Solomon Elimimian, Jovan Olafioye, Adam Bighill, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Chris Rainey, and Richie Leone have been named CFL All-Stars for the 2016 season. For Olafioye, Bighill, Arceneaux, and Leone, this is the second straight year they’ve been given this league-wide honour.
The Calgary Stampeders led the way this year, with a CFL record nine All-Star selections. The Lions had the second-most, with six, improving their total from a year ago when they had five players selected.
Elimimian, who was injured for much of last season, had a terrific comeback season. The 30-year-old linebacker now sits just 13 defensive tackles shy of the franchise record.
Olafioye has been named an All-Star six consecutive times. The offensive lineman has been incredibly durable, not missing a single start in seven seasons with the Lions.
Bighill is a CFL All-Star for the fourth time in five years. The other half of “Team 100” had 108 tackles, trailing only his teammate Elimimian.
Arceneaux was honoured after recording 105 receptions for 1,566 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns. He had the most productive season by a Lions receiver since Geroy Simon in 2006.
Rainey received his first All-Star nod, as a special teams player, after leading the CFL in kickoff return yards and finishing third in punt return yards. He led the league in all-purpose yards, with 2,945.
While Leone struggled placekicking this season, he was named an All-Star because of his superb punting. He led the CFL with an average of 49.3 yards punting and a net average of 36.9 yards.
Here’s the full list of All-Stars:
Offence
Quarterback
Bo Levi Mitchell – Calgary Stampeders
Running Backs
Jerome Messam – Calgary Stampeders
Andrew Harris – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Receivers
Adarius Bowman – Edmonton Eskimos
Emmanuel Arceneaux – BC Lions
Derel Walker – Edmonton Eskimos
Ernest Jackson – Ottawa Redblacks
Centre
Jon Gott – Ottawa Redblacks
Offensive Guards
Spencer Wilson – Calgary Stampeders
Travis Bond – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Offensive Tackles
Derek Dennis – Calgary Stampeders
Jovan Olafioye – BC Lions
Defence
Defensive Ends
Charleston Hughes – Calgary Stampeders
John Chick – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Defensive Tackles
Almondo Sewell – Edmonton Eskimos
Micah Johnson – Calgary Stampeders
Linebackers
Solomon Elimimian – BC Lions
Bear Woods – Montreal Alouettes
Adam Bighill – BC Lions
Cornerbacks
Tommie Campbell – Calgary Stampeders
Ciante Evans – Calgary Stampeders
Defensive Backs
T.J. Heath – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Jamar Wall – Calgary Stampeders
Safety
Taylor Loffler – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Special teams
Kicker
Justin Medlock – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Punter
Richie Leone – BC Lions
Special Teams
Chris Rainey – BC Lions
Team breakdown
9 – Calgary Stampeders
6 – BC Lions
5 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
3 – Edmonton Eskimos
2 – Ottawa REDBLACKS
1 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes
By the numbers
23 – All-Stars from the West Division
4 – All-Stars from the East Division
5 – Nationals named CFL All-Stars
See also
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