Faulds, Glavic nominated for BLG Awards

CFL.ca Staff

OTTAWA — Canadian Interuniversity Sport and national business law firm Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) announced Wednesday the eight finalists for the 18th Annual BLG Awards.

The BLG Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the top female and male athletes from universities affiliated with CIS.

On Monday, April 26, 2010, the eight national nominees will be honoured, with one female and one male winner receiving a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship in front of more than 1,000 BLG guests at EPCOR Centre’s Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary.

The awards show will premiere on TSN on Sunday, May 16, at 11 a.m. EDT.

“We are delighted to recognize these outstanding student-athletes along with our clients and guests at the 18th Annual BLG Awards that will again be hosted by our Calgary office,” said Doug Mitchell, National Co-Chairman, BLG LLP. “Our goal in hosting these Awards is not only to focus attention on the importance of athletics at Canadian universities, but also to shine a spotlight on the exceptional athletes produced right here in Canada.”

“The BLG Awards are a highlight of the university sport calendar year,” said Marg McGregor, CIS Chief Executive Officer. “The BLGs honour the achievements of eight exceptional student-athletes. They celebrate excellence and showcase student-athletes who inspire us with their impressive accomplishments.”

The finalists for the Doug Mitchell Trophy presented to the CIS male athlete of the year are UNB hockey player Hunter Tremblay of Timmins, Ont., McGill hockey player Francis Verreault-Paul of Mashteuiatsh, Que., Western Ontario football player Michael Faulds of Eden Mills, Ont., and Calgary football player Erik Glavic of Pickering, Ont.

Faulds was chosen OUA MVP in football and was selected to the second all-Canadian squad after he established single-season and career CIS records for most passing yards.

Faulds didn’t win his final university game on November 14, 2009. His Western Ontario Mustangs lost a 43-39 shootout to eventual Vanier Cup champion Queen’s in the OUA Yates Cup final. Still, his performance that day will be remembered as one of the most courageous in CIS football history. Despite only being able to put weight on one leg, playing with two torn and one partially-torn ligament in his knee, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound quarterback passed for 509 yards, limping back onto the field to try to orchestrate a comeback on the last drive of the epic duel. 

While his final performance was inspirational, it was nothing new for Western fans who grew accustomed to Faulds’ big-game heroics over his five seasons in London. In his lone appearance in the national final in 2008 against Laval, he completed a Vanier Cup-record 37 passes and amassed 403 yards – the second-highest total in game history – against the country’s top-ranked defence. He led the Mustangs to back-to-back OUA titles in 2007 and 2008, earning Yates Cup MVP honours on both occasions.

Despite the heart-breaking loss in the conference final, the 2009 campaign was memorable for the Masters student, who would love nothing more than to remain involved with football through coaching. At the helm of an offensive unit that ranked first in the nation in first downs (247), total yards (4,630) and points (335), he set CIS records for most passing yards in a single season (3,033) and in a career (10,811) en route to a second-team all-Canadian selection. He is the OUA career leader and ranks second on the CIS all-time list in both passing attempts (1,241) and completions (761).

“Michael was our captain, leader, most valuable player, and set those CIS records despite playing the second half of the schedule with a  knee injury which required surgery a the end of the season,” says Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall. “In each of the final six games, he went down with injury only to come back in the next series. He has earned the respect of each and every teammate. Michael Faulds is a warrior. He is the inspirational leader of this team, a role model for many young players and a great ambassador for CIS football. He deserves to have his name associated with the BLG Award and represents all of the key values for which this award stands.”

Glavic became the first player in CIS football history to claim the Hec Crighton Trophy as player of the year for two different teams and guided the Dinos to their first Vanier Cup appearance since 1995.

It has been an interesting ride for Glavic over the last two and a half years. After being recruited to Saint Mary’s by former Huskies head coach and current UofC sideline boss Blake Nill in 2006, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound standout claimed the Hec Crighton Trophy as CIS MVP in only his second campaign at SMU the following year. Unfortunately, the 2007 campaign didn’t end the way Glavic would have wanted it to as he sustained a torn ACL in the Uteck Bowl and had to watch from the sidelines as the Huskies lost to Manitoba in the national final. After suffering a setback while attempting a comeback with Saint Mary’s early in the 2008 season (he would need a second knee surgery), he transferred to Calgary and rejoin Nill with the Dinos. The rest, as they say, is history.

In his first Canada West season last fall, Glavic set a school record completing 67.5% of his passes and led the conference in total offence (336.1 yards per game), touchdown responsibility (20), rushing average (10.5 yards per carry), pass efficiency (181.6) and passing TDs (14), all of this while helping the Dinos set single-season team marks for total offence and first downs and tie the team record with 39 touchdowns. After leading Calgary to a 7-1 mark in conference play – the program’s best since 1988 – the social sciences student was named MVP of the Canada West final and guided the Dinos to their first Vanier Cup appearance since 1995 thanks to a 38-14 win over his former team, Saint Mary’s, in the Uteck Bowl. On Nov. 26, he became the first player in history to capture the Hec Crighton Trophy with two different teams.

Glavic, who also played basketball at Saint Mary’s – reaching the CIS semifinals in 2007 – and may join the Dinos hoops team after the 2010 football season, comes from an athletic family. Both his brothers are currently playing pro football in Switzerland, including Marko who won the Euro Bowl in 2008 and the Swiss Bowl in 2009, and Sasha who played three years with Hamilton in the CFL. His father, Tomo, was a champion volleyball player in Croatia.

“As an athlete, Erik has been blessed with God-given ability that allows him to supersede most. Along with his physical talent, he is immensely competitive, and the combination of the two is a formula for success,” says Dinos head coach Blake Nill. “Being a senior athlete, his experiences have allowed him to mature, thus his leadership skills allow him to be a positive influence among our other players. He has brought a new excitement to our university and our football program. He is a true leader both on and off the field and is truly deserving of this honour.”

The BLG Awards are based on athletic accomplishments, outstanding sportsmanship and leadership. Each of 52 CIS schools selects one female and one male athlete of the year. From these nominees, one female and one male athlete are chosen within each of the four regional associations: Atlantic University Sport (AUS), Quebec Student Sports Federation (QSSF), Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA). To be eligible, a student-athlete must have competed in a CIS sport for a minimum of two years and cannot be a previous recipient of a BLG Award.

-With files from CIS