Fantuz Named Most Outstanding Player

Andy Fantuz has been named Hamilton’s Most Outstanding Player – Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Tiger Cats

Chatham’s Andy Fantuz has two more pieces of hardware for his mantle after the Canadian Football League (CFL) unveiled this year’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats winners for the 2016 Shaw CFL Awards.

The former John McGregor Panther and Western Mustang has been named the Ti-Cats Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.

Fantuz, 32, registered 101 receptions for 1,059 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games this season. The 6-4, 218-pound wide receiver became the first player in Tiger-Cats history to record 100 receptions in a single season on October 21 at Ottawa. Through 19 weeks, ‘Tuz ranks third in CFL receptions (101) and fourth in CFL receiving targets (128).

The award may be bittersweet for Andy, as his season ended early after suffering what is believed to be a torn ACL while making a cut on a receiving route during the first half of a 29-26 loss to Edmonton last week. Fantuz is scheduled for an MRI, but results have not been released at this time. Sources indicate the C-K native could be out for a year.

Fantuz was enjoying a season of rejuvenation with Hamilton. His 1,059 receiving yards were the second most of his career.