Oklahoma State, Canadian RB Chuba Hubbard wins Cornish Trophy

Oklahoma State University running back Chuba Hubbard has been named the winner of the 2019-2020 Cornish Trophy.

It’s presented annually to the top Canadian player in NCAA football. Hubbard’s recognition marked the first for an Oklahoma State player. The announcement was made live on YouTube.

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

OSU had two finalists for the trophy, as linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga joined Hubbard as part of the final five up for the honour.

The trophy adds another accolade to a long list of awards for Hubbard, as he was also named a unanimous All-American, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and a finalist for the Doak Walker Award presented to the NCAA’s top running back. He also finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, which marks the third best finish for a Canadian player.

“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,” Hubbard said.

“I thought that if I was good enough, they (NCAA programs) 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.”

The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native ended the 2019 season as the FBS leader in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, 200-yard rushing games and all-purpose yards per game. He ranked first among all players from Power Five conferences in rushing touchdowns and led the Big 12 in both points scored and total touchdowns.

Hubbard’s season total of 2,094 rushing yards ranks 16th in FBS history and third in Big 12 Conference history. It marked the second-best single-season total in school history, trailing only Barry Sanders’ 1988 Heisman season.

Additionally, Hubbard rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last 11 games, which was the longest active streak in the NCAA, and led the country with 15 rushes of 30 yards or longer, nine rushes of 40 yards or longer, seven rushes of 50 yards or longer, five rushes of 60 yards or longer, three rushes of 70 yards or longer, two rushes of 80 yards or longer and one rush of 90 yards or longer.

Top performances from the 2019 season included the largest single-game rushing total for any Power Five Conference player all year with 296 yards against Kansas State, a 256 rushing yard day against Tulsa for the sixth-highest single-game output in the FBS last season and a 223 rushing yard day against Texas Christian University that marked the first time a running back has gone over 200 yards in a game against the Horned Frogs in Gary Patterson’s 19 years as head coach.

The original plan was to present the award to Hubbard at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater on April 18. Organizers have promised to bring the trophy to him to place his signature on the back of it to maintain the tradition of signing the trophy.

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.