By Stampeders.com Staff
Stampeders fullback Rob Cote is the team’s nominee for the 2015 Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award, given annually to the CFL player who best demonstrates the attributes of Canada’s veterans: strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contribution to their community.
The award also recognizes Jake Gaudaur – one of the CFL’s long-standing Commissioners and distinguished World War II veterans.
Voted by teammates to be a team captain for the 2015 season, Cote has proven himself to be accountable and worthy of this role. He plays the game hard, works tirelessly, is a leader on and off the field and strives to contribute to the success of the team in any way possible. He is humble and committed to his job, his teammates and the team.
As a fullback who also sees extensive duty on special teams, Rob works hard in every drill at every practice, is diligent in the meeting room and always shows up prepared on game day.
The Cochrane native takes on additional duties and serves as a leader off the field to help his teammates and ensure that everything is in place for individuals and the team as a whole to enjoy success. While his own community causes are important to him, he also is the first to volunteer and help teammates with their initiatives.
Cote shows passion and dedication to myriad worthy causes and does so purely for the sake of those causes, and not for any recognition that may come as a result. He is the Stampeders’ team spokesman for Hospice Calgary and quietly visits with and supports families who are dealing with terminal illness or unexpected death.
Rob’s passion for Hospice Calgary came as a result of the loss of a close friend after a battle with leukemia, but he has consistently downplayed his personal story and insisted that the focus be on helping others.
Rob feels it’s important to be a contributor to a community in which he himself grew up and to engage in the Stampeder-fan relationship he was once on the other end of.
The 2015 recipient of the Jake Gaudaur Veterans Award will be handed out by a representative of Veterans’ Affairs Canada on Thursday November 26th at the Shaw CFL Awards in Winnipeg during Grey Cup Week.
