MontrealAlouettes.com
REGINA – Thursday night in Regina, Alouettes linebacker Kyries Hebert was named the winner of the CFL’s 2013 Tom Pate Award during the league’s Most Outstanding Player Awards gala. Every year, the Tom Pate Award honours a player who best displays outstanding sportsmanship and who has made a significant contribution within his community.
Hebert has built a reputation as a leader both on and off the field, establishing the Ky Cares Foundation in 2010 which is committed to improving the lives of today’s at-risk youth in the Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati and Southwest Louisiana communities during the off-season.
“This foundation holds a special place in my heart,” explained the second-year Alouette. “It’s truly something special to be able give back. To have my teammates and peers recognize that I’m trying to make a difference is something that means a lot to me.”
This past October, coinciding with the CFL’s own Pink initiative, the Ky Cares Foundation held its second-annual breast cancer awareness event, ‘Touched’, during the month of October with all proceeds raised being donated to the Cedars Cancer Institute and the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
“Kyries has dedicated himself to raising awareness through his passionate and caring work,” said Alouettes General Manager and Head Coach Jim Popp. “He continues to raise the bar both on and off the field. The Montreal Alouettes are proud of his contributions.”
The 2013 season also marked the second-consecutive year that the Eunice, LA native was active in the Montreal community via a variety of events, helping bring the big-game atmosphere of Percival Molson Stadium to a pair of youth football games at the Alouettes Festival held in Repentigny, as well as serving holiday meals to the needy at the Welcome Hall Mission in what has become a Thanksgiving tradition for Alouettes players.
Every year the CFLPA invites each CFL Club to nominate a team member for this award. Hebert is the second Alouette to receive the honour in as many years, as former teammate Brian Bratton earned the award in 2012. Alouettes alumni Baron Miles and Nick Arakgi were equally recognized for their efforts off of the field in 2004 and 1987 respectively.
