A vigorous and hearty salute to Trey Vaval and Evan Holm, who were today named to the 2025 All-Canadian Football League Team.

The press release with all the details on that announcement is here:

And if the link to the entire 2025 All-CFL Team is here:

Nathan Rourke at the helm of 2025 All-CFL team

Now that the formalities are out of the way, here are some all-star related numbers we thought Blue Bombers fans might find interesting…

2/11

Jamaal Westerman

Holm and Vaval are the only Blue Bombers named to the All-CFL squad in 2025, the lowest total for the club since 2015 when defensive end Jamaal Westerman was the lone Winnipeg player named to the team. In fact, from 2012-15 the club had just one player named All-CFL each year, with Westerman preceded by receiver Clarence Denmark in 2014, linebacker Henoc Muamba in 2013 and defensive tackle Bryant Turner in 2012.

The Blue Bombers high for most players named to the CFL All-Star Team is 11, set in 2021 when QB Zach Collaros, OL Stanley Bryant, Pat Neufeld and Jermarcus Hardrick, WR Kenny Lawler, DE Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat, LB Adam Bighill and DBs Brandon Alexander, Dee Alford, and Deatrick Nichols were all honoured.

The CFL first implemented a CFL All-Star team in 1962 and in the 62 years since — not including 2020, when the global pandemic wiped out the season — only 12 times has a Blue Bombers offensive player not been named to the squad.

Those years: 1963, 1964, 1975, 1979, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2015.

On top of that, the Blue Bombers have not had a single player on the all-star team on just four occasions: 1964, 1975, 1995 and 1998.

9

Chris Walby

Holm and Vaval have both earned CFL All-Star selections for the first time in their Blue Bombers careers. The club record for most all-star selections is nine and is held by Chris Walby (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994).

Worth noting: Stanley Bryant is an eight-time CFL All-Star, including 2013-14 with the Calgary Stampeders.

Next month on this list are Charles Roberts and Doug Brown, with seven CFL All-Star nods, followed by Bryant and Milt Stegall at six.

4

Vaval led the league with four kick-return touchdowns this season — two via kickoff returns, one on a punt and a fourth on a missed field goal. He led the league in punt returns and punt return and missed field goal return yardage and finished fifth in kickoff return yardage. His 391 yards on missed field goal returns established a new Blue Bombers record in that department, eclipsing Albert Johnson III’s total of 277, set in 2000 and his 128-yard missed field goal return vs. Ottawa in September was the longest in club history.

Vaval is up for two CFL awards during Grey Cup week as a finalist for Most Outstanding Rookie Player and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.

59

Evan Holm

Holm made his first start for the Blue Bombers in Hamilton on September 17, 2022. Over the last three seasons, including playoffs, he has started 59 consecutive games and not missed any action.

He was honoured as the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Defensive Player this year, finishing with 55 defensive tackles, adding six more on special teams, as well as a team-leading four interceptions, six pass knockdowns, a tackle for loss and two forced fumbles.