Tom Pate Memorial Award

Every year the Canadian Football League Players' Association presents the Tom Pate Award. It is not a "Jock Award," but rather an award given to players who display qualities that distinguish them from their peers. It is this rare quality that the players listed below maintained and made them recipients of the award.

Each year, teams nominate a team member for this award. The recipient should embody the qualities; qualities that recognize a player with outstanding sportsmanship, who has made a contribution to his team, as well as, to his community Association, similar to Tom Pate who had a unique combination of outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to the league and the community.

Pate was educated at the University of Nebraska where he majored in business administration, and played first-stringer with the Cornhuskers. After shuffling through various teams, he became a star with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In October 1975, however, his stardom as well as his life, was abruptly ended, when in his fourteenth game, against the Stampeders in Calgary, he suffered an aneurysm in the fourth quarter. Tom Pate, only 23 at the time, never regained consciousness and died just two days later.

The award was named in his honour to award the CFLPA's Most Outstanding Community Service Award.

Tom Pate Memorial Award winners

* 2007 - Milt Stegall (SB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
* 2006 - Mark Washington (DB), British Columbia Lions
* 2005 - Danny McManus (QB), Hamilton Tiger-Cats
* 2004 - Barron Miles (DB), Montreal Alouettes
* 2003 - Steve Hardin (OT), British Columbia Lions
* 2002 - Greg Frers (DS), Calgary Stampeders
* 2001 - Rick Walters (SB), Edmonton Eskimos
* 2000 - Mike Morreale (WR), Hamilton Tiger-Cats
* 1999 - Jamie Taras (C), British Columbia Lions
* 1998 - Glen Scrivener (DT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
* 1997 - Mark McLoughlin (K), Calgary Stampeders
* 1996 - Mike "Pinball" Clemons (RB), Toronto Argonauts
* 1995 - Mark McLoughlin (K), Calgary Stampeders
* 1994 - O. J. Brigance (LB), Baltimore CFLers
* 1993 - Mike "Pinball" Clemons (RB), Toronto Argonauts
* 1992 - Danny Barrett (QB), British Columbia Lions
* 1991 - Stu Laird (LB), Calgary Stampeders
* 1990 - Richie Hall (DB), Saskatchewan Roughriders
* 1989 - Matt Dunigan (QB), British Columbia Lions
* 1988 - Hector Pothier (OT), Edmonton Eskimos
* 1987 - Nick Arakgi (DE), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
* 1986 - Tyrone Crews (LB), British Columbia Lions
* 1985 - Tyrone Crews (LB), British Columbia Lions
* 1984 - Bruce Walker (OT), Ottawa Rough Riders
* 1983 - Henry Waszczuk (C), Hamilton Tiger-Cats
* 1982 - David Boone (DE), Edmonton Eskimos
* 1981 - Ken McEachern (DB), Saskatchewan Roughriders
* 1980 - Jim Coode (OT), Ottawa Rough Riders
* 1979 - John Helton (DT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
* 1978 - Pete Muller (TE), Toronto Argonauts
* 1977 - Ron Lancaster (QB), Saskatchewan Roughriders
* 1976 - George Reed (RB), Saskatchewan Roughriders