Following a stellar regular season where he led all defenders with 129 tackles while adding eight sacks, Solomon Elimimian has been named the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Coming off a devastating Achilles injury suffered in August of 2015, Elimimian returned to his elite form that won him the award the year prior and also became the first on defence to collect the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award.
“It’s definitely a blessing,” Elimimian said. “I also want to thank my teammates and all the coaches who helped me throughout the year and put me in the best position to make plays. They supported me last year when I tore the Achilles so it’s a blessing. It’s something that means a lot, but it won’t mean as much until we win the Grey Cup.”
In addition, Eliminian and Adam Bighill re-established themselves as the top defensive duo in Canada, becoming the first two teammates to eclipse the 100-tackle mark in the seam season.
Elimimian is the only player in CFL history to win three Most Outstanding Player Awards as he also collected top rookie honours when he exploded onto the scene in 2010.
“It’s all about working hard and having a positive mindset,” Elimimian said. “Now we have a mindset of winning this Grey Cup and we’ve worked hard for it. That’s attainable right now so that’s a good thing.”
His competition from the East Division is Montreal Alouettes’ linebacker Bear Woods. He finished second in the league with 126 defensive stops. Both will be on hand at the league awards dinner on Thursday, November 24 three nights before the Grey Cup in Toronto.
Your BC Lions lock horns with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in this Sunday’s Western Semi-Final, with the winner travelling to Calgary next week. You can purchase your tickets for this Sunday here!
Matt Baker:mbaker@bclions.com