2019 Award Winners

After an electrifying season where he led the NCAA in rushing, Oklahoma State redshirt sophomore running back Chuba Hubbard was named the top Canadian in NCAA Football in the 2019-20 season. The native of Sherwood Park, Alberta was humbled by being recognized as the standard bearer for his country stateside.

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“It’s an honor to represent Canada, Alberta and my family in accepting this award, and acknowledging all the hard work I’ve put in,” Hubbard said.

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The Bev Facey grad and former Football Alberta team member the led the FBS in rushing with 2,094 yards, rushing yards per game at 161.1, 200-yard rushing games and all-purpose yards per game. Hubbard, a.k.a. “The Canadian Cowboy”, was a unanimous All-American, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and one of three national finalists for the Doak Walker Award presented to the nation’s top running back. Hubbard finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, the third best finish for a Canadian.

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Hubbard tied for third in the FBS and first among all players from Power Five conferences in rushing touchdowns. He led the Big 12 in both points scored and total touchdowns. He was the only player in the Big 12 to average more than 100 rushing yards per game, Hubbard’s 161.1 yards per game were 64.6 yards per game more than anyone else in the league. His season total of 2,094 rushing yards ranks 16th in FBS history and third in Big 12 Conference history. He rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last 11 games, which was the longest active streak in the nation. His 2,094 rushing yards set the second-highest single-season total in school history, trailing only Barry Sanders’ Heisman Trophy season of 1988.

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The class Hubbard was competing with was by many estimations the best Canadian class in the history of NCAA football.

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“I think that’s everyone’s dream in Canada who plays football is to go to the NCAA and play football or some type of sport. It shows that Canadians are just as talented, they work just as hard,” Hubbard said of his competition for the Cornish.

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“Nathan (Rourke), Neville (Gallimore), all of those guys are completely talented, crazy hard-working guys. Claypool is an MVP. Just to see what those guys are doing for Canada is awesome,” Hubbard said.

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Hubbard’s teammate, junior linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga from the Notre Dame Pride high school program in Calgary was also a nominee.

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For Hubbard, playing all of his senior high school football at Bev Facey gave both him and his family stability.

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“I always moved my entire life; I was never really in one place. Coming to Sherwood Park, I never really felt that I was going to stay long enough to play my full high school there. But the bonds I grew there, I liked my football team a lot, I had a lot of good friends there. I thought that if I was good enough, they (schools) would find me. I was fortunate enough to be on a really good team with a lot of good players and we got the spotlight. I got a lot of people to acknowledge me and notice my film and it just took off,” he said.

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Hubbard committed to coming back to Stillwater for his junior year in 2020. Like the rest of the football world, we don’t know what the season will look like dur to the Coronavirus.

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“That’s the hardest thing for everyone right now. When is it going to start? It would be nice to have a schedule, but you just have to stay ready.”

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The Cornish Trophy was awarded via a live stream. The original plan was to present the award to Hubbard before the OSU spring scrimmage in Stillwater, April 18. Organizers have promised to bring the trophy to him to place his signature on the back of it like two-time winner Nathan Rourke of Ohio in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

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The Cornish trophy was selected by 20 reporters, CFL player personnel staff and other experts in two rounds of voting at the conclusion of bowl season. The trophy is on display at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in Hamilton, Ontario.