B.C. Lions’ offensive lineman Andrew Peirson has been honoured with the Tom Pate Memorial Award in 2025.
The award is presented annually by the Canadian Football League Players’ Association to a player who exhibits outstanding sportsmanship while making significant contributions to his team, community, and the union. It is named in honour of former CFL linebacker Tom Pate, who was critically injured during a game in 1975 and later passed away at 23 years old.
Peirson dressed for all 18 games with B.C. in 2025, making six starts at centre. He is known around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland for his dedication to community service, attending hundreds of school visits and speaking engagements in support of initiatives like the Lions’ Be More Than A Bystander program.
The Kingston, Ont. native originally signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and has seen action in 87 regular-season and eight playoff games with the club, making 28 starts at guard or centre. He is a four-time winner of the team’s Jamie Taras Community Service Award.
Other recent winners of the Tom Pate Memorial Award include Adam Bighill, Brett Lauther, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Mike Daly, Rob Maver, Ryan King, and Adarius Bowman.
The B.C. Lions finished second in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record and beat the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final before losing the West Final to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Nathan Rourke threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 16 regular-season starts, posting an 11-5 record. He was also named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Lions ranked first in net offence, fourth in net defence, and sixth with a turnover differential of minus-four. James Butler rushed for 1,213 yards, Keon Hatcher led the CFL with 1,688 receiving yards, and Micah Awe led the league with 117 tackles. B.C. finished third in attendance with average crowds of 27,124, which was a 0.9 percent increase from the previous year.
