The Canadian Press
TORONTO — It’s an exciting time in the CFL, playoff races are heating up and the postseason is nearly upon us, which also means that CFL All-Star selections are on their way.
CFL All-Star voting is officially open and fans across the country can have their say in selecting the team for the 2022 season, but will have to remain patient to see who will be named a CFL All-Star for this year.
To help ease some of the anticipation, CFL.ca took a historical deep dive to find some of the all-stars of CFL All-Stars. From the likes of CFL legend Willie Pless to two-way sensation Garney Henley, here are the all-stars of CFL history.
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WILLIE PLESS – LINEBACKER
CFL legend Willie Pless is not only one of the greatest defensive players to ever step foot on the 110-yard field, he is also the all-star of CFL All-Stars. The hall of fame linebacker earned 11 selections over a career that spanned 15 seasons.
Pless started his career with the Toronto Argonauts in 1986 and was voted an all-star that same season. He would earn one more selection with the Argos in 1988, while also being selected once in his time with the BC Lions. However, his legendary run of eight consecutive all-star selections from 1991 to 1998 is perhaps the most memorable.
SCOTT FLORY AND CHRIS WALBY – OFFENSIVE LINE
Offensive linemen Scott Flory and Chris Walby are not only tied for the most CFL All-Star selections by an offensive lineman, they also happen to be tied for most selections by a Canadian, each having earned nine over the course of their careers.
Walby was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in 1981, but joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers later in that same season. The offensive lineman would spend the next 16 seasons playing for his hometown Bombers, earning all nine of his CFL All-Star selections in the Blue and Gold.
Flory was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in 1999 and spent 15 season as a member of the Als, earning six consecutive selections spanning from 2005 to 2010.
GARNEY HENLEY – DEFENSIVE BACK AND RECEIVER
Garney Henley is one of the most intriguing CFL All-Stars in league history. Henley earned nine selections and was selected as both a receiver and a defensive back. Henley was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1960 until 1975 and earned nine consecutive CFL All-Star selections as a defensive back from 1963 to 1971.
Henley made the transition to receiver during the 1972 season earning a selection as an offensive player and winning the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award that year.
GEORGE REED – RUNNING BACK
George Reed is one of the greatest running backs in league history, his nine CFL All-Star selections give him the most all-time by a running back.
Reed spent 13 seasons with the Green and White from 1963 until 1975, Reed was the league’s leading rusher from 1965 to 1969 and earned five consecutive selections over that stretch.
The Hall of Fame running back would earn four more selections from 1971 to 1974 before the end of his career.
JOHN HELTON – DEFENSIVE LINE
John Helton began his CFL career as a defensive lineman with the Calgary Stampeders in 1969. He would continue on to have a dominant 14-year career, earning CFL All-Star selections in nearly every season.
Helton spent 10 seasons as a member of the Calgary Stampeders, earning seven selections during his time in Calgary. The defensive lineman finished his career in Winnipeg where he earned a selection in 1979 and his final CFL All-Star nod in 1982.
BRYAN CHIU – CENTRE
In addition to earning seven CFL All-Star selections, Bryan Chiu was a three-time Grey Cup Champion as a member of the Montreal Alouettes (The Canadian Press),
Bryan Chiu was selected in the second round of the 1996 CFL Draft by the Alouettes. The Canadian offensive lineman would spend 13 seasons with Montreal, earning seven CFL All-Star selections, all while playing one of the games most difficult positions.
DOUG FLUTIE – QUARTERBACK
In an all-star list of CFL All-Stars, Doug Flutie had to be brought up sooner or later. No quarterback in league history has been selected a CFL All-Star more times than Flutie.
In a career that spanned eight seasons with the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts, the CFL Hall of Fame quarterback was selected as a league All-Star six times. Flutie earned selections in five consecutive seasons from 1991 to 1994, before being selected twice more as a member of the Argos in 1996 and 1997.
SELECTIONS SINCE 2015
More recently it has been a bevy of Blue and Gold that have been filling up CFL All-Star teams. Since 2015 seven players have earned four selections, three of those seven players have been members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Andrew Harris, the then Winnipeg running back earned four consecutive selections from 2015 until 2018. Bombers defensive lineman Willie Jefferson and linebacker Adam Bighill have also earned four selections since the 2015 season.
Like Harris, BC Lions receiver Bryan Burnham has also been selected as a CFL All-Star in four consecutive seasons. The BC Pass-catcher has earned a spot on the CFL All-Star team each season since 2017. Punter Richie Leone also earned two selections as a member of the Lions, before joining the Ottawa REDBLACKS where he was again chosen as a CFL All-Star in 2019 and 2021.
Defensive lineman Almondo Sewell earned four selections as a member of the Edmonton Elks, fellow defensive lineman Charleston Hughes earned two CFL All-Star selections with Calgary and an additional two in Saskatchewan.
