TheMost Outstanding Canadian Award is annually awarded to the bestCanadian player in theCanadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are theLew Hayman Trophy winner from theEast Division, and theDr. Beattie Martin Trophy winner from theWest Division. The winner of the award is chosen by the Football Reporters of Canada since 1954.[1] Players born outside Canada may win the award if they become citizens and attainNational status.
The most wins by a player is four, for bothRuss Jackson (completed in1969) andTony Gabriel (completed in1978).
The first two-time winner, and also the first to win the award in two consecutive seasons, isNormie Kwong, in1955 and1956. The first three-time winner is Jackson, achieved as of1966, while Gabriel is the only player to win three consecutive awards, from1976 through 1978.
When a Canadian player is voted the recipient of the CFL's overallMost Outstanding Player Award, they are, of course, the recipient of that same season's Most Outstanding Canadian Award. Only five players have achieved this recognition: Jackson (1963,1966,1969), Gabriel (1978),Jon Cornish (2013),Brady Oliveira (2024) andNathan Rourke (2025)
Teams represented by Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners through the years.
| Club | # of winners | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Redblacks/Renegades/Rough Riders[a] | 12 | 2018 |
| BC Lions | 12 | 2025 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 11 | 2023 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 9 | 2016 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 8 | 1998 |
| Edmonton Elks/Eskimos[b] | 7 | 2011 |
| Montreal Alouettes/Concordes[c] | 6 | 2019 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 4 | 2010 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 1 | 1999 |
| Total for nine clubs | 67 |
Notes:
| Teams |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |
| ||||||||||
| Broadcasting |
| ||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||
