CFL AWARD WINNERS:

TOM PATE AWARD (CFLPA Outstanding Community Service)

Every year the Canadian Football League Players' Association presents the Tom Pate Award; an award held in high regard.  It is not a "Jock Award" but rather an award given to players who display qualities that distinguish them from their peers.  It is this rare quality that the players listed below maintained and made them recipients of the award.  Tom Pate had a unique combination of outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to the league and the community.

He was educated at the University of Nebraska where he majored in business administration, and played first-stringer with the Cornhuskers.  After shuffling through various teams, he became a star with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  In October 1975, however, his stardom as well as his life, was abruptly ended, when in his fourteenth game, against the Stampeders in Calgary, he suffered an aneurysm in the fourth quarter.  Pate, only 23 at the time, never regained consciousness and died just two days later.

Each year we invite each team to nominate a team member for this award.  The recipient should embody the qualities that distinguished Tom Pate; qualities that recognize a player with outstanding sportsmanship, who has made a contribution to this team as well as to his community Association.

-- Text courtesy CFL Players Association

YEAR

PLAYER

POSITION

TEAM

1976

George Reed

RB

Saskatchewan Roughriders

1977

Ron Lancaster

QB

Saskatchewan Roughriders

1978

Peter Muller

TE

Toronto Argonauts

1979

John Helton

DE

Calgary Stampeders

1980

Jim Coode

OL

Ottawa Rough Riders

1981

Ken McEachern

DB/S

Saskatchewan Roughriders

1982

David Boone

DE

Edmonton Eskimos

1983

Henry Waszczuk

C

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

1984

Bruce Walker

FL

Ottawa Rough Riders

1985

Jerry Friesen

LB

Saskatchewan Roughriders

1986

Tyrone Crews

LB

BC Lions

1987

Nick Arakgi

TE

Montreal Alouettes

1988

Hector Pothier

OL

Edmonton Eskimos

1989

Matt Dunigan

QB

BC Lions

1990

Ritchie Hall

DB

Saskatchewan Roughriders

1991

Stu Laird

LB

Calgary Stampeders

1992

Danny Barrett

QB

BC Lions

1993

Michael Clemons

RB

Toronto Argonauts

1994

O.J. Brigance

LB

Baltimore CFL

1995

Mark McLoughlin

K

Calgary Stampeders

1996

Michael Clemons

RB

Toronto Argonauts

1997

Mark McLoughlin

K

Calgary Stampeders

1998

Glen Scrivener

DT

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

1999

Jamie Taras

C

BC Lions

2000

Mike Morreale

WR

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

2001

Rick Walters

SB

Edmonton Eskimos

2002

Greg Frers

S

Calgary Stampeders

2003

Steve Hardin

OT

BC Lions

2004

Barron Miles

DB

Montreal Alouettes

2005

Danny McManus

QB

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

2006

Mark Washington

DB

BC Lions

2007

Milt Stegall

SB

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2008

Jeremy O'Day

C

Saskatchewan Roughriders

MULTIPLE WINNERS:

Michael Clemons, Mark McLoughlin (2)