For the third time in his career, receiver Reggie Begelton is the Calgary Stampeders’ nominee for the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player award while linebacker Cameron Judge is a double nominee, earning the nod for both the Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Canadian awards.
The team’s other representatives for the league’s major awards are centre Sean McEwen (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman), defensive lineman Clarence Hicks (Most Outstanding Rookie) and kicker René Paredes (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player).
Calgary’s award finalists were determined by voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) as well as one vote from the Stampeders coaching staff. The league’s top players in each category will be announced on Nov. 14 during the CFL awards ceremony during Grey Cup Week in Vancouver.
Here is a closer look at the Stampeders players being honoured:
Reggie Begelton (Most Outstanding Player)
Begelton has started all 17 games at slotback in 2024 and is the team’s leader in receptions (89), receiving yards (1,112), second-down conversion catches (32) and receptions of at least 30 yards (six). He has four touchdowns, a two-point conversion reception and three 100-yard games.
In Week 11 against Ottawa, Begelton surpassed the 5,000-yard mark for his career and in Week 15 against Montreal, he made the 400th career reception. In Week 19 against Edmonton, Begelton had a season-long 54-yard reception and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in a season for the third time in his career.
Begelton, who was recently voted by teammates as the 2024 winner of the Presidents’ Ring award for excellence on and off the field, was previously Calgary’s Most Outstanding Player nominee in 2019 and 2023.
Cameron Judge (Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Canadian)
The Montreal-born linebacker is the Stamps’ top Canadian for a third consecutive season and top defensive player nominee for the first time. In 2019 as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he was the West Division finalist for the Most Outstanding Canadian award.
Through 17 starts this season at the weak-side linebacker position, Judge has amassed a team-leading 72 tackles as well as four tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and two knockdowns.
Judge has recorded at least five tackles in a game seven times this season including seven in Week 4 against Winnipeg and in the Labour Day Classic against Edmonton.
Sean McEwen (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman)
The veteran centre is the Stamps’ nominee for the top-lineman for the third time in four seasons with the Red and White. In addition, McEwen was previously the Toronto Argonauts’ Most Outstanding Offensive lineman on three occasions.
The Calgary native has made 16 starts in 2024 and is part of an offensive line that has allowed just 28 sacks, tied with the Edmonton Elks for the lowest total in the league. The Stamps running attack has averaged 105.3 yards per contest.
Clarence Hicks (Most Outstanding Rookie)
The University of Texas at San Antonio product has appeared in all 17 regular-season contests for the Red and White including one start at defensive end.
He is tied for third on the team with four sacks and also has 14 defensive tackles including two tackles for loss, two interceptions, one knockdown and one special-teams stop.
In his CFL debut in Week 1 against Hamilton, Hicks recorded his first CFL sack when he brought down Bo Levi Mitchell. Hicks sacked Mitchell twice more in a Week 20 contest in Hamilton. In Week 4, Hicks picked off a pass by Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros for his first CFL interception.
René Paredes (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player)
The Venezuelan-born, Montreal-raised kicker is Calgary’s finalist for the special-teams award for the eighth time in his career.
Paredes has been the West Division finalist for the award on three occasions and was the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2013. He has been successful on 39 of 42 field-goal attempts this season for a success rate of 92.9 per cent. The totals include a league-leading 23 field goals from at least 40 yards and a CFL-best 92-per-cent success rate from 40-plus yards.
Paredes already holds the CFL record with six seasons at a field-goal success rate of at least 90 per cent and with one game remaining in 2024, he is in position for a seventh. He has added 30 extra points and one single this season for a total of 148 points in 17 games.
Paredes’ season highlights include going six-for-six on field goals in the season-opener against Hamilton, a 52-yard game-winning overtime field goal against Winnipeg in Week 4 and a career-long 57-yard field goal against Edmonton in the Labour Day Classic.
He has kicked off 57 times for 3,816 yards and an average of 66.9 yards.