CFL renames Most Outstanding Player award in honor of George Reed

George Reed is one of the best running backs in CFL history. And now, the league will honor his memory for years to come.

The annual award for the most prestigious player of the year will now be known as the George Reed Most Outstanding Player.

The change was announced at the CFL Awards on Thursday night in Niagara Falls, where Reed’s daughter, Georgette, presented the trophy to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly.

“My father would not only have been very proud, but also very humbled and honored to be remembered in this way,” Georgette Reed said.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrose presented the award saying, “Recently, our family lost a beloved patriarch…His excellence set the standard during his 13-year playing career and his service to the community and country spans six incredible decades.”

Reed had a 13-year career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He retired in 1976 with over 16,000 rushing yards and 134 touchdowns in his career.

He was also part of the 1966 squad that won the Gray Cup that year.

Reed also won many awards in addition to his fame in the field. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1978 and was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 1979.

He was also inducted into the Washington State Hall of Fame in 1983, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1984, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders Hall of Honor in 1987.

Reed won the Most Outstanding Player award once in 1965. He was the West’s nominee for the award three times in 1965, 1968 and 1969.

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