The Calgary Stampeders named receiver Marken Michel as this year’s recipient of the Herm Harrison Memorial Award on Thursday.
The honour, established in 2013, recognizes outstanding community service. Harrison was a tight end with the Stampeders from 1964-72, earning West Division all-star honours six times while being named a league all-star on three occasions.
Harrison remained in Calgary following his career and continued supporting numerous community initiatives. Harrison was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Stampeders retired his No. 76.
Harrison registered 443 career catches for 6,693 yards and 43 touchdowns. He died in November 2013.
Michel, 31, a Florida native in his fifth season with Calgary, is an active participent in many of the CFL club’s community programs. That includes Every Yard Counts, which features player visits to the Alberta Children’s Hospital the night before each home game.
Michel has also often led groups of teammates into the downtown core to distribute food and water to those in need.
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“One of the toughest questions in life is what is my purpose and my assignment in life?” Michel said in a statement. “What you wake up thinking about and what you think about constantly before you go to sleep is a clue as to what your purpose and assignment is in life.
“Your assignment is any problem you were created to solve on the Earth. What you love is a clue to the gift and wisdom you contain to complete your assignment. What you hate is a clue to something you are assigned to correct. What grieves you is a clue to something you are assigned to heal. These are my constant reminders to make a difference.”
Past winners include: Rob Cote (2013), Randy Chevrier (2014), Bo Levi Mitchell (2015-16), Joshua Bell (2017), Rob Maver (2018-19), Kamar Jorden (2021), Colton Hunchak (2022) and Reggie Begelton (2023).
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