Glavic wins 2010 BLG award

CFL.ca Staff

CALGARY — University of Calgary football player Erik Glavic is the 2010 BLG Award winner as Canadian Interuniversity Sport male athlete of the year.

The recipients of the 18th annual BLG Awards were announced Monday night 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.

All eight nominees – one female and one male from each of CIS’ four regional associations – received a commemorative gold ring, while Glavic and female winner Liz Cordonier were also presented with a trophy and a $10,000 scholarship to attend a Canadian University graduate school.

The winners were selected by the Canadian Athletic Foundation, a not-for-profit Board established for the purpose of administering the BLG Awards and protecting the integrity of the selection process.

“Once again this year, all nominees would have been worthy winners,” said CIS Chief Executive Officer, Marg McGregor. “Over 10,000 student-athletes compete in CIS annually and to make it to the final eight is an exceptional accomplishment. We are very proud of all the finalists and congratulate Liz and Erik on winning these prestigious awards.”

Glavic became the second recipient of the Doug Mitchell Trophy, named in honour of the BLG Awards founder, National Co-Chairman of BLG LLP, and Chairman of the Canadian Athletic Foundation.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound quarterback joined a long list of UofC BLG Award winners that also includes track and field standout Jessica Zelinka (2007), volleyball player Joanna Niemczewska (2004), basketball player Leighann Doan-Reimers (2001), swimmer Curtis Myden (1997), football player Don Blair (1996) and volleyball player Andy Cameron (1993). Previous football recipients include McMaster running backs Jesse Lumsden (2005) and Kojo Aidoo (2001), Blair, who was a receiver with the Dinos, Wilfrid Laurier quarterback Bill Kubas (1995) and Western Ontario running back Tim Tindale (1994).

In his first Canada West season last fall after transferring from Saint Mary’s and recovering from two knee surgeries, 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 Canada West player of the year, MVP of the conference 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, Glavic became the first player in history to capture the Hec Crighton Trophy with two different teams. He had previously claimed CIS player-of-the-year honours with the Huskies in 2007, a season that was unfortunately cut short by a major knee injury that forced him to watch from the sidelines as his teammates lost to Manitoba in the national final. 

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.

“This is a tremendous honour. Just to think the eight of us were selected amongst over 10,000 CIS athletes, it’s pretty amazing,” Glavic said. “I was surrounded by very talented athletes with the Dinos last season and I can’t wait to get back on the field with them.”

UNB hockey player Hunter Tremblay of Timmins, Ont., McGill hockey player Francis Verreault-Paul of Mashteuiatsh, Que., and Western Ontario football player Michael Faulds of Eden Mills, Ont., were the other finalists for the 2010 Doug Mitchell Trophy.