THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — Billy Greene was rewarded Thursday night for helping the UBC Thunderbirds rediscover some of their past footbal glory.
Greene won the 2011 Hec Crighton Trophy as the top university football player in Canada after sparking the Thunderbirds to their first playoff berth in 12 years.
UBC’s once-vaunted team was a national powerhouse during parts of the 1980s and the late 1990s, winning the Vanier Cup in three of four appearances in the national championship. But the Thunderbirds had fallen on hard times in recent years.
"I’m glad that I can help UBC get back to where they were in the late ’90s," said Greene. "It’s been a goal of mine ever since I stepped on the UBC campus. When I went there, we were OK. We hit a couple ruts, and now I think we’re on the right path."
Greene led the Thunderbirds to a second-place finish in the Canada West conference with a 6-2 record after a 2-6 campaign in 2010. He praised coach Shawn Olson, a former UBC quarterback, for helping him develop skills that he lacked.
"In my speech, I thanked coach Olson," said Green. "I probably should have thanked him a little more, but I probably would have got choked up a little bit. He’s brought a winning tradition back to UBC in two years. I’m thankful that I was able to be a part of that."
Greene led the country with 2,558 yards passing, while his 20 touchdown tosses tied for first. The fourth-year English major also led all university quarterbacks with 482 rushing yards.
UBC’s offence finished second in passing in the country, averaging 326 yards through the air, and finished fourth in overall production, posting a 471-yards-per-game average.
Greene, a six-foot-one, 220-pound native of Surrey, B.C., also had the best touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio in Canada with just four picks. He savoured the opportunity to receive the award at home in front of his parents and friends.
Greene beat out Acadia quarterback Kyle Graves, Sherbrooke wide receiver Simon Charbonneau-Campeau and McMaster wideout Michael DiCroce for the Hec Crighton.
DiCroce is the lone Crighton nominee playing in Friday’s Vanier Cup when his Marauders face defending champion Laval.
Greene wasn’t the only award winner on Thursday.
Laval Rouge et Or defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon captured the J.P. Metras Trophy for the second consecutive year, becoming the first multiple-winner of the nation’s top lineman award since its inception in 1974.
The 23-year-old from Montreal won the award again after recovering from a torn knee ligament suffered in October 2010 in a game against Bishop’s and undergoing months of off-season rehabilitation.
"I just feel really blessed right now," said Gascon-Nadon, who also repeated as an all-Canadian. "It’s a long process, a lot of rehab. I just wanted to play this year."
Gascon-Nadon recorded 13.5 tackles in nine conference games, including seven quarterback sacks, to rank in the top five in the country in both categories. He also made nine tackles for losses.
He also forced a fumble, recovered another and scored his first career touchdown on a 19-yard interception return.
The other Metras finalists were defensive linemen Jake Thomas of Acadia, Osie Ukwuoma of Queen’s and Regina’s Akiem Hicks.
Concordia linebacker Max Caron won the Presidents’ Trophy as the top defensive player in Canada.
Caron is the fifth Stinger to earn the award in the past seven years. He led the country with 67 solo tackles, a Quebec conference-record 78.5 total take-downs and three interception returns for touchdowns. His five interceptions were second most in Canada and first in Quebec.
"It’s a tremendous honour, considering how many great football players are on that trophy already — so many Concordia players as well," said Caron.
The award helped Caron deal better with Concordia’s 33-7 loss to Laval in the Quebec conference final. He hopes the honour will help him gain more notice from CFL teams as he pursues a pro career.
"The big thing, especially with a Canadian, is trying to get your name out there," he said. "Something like this, it certainly helps. That being said, it’s certainly a little bit sweet, considering it would be nice to be playing (Friday). But, at the same time, this is a nice consolation."
Caron triumphed over fellow linebackers Tom Labenski of Acadia, Ryan Chmielewski of McMaster and Sam Hurl of Calgary for the award.
Western Mustangs running back Tyler Varga took home the Peter Gorman Trophy as rookie of the year. The Kitchener, Ont., native set a record for freshmen with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Despite sitting out the final game of the regular season to nurse injuries, Varga compiled 799 yards for an average of 114 per game. He lived up to high expectations after being heavily recruited following a standout high school career.
."I’m just happy to be given the opportunity by coach (Greg) Marshall and everybody at Western," said Varga. "They really rallied around me, and it helped my confidence as a rookie. Coming in, obviously, it’s a big transition from high school and confidence is a key thing — just getting used to a level of play at university and believing you’re capable of doing everything that you did in high school."
.Varga prevailed over Mount Allison defensive tackle Jacob LeBlanc, Sherbrooke quarterback Jeremi Doyon-Roch and Saskatchewan offensive lineman Jordan Arkko to win the Gorman Trophy.
For the first time in its history, the CIS awards banquet was held in conjunction with the CFL awards night.