After another outstanding regular CFL season, BC Lions kicker Sean Whyte is the Western nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
In a season that saw Whyte break the Lions' franchise record for most consecutive successful field goals, previously held by Paul McCallum — and tie Lui Passaglia's franchise single-game record (seven field goals vs/ Saskatchewan) — the 39-year-old finished the regular season with a CFL-best 94.3 field goal percentage (50/53). His streak of consecutive field goals ended at 47 in a row, in an Aug. 24 game where his kick was partially blocked by an Ottawa player.
Whyte, a Semiahmoo grad who was born and raised in White Rock and South Surrey, moved away to play for the CFL in Montreal and Edmonton before returning to his home province in 2022, signing a two-year contract extension with the Lions that December. He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023, connecting on 50 of 53 field goal attempts – a rate of 94.3 per cent – which, he noted, is exactly the same as this season.
"I tied my stats from last year, which is crazy! They're identical," he said with a laugh as he drove home from practice Tuesday. "My goal coming into this season (was that) I wanted to have a perfect season, not missing any," he admitted.
In addition to the award nomination, Whyte also joined teammate Justin McInnis, who became the first Canadian to lead the league in receiving yards since Andy Fantuz in 2010, in being named to the West Division All-CFL team.
Whyte credited his family for helping him enjoy such a long career.
"I do appreciate my family and my support system that I’ve had for the last 15-16 years of my career, because if it wasn’t for my Mom and Dad, there’s not a chance I could’ve played as long as I have," Whyte said.
"As an athlete, there’s always ups and downs mentally. ... You’re going to lose your job at one point, ... and my Mom and Dad have always been there, every step of the way. This is just another step of my career that I can share with them — hopefully I can win, because that would be the ultimate — just to use that platform to thank my Mom and Dad would be really, really special."
Winning the Grey Cup, of course, was the uppermost goal, but his team would have had to win two straight road games. The Lions unfortunately, lost Nov. 2 in Saskatchewan. The Rough Riders now head to Winnipeg for the Western Final on Nov. 9.
As a 39-year-old pro football player, Whyte isn't quite ready to think about retiring just yet, although it was something he considered two years ago, when he got certified and worked as an on-call firefighter in White Rock. But he stepped away from that at the beginning of 2023 to focus on football.
He remembered seeing former BC Lions coach Wally Buono at the beginning of last year.
"He goes, 'Do you want my opinion (on retiring) or not?' I said, 'Of course I want your opinion,'" Whyte said. "He said, 'You play football for as long as you possibly can.'"
So he's going to take Buono's advice.
"My body feels good, my mind feels good, and I feel the fire to compete," he said, noting now that he's back in B.C. (and having just purchased a home with his wife in Clayton), he's much closer to his former trainer, Chris Boyko, whom he plans to train with again, harder than ever.
"I've just got to get my strength up, and I think that’ll prolong my career. I've got my trainer back for the off season, I’ve got a plan, so I don’t see any retirement any time soon. I would love to continue to play football for as long as I can. ... If B.C. doesn’t want me next year, I will try to go play somewhere. I’m not ready to be done. I still love football, I still love to compete, and I still think I can do this at a high level," he said, noting he'd love to bring the cup back to White Rock and South Surrey to celebrate.
"I still think I can have a perfect season."
The CFL Awards Show takes place on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Vancouver Convention Centre West.
