and played at a level not usually seen from first-year athletes," said McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek. "He was one of the hardest workers on the team from the first day of camp and had an incredible impact on this year's Marauders. Some of the catches he made were highlight reel material, so I believe this award is well deserved. He's going to have a great CIS career."

Other nominees:
RSEQ: Alex Cromer-Émond, linebacker, Montreal
AUS: Adam Melanson, defensive tackle, Acadia
CWUAA: Rashaun Simonise, receiver, Calgary

HEC CRIGHTON TROPHY – JORDAN HEATHER (Bishop's)

Heather made his fifth and final season with the Gaiters, his third as a starter, a memorable one. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior shattered one of the most prestigious single-season records in CIS football thanks to an astounding 3,132 passing yards in eight league games (391.5 ypg), surpassing the mark of 3,047 set only a week earlier by Western's Will Finch, the OUA nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy. The national standard before this fall was 3,033 by Michael Faulds, also of Western, in 2009.

Over the course of his magical campaign, Heather was named RSEQ player of the week four times and claimed the CIS honour on three occasions in nine contests, including playoffs. In addition to the CIS passing yards record, he set an RSEQ season mark with 20 touchdown passes - against only seven interceptions - and completed a team-record 199 passes (199-of-330 / 60.3%), tying him for first in the country this fall. His signature moment came on Sept. 28 when, despite a 46-38 loss to Laval, he threw for 538 yards against the nation's top-ranked defence, a single-game school mark and the most in history by any quarterback against the defending Vanier Cup champion Rouge et Or.
Thanks to his spectacular play, the Gaiters took second-place in the ultra-competitive RSEQ conference with a 6-2 dossier, marking their first six-win season since 1993, and earned the right to host their first playoff game since 1994. Heather finished his university career as Bishop's all-time leader in TD passes (50), completions (565), attempts (998) and yards (7,983).

"Jordan has been awesome. He has shown real maturity in his fifth year and is one of the leaders of this team," said Bishop's head coach Kevin Mackey. "We knew in pre-season that we had one of the, if not the best quarterback in the country and Jordan really showed the rest of Canada what he was capable of. He and offensive coordinator Brent Bailey have a great relationship and that has translated to exciting football on the field. Our experienced offensive line has also played a big role in his success. He will be the first one to tell you they give him the time he needs to progress through his reads and make his throws. He's definitely going to go down as one of the greats."

Other nominees:

AUS: Jordan Botel, running back, Mount Allison
OUA: Will Finch, quarterback, Western
CWUAA: Mercer Timmis, running back, Calgary

PRESIDENTS' TROPHY – PAWEL KRUBA (Western)

Kruba, a fifth-year social sciences student from Windsor, Ont., became the third Western player to receive the Presidents' Trophy, joining Derek Krete (1996) and Brent Lewis (1987).

In his final university season, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior placed second on the team with 38 tackles in eight league games (4.8 per game), including three for losses, and tied for the Mustangs' lead with three interceptions. He was the heart and soul of a defensive unit which ranked second in Ontario and sixth in the country in both points allowed (18.5 ppg) and against the run (109.9 ypg), while also provoking 28 turnovers, the second highest total in CIS.

Kruba, who was a second-team OUA all-star a year ago, helped the Mustangs to first place in the OUA standings thanks to their first 8-0 regular season since 1998 and to No. 1 status in each of the last five national media polls.

"Pawel is the captain of our defence and one of the leaders of our team," said Western head coach Greg Marshall. "He is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker and has demonstrated outstanding balance at defending both the run and the pass. He's one of the guys that our team looks up to, not only the players but the coaching staff as well."

Other nominees:

RSEQ: Antoine Pruneau, linebacker, Montreal
AUS: Ron Omara, linebacker, StFX
CWUAA: Doctor Cassama, linebacker, Calgary

J.P. METRAS TROPHY – LAURENT DUVERNAY-TARDIF (McGill)

Duvernay-Tardif, a native of St. Hilaire, Que., is only the second lineman in McGill's storied history to claim the J.P. Metras Trophy. He joins current Calgary Stampeders defensive tackle Randy Chevrier, who was honoured in 2000 and went on to win a pair of Grey Cups following a stint in the NFL.

In his fourth CIS campaign, Duvernay-Tardif helped the Redmen finish first in the RSEQ conference in completion percentage (61.0) and second in both total yards (487.2 per game) and passing yards (326.9). The 6-foot-5, 305-pound senior was also a major factor in the ground game as teammate Luis Guimont-Mota took the Quebec rushing crown and placed sixth in the country with 828 yards in eight contests, becoming the first McGill running back to lead the RSEQ in rushing since Nick Hoffmann in 2002.

Named a first-team all-Canadian for the second straight season, the 22-year-old medical student was also the RSEQ nominee for the prestigious Russ Jackson Award, which honours excellence in football, academics and citizenship. Earlier this fall, he was listed as the top-rated prospect for the 2014 CFL Draft by the league's Scouting Bureau. The Redmen co-captain has also generated interest from five NFL teams, including the New York Jets, Houston, Tennessee, Green Bay and Chicago.

"Laurent has a tremendous work ethic and a quiet confidence that makes him a natural leader," said McGill head coach Clint Uttley. "Size and strength is a big factor in success on the o-line but when you find someone that possesses the combination of brains, brawn and nastiness that Laurent has on the field, then you've got a real keeper and he has all those tools. He's the kind of guy other players hate. He's mean out there. He looks to break their spirit and touch their soul. I believe that he will have a good pro career, whether it be in the CFL or NFL."

Other nominees:

AUS: Jesse St. James, defensive end, Acadia
OUA: Ettore Lattanzio, defensive tackle, Ottawa
CWUAA: Donovan Dale, defensive tackle, UBC



FRANK TINDALL TROPHY – KEVIN MACKEY (Bishop's)

Mackey is the third Gaiters bench boss to win the Frank Tindall Trophy. One of the youngest recipients in history at 34 years of age, he joins a pair of legendary coaches in Bruce Coulter (1986) and Ian Breck (1992) as leaders of the purple and silver to merit the award.

Mackey, who took the reins of the defence this year and brought in a pair of new assistant coaches in the off-season, operated a remarkable turnaround in his second campaign at the helm, improving the team's record from 0-9 to 6-2, which marked Bishop's first six-win season since 1993 (6-1). The Gaiters finished second in the RSEQ conference, arguably the most competitive in the country, and earned their first home playoff berth since 1994. Of their six victories in league play, three came by the slimmest of margins, a single point, including a pair over crosstown rival Sherbrooke.
Bishop's, a school with an enrolment of just 2,400 students, had three players named RSEQ all-stars this fall, including quarterback Jordan Heather and receiver Alexander Fox, who earned first-team all-Canadian status. Heather also became the first Gaiter in history to capture the Hec Crighton Trophy as the most outstanding player in CIS.

A native of Ascot Corner, Que., a suburb of Sherbrooke, Mackey grew up idolizing Gaiter football. He attended Alexander Galt Regional High School and went on to play with the Champlain Cougars of the Quebec CEGEP league. Football led him to London, Ont., where he had a four-year playing career with the Western Mustangs before he returned to Bishop's for his fifth and final season.

"Kevin has done an outstanding job," said Brian Breckles, director of Athletics and Recreation at Bishop's. "He has taken control of the program and worked hard to assemble a great coaching staff to work with our players. His confident attitude and leadership were evident with the performance of our team on the football field. Both Kevin and our star quarterback Jordan Heather's national recognition will do wonders for our university."

Other nominees:

AUS: Kelly Jeffrey, Mount Allison
OUA: Greg Marshall Western
CWUAA: Blake Nill, Calgary

RUSS JACKSON AWARD – ANDREW BUCKLEY (Calgary)

Buckley was the first Dino to win the Canada West nomination for the Russ Jackson Award since Mike MacDonald in 2003. Elio Geremia (1987) and Lincoln Blumell (2002) are the two previous national winners in Calgary history.
On the field, the graduate of Calgary's Rundle College took over as the team's starting quarterback late in the season opener after standout Eric Dzwilewski broke his foot and the Dinos barely skipped a beat with Buckley at the controls, cruising to their first-ever 8-0 record. The 6-foot, 193-pound pivot went on to pass for 2,184 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight contests and also added four rushing majors en route to a selection as a conference all-star.

In the classroom, Buckley is a two-time Academic All-Canadian with a career grade point average of 3.93 in kinesiology and has plans to follow in his father's footsteps and enter medical school following his undergraduate work. He has received numerous academic awards since he arrived on the U of C campus, including a University of Calgary President's Admission Scholarship and Undergraduate Merit Award. He is actively involved in many research projects, most recently making a presentation as part of the Faculty of Kinesiology's Markin Undergraduate Student Research Program in October 2013 – right in the middle of football season.

Buckley is also heavily involved in the community. In 2011, he joined a group that travelled to Guatemala to build 500 efficient wood-burning stoves for impoverished families with the Hearts and Hands Foundation. The following year, he led the organization of a Dinos football camp for underprivileged and foster children of Sudanese decent in the Calgary area. He also remains actively involved volunteering for various senior citizens' organizations, and is a home care volunteer with Alberta Health Services, working with two Alzheimer's patients for 90 minutes per week.

"Stepping in for Eric Dzwilewski, Andrew has led the Dinos offence without missing a beat," said Calgary head coach Blake Nill. "He is a tremendous leader and has had an amazing year given the circumstances. Andrew exemplifies the true meaning of the Russ Jackson Award with his football skills, his academic success, and most impressively, his involvement in the community."

Other nominees:

RSEQ: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, offensive tackle, medicine, McGill
AUS: Stu Moore, wide receiver, commerce, Mount Allison
OUA: Aaron Gazendam, receiver, kinesiology, Queen's