The Calgary Stampeders have established a franchise record by placing nine players on the Canadian Football League’s 2016 all-star team. The previous high for Stamps on the league all-star team was eight, established in 2010.
Each of the nine Calgary players voted to the West Division all-star squad last month also earned league honours.
Here are the Stamps’ CFL all-stars:
QB Bo Levi Mitchell
RB Jerome Messam
OG Spencer Wilson
OT Derek Dennis
DE Charleston Hughes
DT Micah Johnson
DB Jamar Wall
CB Tommie Campbell
CB Ciante Evans
Hughes is a league all-star for the third time in his career while Messam, Wilson and Wall are each being recognized for a second time. Mitchell, Evans, Campbell, Dennis and Johnson are all first-time CFL all-stars.
The CFL all-star team is determined by voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) as well as one ballot from each team’s coaching staff.
Here is a closer look at the Stampeders’ league all-stars:
Bo Levi Mitchell (quarterback): Mitchell earned the league’s Most Outstanding Player award after leading the Stamps to a 15-1-1 record in his 17 starts including a 14-game winning streak and a 16-game unbeaten streak. He led the CFL with 32 touchdown passes and he was one of just three QBs to crack the 5,000-yard mark (5,385). He also threw 11 two-point converts. Mitchell completed 412 of 606 passes and threw just eight interceptions. He had 11 games with at least 300 passing yards and threw at least one touchdown pass in 16 of his 17 starts. Mitchell also carried the ball 16 times for 40 yards. He was the CFL’s player of the month for both July and August.
Jerome Messam (running back): Messam picked up the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award after winning the CFL rushing title with a career-best 1,198 yards and leading the league in rushing touchdowns with 11. He also led the league with five 100-yard games and his average of 5.8 yards per rush was tops among all players with at least 60 carries. Messam set career highs with 54 catches and 485 receiving yards and scored twice on two-point conversions.
Spencer Wilson (guard) and Derek Dennis (offensive tackle): Dennis and Wilson both played all 18 regular-season games and both made starts at multiple positions. Dennis, who was voted the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, played 15 games at left tackle, two at left guard and one at right guard while Wilson started eight at right guard, four at right tackle and six at centre. The two men anchored a Stamps offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the CFL in 2016 with 20 (11 fewer than the second-best team in that category) and also helped tailback Jerome Messam run for a league-leading 1,198 yards.
Charleston Hughes (defensive end): The veteran led the CFL with 16 sacks as he picked up the second CFL sack title of his career. He had five games in which he recorded at least two sacks. Hughes made 47 tackles including a team-leading four tackles for loss. He also shared the team lead with three forced fumbles and added one pass knockdown.
Micah Johnson (defensive tackle): Johnson started 17 games and recorded career highs with 36 tackles and seven sacks. He had two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three knockdowns. The fourth-year Stamp also played a key role in a run defence that gave up a league-low 4.6 yards per carry to the opposition.
Jamar Wall (defensive back): Wall started all 18 games including 17 at halfback and one at safety. He led the team with four interceptions — including a pick-six — and 17 knockdowns. Wall had 47 tackles, including two tackles for loss, and shared the team lead with three forced fumbles. Wall, Evans and Campbell were part of a Stamps secondary that allowed a league-low 7.3 yards per pass attempt in 2016.
Tommie Campbell (cornerback): The first-year CFLer won a job with a strong showing in training camp and wound up starting all 18 games at cornerback. Campbell was third on the club with 72 tackles — including one tackle for loss — and added one special-teams tackle, three interceptions and nine knockdowns. His most memorable interception came in OT against the BC Lions on July 29 which sealed a Stamps victory.
Ciante Evans (cornerback): Evans started 14 games and made 42 tackles — including a tackle for loss — one special-teams tackle, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 14 knockdowns. In addition to his cover skills, he earned praise for his sure tackling in spite of his small frame.