New Westminster’s Jon Cornish came full circle – going from B.C. high school player of the year to Canada’s best.
The Calgary Stampeders non-import running back was named the winner of the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s athlete of the year on Dec. 9.
Cornish was the first CFL player in 44 years to win the award.
The New Westminster product won the CFL rushing title with 1,813 yards this season, breaking the long-standing record he set a year ago for most rushing yards in a single season by a Canadian.
This season’s yardage on the ground was the fourth-highest single-season rushing total in CFL history.
Cornish also led the league with 14 touchdowns and 2,157 total yards from scrimmage.
This season, Cornish was named the CFL’s most outstanding player – just the third Canadian ever to be so honoured. He also won the outstanding Canadian award for a second consecutive season.
During the regular season, Cornish rushed for a career-high 208 yards on 17 carries in a Western Division win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, earning him a second league offensive player of the week award and fourth top Canadian mention this season. In his CFL career, Cornish has won the weekly top Canadian award no less than 18 times.
Last season, Cornish broke Normie Kwong’s 56-year-old single-season rushing mark by a non-import in his first season as a starting running back with the Stamps.
