Recapping Rourke's magical 2022 season with Lions
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The last time we saw quarterback Nathan Rourke in a BC Lions uniform, he was taking the Canadian Football League by storm.
Rourke, a native of Victoria, B.C., was quickly becoming the league’s most marketable player in only his second season in the CFL in 2022.
The 6-foot-2 pivot was the league leader in almost every quarterback category after the first nine games with 3,281 yards and 25 touchdowns with a 79.2 per cent completion percentage.
However, Rourke’s regular season took a turn in August after he sustained a foot injury that required surgery, limiting him to only 10 games.
Despite the injury, Rourke finished sixth in the CFL with 3,349 passing yards to go along with his 25 touchdowns on 255 completions. He also rushed for 304 yards with seven touchdowns.
Rourke’s 78.7 completion percentage broke the CFL regular-season record of 77.23 originally set by Toronto Argonauts pivot Ricky Ray in 2013.
His assault on the CFL record books included breaking the CFL record for the most passing yards in a single game by a Canadian with 436 passing yards, eclipsing Gerry Dattilio’s 427-yard mark set in 1981.
Rourke went on to break his own record two more times that season, finally settling at 488 yards in a 41-40 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
Needing a quarterback, the Lions acquired Vernon Adams Jr. from the Montreal Alouettes. He led the team to a 4-2 record to end the regular season, throwing for 1,504 yards with six touchdowns.
After finishing second in the West Division with a 16-6 record, Rourke was able to return for the Lions’ playoff run. He starred in the Western Conference semifinal by throwing for 321 yards with two touchdowns to beat the Stampeders 30-16.
The Lions then met their match in the Western Conference Final, falling to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in what ended up being the third of Winnipeg’s four straight conference championships. Rourke threw for 300 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the 28-20 loss.
Despite not being available for the full regular season, Rourke was a big winner on CFL Awards night by taking home the Most Outstanding Canadian Award, beating out Toronto Argonauts wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr.