VANCOUVER — Brady Oliveira is going to need a bigger mantelpiece or, perhaps, designate a room in his house for his growing collection of awards and baubles.

Twice crowned the Canadian Football League’s rushing champion, a two-time All-CFL All Star and already saluted the loop’s Most Outstanding Canadian Player a year ago, Oliveira grabbed two more awards Thursday night, in being named the Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian Player for a second time.

He becomes just the fourth player to claim two of the league’s most prestigious awards in the same season, joining a list that includes CFL icons Russ Jackson (Ottawa Rough Riders, 1963, 1966, 1969), Tony Gabriel (Ottawa, 1978) and Jon Cornish (Calgary Stampeders, 2013).

Oh, and there’s this: he’s just turned 27 in August.

“It’s amazing, man, to be up here with two of the most prestigious awards in this amazing league that I’ve been watching since I was a young kid,” said Oliveira after a gala event at the Vancouver Convention Centre. “It’s a dream. It’s awesome.

“Having my name mentioned in the same sentence as those legends is bizarre to me, kind of. I still feel like I’m young in my career. And especially (hearing his name mentioned in the same sentence) a guy like Jon Cornish. I grew up watching him play the running back position and just dominating. To be even be mentioned with his name is, again, bizarre but of course an incredible honour.”

Oliveira captured the MOP honours in a close vote, 31-25, over Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the Canadian award over Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund by a vote of 55-1.

Oliveira made certain to thank his offensive line, his coaches and singled out veteran Canadians like Nic Demski, Pat Neufeld and Jake Thomas for being important role models early in his career. He also mentioned running backs coach Jason Hogan both in his acceptance speech and afterward in his media availability.

Asked about what a younger version of himself would think about winning a Grey Cup with the Blue Bombers and now the MOP award and top Canadian for a second time, Oliveira grinned.

“It’s insane,” he said. “This is nuts. This is crazy. Everyone knows the story — I grew up a Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan, I’m a proud Winnipegger… the fact that I’m up here with the two most prestigious awards in this league representing my city, representing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers organization and all my teammates, it’s insane, man.

“It’s insane.”

Critical now for Oliveira & Co. is to make this week absolutely perfect with a result in Sunday’s 111th Grey Cup against the Toronto Argonauts.

“I would trade these in a heartbeat to win another championship, to win this Grey Cup on Sunday and to give an opportunity to my teammates who haven’t experienced it yet,” said Oliveira, glancing over at the two trophies at his side. “And to give an opportunity to Coach Hogan (running backs coach Jason Hogan) who has been in a vital role in my career in molding me into this really good running back — he hasn’t had a chance to win it yet and to experiences the joys of a Grey Cup victory.

“We’ve got to go handle business on Sunday and win it for those guys.”

The starry night didn’t end there for the Blue Bombers, either, with veteran linebacker Adam Bighill being named the 2024 Tom Pate Award winner, presented annually ‘to a player with outstanding sportsmanship and someone who has made a significant contribution to his team, his community and the Canadian Football League Players’ Association.’

Bighill was honoured with the Tom Pate Award for all his work on and off the field in Winnipeg. He is the president of Making Faces, a non-profit organization that helps children with facial differences, works with Recruit Ready to help develop football players locally and also coaches the game at both the tackle and flag levels for Football Manitoba and the Manitoba Minor Football Association.

Bighill is also giving of his time to several charities and participates in countless local fundraisers and is the third Blue Bomber in the award’s history to be honoured after Glen Scrivener in 1998 and Milt Stegall in 2007.

“I’ve seen a lot of people win this award that are just amazing humans and great people that do great work,” he said. “I always felt weird being nominated for this award because I always felt like this is something you should do in being involved and help and be a part of the community.

“I don’t feel like you need an award to do that to be recognized. So, for me it’s great to be recognized especially because of the tradition of hte award and the people that won it before me.”

Oliveira rushed for a league-best 1,353 yards this season, eclipsing the 1K mark for the third straight season, and led the CFL in yards from scrimmage 1,829 yards including his 476 receiving yards on a career-high 57 receptions.

He becomes the Blue Bombers first double award winner in one season and the third Blue Bombers player to be named MOP in the last four years after Zach Collaros was honoured in 2021 and 2022. He is also the ninth player in franchise history to win the MOP award.

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