The month of August was red hot in the City of Toronto and so was the play of Argonauts’ RB Cory Boyd and LB Kevin Eiben. The CFL announced today that Boyd has been named CFL Offensive Player of the Month and Eiben has earned CFL Canadian Player of the Month for August.

Boyd had a tremendous August for the Argonauts. He earned CFL Offensive Player of the Week honours for his performance during Week 6 in Edmonton where he became the first Argonaut since Michael Jenkins (2001) to score three touchdowns in a game. Boyd finished the month with 58 carries for a total of 308 yards (5.3 yards/carry) and three touchdowns, while also hauling in eight catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, all in just three games. He continues to lead the league in rushing with 792 yards, which is more than 100 yards ahead of the Edmonton’s Arkee Whitlock. This is Boyd’s first CFL Player of the Month award.

Kevin Eiben is putting together another all-star season. After being the runner-up for CFL Canadian Player of the Month in July (Saskatchewan WR Andy Fantuz), the CFL announced today that the 10-year Argo has been honoured for the month of August. Eiben has already been named runner-up for the Canadian Player of the Week twice in 2010 and he currently leads the CFL in defensive tackles with 53. The Delta, BC native finished August with 23 defensive tackles and tied a career-high with 10 tackles against Hamilton two weeks ago. This is the first time Eiben has earned a CFL Player of the Month award.

The Argos are back in action in the Labour Day Classic on Monday, September 6 against Hamilton at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Double Blue returns home on Sunday, September 19 to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 1:00 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club has added import RB Mike Ford and import DE Ben Ishola to its practice roster.

A star running back at the University of South Florida, Ford played three seasons with the Bulls and totalled 331 carries for 1,502 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was named MVP of the 2010 International Bowl at Rogers Centre for his career-high 207 rushing yards and touchdown while leading his teammates to a convincing 27-3 win over Northern Illinois.

Speedy defensive end Ben Ishola re-joins the Argos after recovering from a training camp injury. A native of Berlin, Germany, Ishola only began playing competitive football at age 22. He started playing for the Berlin Adler American Football Club where he anchored a defence that recorded two shutouts, and helped lead the team to a 2002 appearance in the league semifinals before being recruited by Indiana University. After some brief stints in the NFL, NFL Europe and with the Montreal Alouettes, Ishola joined the Argonauts in 2009.

The Toronto Argonauts have also released the following players:

WR Carl Berman Import
LB Leon Joe Import
LB Kyle Jones Non-Import
WR Jeffery Webb Import

Mike Ford #34
Running Back
6’2”, 225 lbs.
South Florida
Born: October 3, 1986
Sarasota, Florida
1st Year Argos / 1st Year CFL
Import
Acquired: Signed as a free agent with Toronto on August 31, 2010.

College: Played three seasons at University South Florida (2007-09)…2009 Played in 11 games…Carried 91 times for 450 yards, 6 TDs with three catches for 30 yards… Named MVP of South Florida’s International Bowl victory over Northern Illinois at Rogers Centre on January 2, 2010…Rushed for 207 yards and 1 TD in the game…2008 Played in 11 games with one start…Rushed 102 times for 407 yards, 5 TDs and caught two passes for 22 yards…2007 As a freshman he led all SFU backs with 138 carries for 645 yards, 12 TDs and two receptions for 12 yards with a TD…Named Big East Offensive Player of the Week for scoring 2 TDs versus Louisville…2006 Attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi but did not play football…2005 Attended Hargrave Military College for one season…Played on school’s postgraduate team.

Personal: Attended Sarasota H.S. in his hometown of Sarasota, Florida. As a high school senior in 2004 he led the state in rushing yards with 2,836, scored thirty-seven touchdowns and was named Class 5A Player of the Year.

­Ben Ishola #91
Defensive Lineman
6’2”, 248 lbs.
Indiana
Born: June 8, 1980
Berlin, Germany
2nd Year Argos/ 2nd Year CFL
Import
Acquired: Re-signed as a free agent with Toronto on August 31, 2010.

2010: Attended training camp with the Argonauts and was injured (arm) during camp.
2009: Signed as a free agent with Toronto on April 9… Week 1, On 46-man roster but did not dress in CFL regular season opener at Hamilton…Week 2, Added to practice roster for loss vs. Saskatchewan… Week 3-4, Remained on PR…Week 5, Started at DE in his first CFL game (01/08/09), replacing Claude Harriott (flu), and recorded 1 DT in loss vs. Winnipeg…Re-added to the club’s PR…Released by Toronto on August 22.
2008: Attended training camp with the Montreal Alouettes and released…Signed as a free agent to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad (NFL) on December 2…Released on December 3.

2007: Signed with the Indianapolis Colts (NFL) as a free agent on January 14…Playing rights were awarded to the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europa as part of the NFL International Development Practice Squad Program…Named NFL Europa’s Defensive Player of the Year after recording 22 tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble on the season.
2006: Signed with the Miami Dolphins (NFL) as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2006…Waived on September 2.

College: Played three seasons at Indiana (2003-05)…2005 Started all 11 games of his senior season, finishing the season with 27 total tackles, including 6.5 tackles for a loss…2004 Played in 10 contests for the Hoosiers…2003 Appeared in all 12 games, recording a pair of tackles and a quarterback sack.

Personal: A native of Berlin, Germany, Ishola only began playing competitive football at age 22. He started playing for the Berlin Adler American Football Club where he anchored a defence that recorded two shutouts, and helped lead the team to a 2002 appearance in the league semifinals before being recruited by Indiana University. As a child, he spent time living in Nigeria, the birthplace of his father. Ben spent this past off-season working as a personal trainer in downtown Toronto.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club welcomed home Toronto native LB Tristan Black today in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders. In exchange, the Argos sent Calgary the rights to a negotiation list player (DL Corey Mace).

Commented Argonauts’ Head Coach Jim Barker, ““Tristan is a guy we drafted high when I was in Calgary. He is coming off the 9-game injured list, is healthy and can contribute right away on our Special Teams. We had to give up the rights to a good player to get him but we feel confident that this is the right move for our organization. I look forward to seeing Tristan on our practice field with our team after the bye week.”

Commented Black, “I am very grateful for the opportunity to play for a team like the Argos and a coach like Jim Barker. I originally met Coach Barker at a college all-star game in Virginia and immediately took a liking to him as a person. This trade has put me in the best possible situation imaginable for a Canadian linebacker, not only because of the scheme but because of the fact that I will get to learn from two future hall of fame linebackers every day in Kevin Eiben and Mike O'Shea. I grew up watching the Argos and they were one of the main reasons I started playing football. It will also be fun to play with some of the guys I played against in minor football. This is a good team and I just want to bring the tools that I have to help make the team even better.”

Black was Calgary’s 2nd Round (16th overall) pick in the 2009 CFL Canadian Draft. He played in five games as a rookie and recorded eight defensive tackles and four special teams tackles. The Central Tech High School and Scarborough Thunder alumnus played three seasons at Wayne State where he was a team captain and named Second-Team All-Conference as a senior.

Tristan Black
Linebacker
6’3”, 243 lbs.
Wayne State
Born: April 4, 1984
Toronto, Ontario
1st Year Argos / 2nd Year CFL
Non-Import

Acquired: Acquired by Toronto in a trade with Calgary on August 21, 2010 in exchange for the rights to a negotiation list player (DL Corey Mace).

2010: Attended training camp with the Stampeders and added to team’s 9-game injured list.
2009: Invited to CFL Evaluation Camp in Toronto…Selected by Calgary in the 2nd Round (16th Overall) in the 2009 CFL Canadian Draft…Signed with Calgary on May 29…Attended training camp with the Stampeders and dressed in five games as a rookie before being sidelined by injury. ..Finished season with 8 DT and 4 ST tackles…Made his CFL debut in Week 1 vs. Montreal (01/07/09) and blocked a punt, made 4 DT and 1 ST tackle.

College: Played three seasons (2006-08) at Wayne State and one season at Saginaw Valley State (2005)…Career totals include 289 tackles (ninth on team’s all-time list) and 11 sacks…2008 Named a team captain as a senior…Recorded 101 total tackles and four sacks…Named Second-Team All-Conference squad…Received the team's ‘Ultimate Warrior’ award for outstanding work in the weight room.

Personal: A Toronto native, Black attended Central Tech High School and was a two-time Toronto Star All-City selection. Tristan played one season of CEGEP football at Montreal’s Vanier College (a prep school) before enrolling in college. His younger brother Everton is a linebacker for the University of Manitoba Bisons and played for the North Toronto Wildcats. Tristan spent summers playing with the Scarborough Thunder. Tristan was very involved in community football initiatives while with the Stampeders.

The Toronto Argonauts Football Club would like to congratulate WR/KR Chad Owens on being named a unanimous selection for CFL Offensive Player of the Week for his performance during CFL week 7. This is Owens’ first Offensive Player of the Week award and second CFL Player of the Week award of his career. This is the second week in a row where an Argos player has claimed Offensive Player of the Week honours after RB Cory Boyd earned it a week ago, marking the first time in club history the Argos have earned back-to-back Offensive Player of the Week accolades.

Owens, who was named CFL Special Teams Player of the Week after his stellar week 2 effort, put together a career game against the Alouettes on Saturday night. The ‘Fly’n Hawaiian’ recorded his first-career 100+ yard receiving game (6 catches for 163 yards) and first multi-touchdown game (2 receiving) while also returning kicks on special teams. In all, he finished with 291 all-purpose yards (the second-highest single game total of his career) and propelled his team to a first place tie with Montreal.

Owens is first in the CFL in combined yards with 1,197, second in the CFL with 318 punt return yards and second in the league with 470 kickoff return yards. He’s also tied for the team-lead with five (5) touchdowns on the season.

The CFL also announced today that SB/KR Ryan Christian was named Runner-Up CFL Special Teams Player of the Week. Christian ignited the Toronto crowd last Saturday night with a club record 110-yard kickoff return touchdown. The return was a new club record which eclipsed Terry Greer’s single-play team mark of 109-yards set on July 25, 1981 in Hamilton.

Chad Owens, Ryan Christian and their teammates are tied for first place in the East Division (5-2-0) and will bring their thrilling brand of football back to Rogers Centre this Friday, August 20 for Rivalry Night against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in what is shaping up to be a true classic.