Waterloo QB Tre Ford wins historic Hec Crighton Award as U Sports' top football player
Niagara Falls, Ont., native becomes 1st Black quarterback to earn honour
Waterloo quarterback Tre Ford won a historic Hec Crighton Award on Thursday.
In his final year of eligibility, Ford became both the first Black QB and the first Warriors player to earn the honour of U Sports' most outstanding football player.
"Winning the Hec Crighton award as National Player of the Year cements Tre's legacy in Warriors football history as arguably the greatest of all-time," said Waterloo head coach Chris Bertoia.
"Tre is a trailblazer."
WATCH | Ford discusses barrier-breaking award:
The six-foot-two, 192-pound Ford finished the season in the top 10 of both passing and rushing across Canada. Through the air, the Niagara Falls, Ont., native completed 63.4 per cent of his passes for 1,465 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He also led U Sports with 10.7 yards per carry, totalling 629 yards on the ground to go with three scores for the 3-4 Warriors, who fell to Western in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-finals.
Ford's next stop could be the CFL, where he ranked ninth in the most recent Scouting Bureau prospect list. He previously won 2017 U Sports rookie of the year as well as taking a pair of OUA MVP trophies.
Elsewhere, Alberta's Josiah Schakel was crowned top defensive player after leading Canada West in tackles, while Concordia slotback Jaylan Greaves was top rookie following a season in which he topped U Sports with 22.4 yards per catch.
Queen's boss Steve Snyder won the Frank Tindall Trophy as coach of the year after the Gaels romped through the OUA East with a perfect record, allowing just 7.3 points per game and three total touchdowns in the process.
Full awards list
Most outstanding player — Tre Ford, quarterback, Waterloo
Defensive player of the year — Josiah Schakel, linebacker, Alberta
Best down lineman — Deionte Knight, defensive end, Western
Top rookie — Jaylan Greaves, slotback, Concordia
Coach of the year — Steve Snyder, Queen's
Volunteer coach of the year — Michael MacDonald, Guelph
Community service award — Francis Perron, Ottawa
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.
