Lions quarterback Rourke named CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian

REGINA — B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke was named the CFL's most outstanding Canadian on Thursday.

The announcement was made at the CFL's awards banquet in voting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and nine league head coaches.

Rourke, 24, finished sixth in CFL passing with 3,349 yards despite only playing in 10 regular-season games.

The Victoria native staked B.C. to wins in eight of its first nine games before suffering a foot injury in a 28-10 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Aug. 19 that required surgery.

At the time, Rourke was leading the CFL in passing (3,281 yards) and TDs (25).

He returned for the Lions regular-season finale, then led the club past Calgary 30-16 in the West Division semifinal before its 28-20 loss to Winnipeg in the conference final last weekend.

Rourke finished his season completing 255-of-324 passes (78.7 per cent) with 25 TDs, 10 interceptions and a league-high six 300-yard games while also rushing for 304 yards on 39 carries (7.8-yard average) with seven TDs.

Toronto Argonauts receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. was the finalist.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2022.