FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EDMONTON – At the CFL Player Awards ceremony held tonight at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Toronto Argonauts WR/KR Chad Owens was a unanimous choice as the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player for 2010. Owens is the third Argos player (Dominique Dorsey in 2008 & Bashir Levingston in 2003) to win the award. He also became the first league award winner for the Argos since Dorsey in 2008.
Owens was arguably the most exciting player in the 2010 CFL regular season and now has officially been recognized as the best on special teams. He was busy re-writing team and league record books all year and was recently recognized by his peers as being the biggest threat to score from anywhere on the field. The Flyin’ Hawaiian led the CFL in combined yards (3288), punt return yards (1,060), punt return average (12.6), kickoff return yards (1,216), missed field goal return yards (425) and tied for the league lead with four (4) kick return touchdowns (4). He also became the fifth player in league history to accumulate 1,000 punt and kickoff return yards in a season.
Awards in 2010:
• CFL Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
• East Division Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
• CFL All-Star, Kick Returner.
• East Division All-Star, Kick Returner.
• Team-record six-time CFL Player of the Week (five on special teams and once on offence). He was a unanimous choice for three of the special teams awards.
• Special Teams Player of the Month for September and October. He was a unanimous choice in October.
Statistical Milestones Achieved in 2010:
• Set new club record for total kick return yards (PR+KR+MFG) in a season (2,701).
• Second in club history in single-season punt return yards (1,060) and kickoff return yards (1,216).
• Second-best single-season combined yards total in club history (3,288).
• Fifth player in CFL history to record 1,000 punt & kickoff return yards in a season.
• Four kick return touchdowns in a season is the second-most in team history.
• Led CFL in punt return yards & average (12.6), kickoff return yards and missed field goal return yards (425).
Owens beat out West Division nominee, B.C. Lions’ returner Yonus Davis, for this award. The CFL Player Award winners were selected by 69 voters, including members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and CFL head coaches.