Royce Metchie wins Edmonton Elks’ David Boone Award

Photo: Edmonton Elks

The Edmonton Elks have given the David Boone Award to defensive back Royce Metchie, the team announced on Wednesday. The honour recognizes outstanding contributions to community service as well as on-field excellence.

The 30-year-old has been the team’s ambassador to the Stollery Children’s Hospital for the past two years, and visits the facility before every Elks home game. He has built connections with kids and their families, helping distract them from what are often serious health challenges.

Metchie has also been active in the minor football community, participating in camps and initiatives to help coach the next generation of athletes.

“What differentiates Royce is his attitude towards community engagement. He is always respectful, intentional and genuinely excited to be part of every program we have to offer. He’s eager to do more and continuously give back to the Edmonton community,” said Elks community manager Shelby Marchand in a statement.

“We are truly proud to have him as part of our organization and are confident that his impact will continue far beyond football.”

Metchie is in his eighth CFL season and second as a member of the Elks. He has recorded one defensive tackle, five special teams tackles, and one fumble recovery over eight regular-season games this year. He suffered an Achilles injury late last year, and returned to the field in late-July.

Over 102 career regular-season CFL games as a member of the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Elks, Metchie has recorded 342 defensive tackles, 18 special teams tackles, four tackles for loss, eight interceptions, six pass knockdowns, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one touchdown. He has also won three Grey Cups.

The David Boone Award was created in 2005 in memory of the team’s longtime defensive lineman, who was a three-time All-West Division and All-CFL selection, and also dedicated his time to helping those less fortunate.

Other recent winners of the award include Matt O’Donnell, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Eugene Lewis, and Mark Korte.

The Edmonton Elks (13-4) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, October 24 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The Elks are coming off a win over Winnipeg that clinched first place in the West Division, while Saskatchewan secured a playoff spot with a win over Montreal.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 880 CHED in Edmonton and 620 CKRM in Regina.