The Manitoba Bisons football team completed their 2016 season with a 3-5 conference regular season record and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons but the team was recognized with four Bisons named to the conference All-Star team with three major conference award winners and now has two players earning a 2016 U Sports major national football award plus two players selected as a 2016 U Sports Football All-Canadians.

Bison fourth year linebacker DJ Lalama has been selected as 2016 Presidents' Trophy award, presented since 1980, and awarded to the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in U Sports while Bison fifth year defensive back Cam Teschuk earns Russ Jackson Award presented since 1986, to a player who exemplifies the attributes of football skill, academic achievement and citizenship in the U Sports.

In addition, Lalama was named 2016 U Sports First Team Football All-Canadian at the linebacker position while four year offensive lineman Geoff Gary is a 2016 U Sports First Team Football All-Canadian at the guard position.

Lalama, 23, is only the second Manitoba player to claim the Presidents' Trophy, after linebacker Joey Mikawoz in 2000. He is also the first winner from the Canada West conference since Regina's Mat Nesbitt in 2007.

In his fourth season with the Bisons, the 6-foot, 225-pound graduate studies student led U Sports in total tackles (72.5) and solo tackles (54), finishing the eight-game regular schedule with 16 more total tackles than any other player in Canada West. The Winnipeg native also tied for the conference lead in forced fumbles (3) and ranked third in the country in pass breakups (7). He registered double-digit tackles in three contests, including a Bison-record 14 in the league opener against Calgary on Sept. 1.

With his 72.5 tackles in 2016, Lalama broke Manitoba's previous single-season record of 65 set by Mikawoz in his Presidents' Trophy campaign. An eighth-round selection of the Edmonton Eskimos in the 2016 CFL draft (70th overall), he also moved to second place on the Bisons' all-time list with 184 career tackles.

"I am very happy and this is a well-deserved honour for DJ. A leader on our defence, he is also a leader in the locker room and our community as he was a finalist for the Russ Jackson Award last season. He is an outstanding player and person," said Bisons head coach Brian Dobie. "DJ had a record-breaking season in 2016. His hard work, personal growth and perseverance through his time at Manitoba have culminated in this prestigious recognition. Our Bison coaching staff and his teammates are extremely proud of him."

Teschuk, 23, is only the second Manitoba player to merit the prestigious Russ Jackson Award. Linebacker Thomas Hall was a back-to-back recipient in 2009 and 2010.

In his fifth and final season with the Bisons, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound defensive back produced another strong campaign with 23 tackles, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery in eight league contests. A co-captain for the third consecutive year, the St. Paul's High School product has shown his reliability during his time on the U of M campus as he did not miss a conference game over his last four seasons.

In the classroom, the Winnipeg native is a four-time Academic All-Canadian with a cumulative GPA of 4.13 in the faculty of management, and is well on his way to receiving the honour once again this year. Involved in multiple student associations, the Rhodes scholarship applicant has been selected to represent the University of Manitoba at eight different national and international business case study competitions.

An active member of the Winnipeg volunteer community, Teschuk has worked on several initiatives with the homeless, including volunteering for the Five Days for the Homeless campaign. He has also volunteered at the Siloam Mission homeless shelter and spent time raising donations for Shinerama - a student-run organization that raises money for Cystic Fibrosis research - and the True North Foundation, which works to empower youth in the Winnipeg community.

In addition, Teschuk has worked with Bison Book Buddies and the Bison Buddy Bash, which sees student-athletes go to schools to read and play sports with kids. His football expertise has also extended off campus as a coach, working annually with the Blue Bomber Crunchers Youth Football Camp and with the Manitoba Fearless - a woman's spring football team - where he will become a full-time coach this spring.

"I am proud of Cam. I have coached for 42 years and during that time he is unquestionably one of the best people I have known through the game of football," said Bisons head coach Brian Dobie. "He is an absolute teammate, great friend and an unselfish and tireless worker who always seems to be doing the right things for the common good and the well-being of those that surround him. He is not only an exceptional representative of the Bison football program but also of the entire University of Manitoba community. Cam personifies the integrity and character of recipients of the prestigious Russ Jackson Award."

Gray, 22, completed his fourth season at Manitoba and was also a conference all-star in 2016. At the guard position on the offensive line, the 6'6", 310 lbs. player has been instrumental in opening holes for the running game and providing protection for the quarterbacks during the 2016 campaign. The Winnipeg native was durable as he started in all eight conference regular season games in 2016. Gray is ranked number 11 in the CFL's Scouting Bureau – initial prospect Top 20 list (Sept. 2016) for the 2017 CFL Draft.