'EARTHQUAKE' HELPS CALGARY STAMPEDE TO CFL's BIG JEWEL

Although he had another big season, Kelvin Anderson missed out on winning the Canadian Football League's Outstanding Player Award last week.

But Southeast Missouri State University's all-time leading rusher more than made up for that Sunday, when he helped lead the Calgary Stampeders past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 86th Grey Cup, the CFL's championship game.

Mark McLoughlin's 35-yard field goal as time ran out gave the Stampeders a pulsating 26-24 victory in front of more than 30,000 fans in Winnipeg.

Anderson was one of the game's individual stars, rushing for 105 yards on 18 carries and catching three passes for 27 yards.

The New Madrid County Central High School product was a finalist for the CFL's Outstanding Player Award this year after rushing for 1,088 yards, but the honor went to Mike Pringle, who gained more than 2,000 yards.

Anderson, asked after the Grey Cup game about not winning the award, didn't seem to mind one bit. He told the Calgary Sun, "I told you this is what I wanted. Now I've got jewelry, big jewelry, and I love it."

Anderson, who completed his eligibility at Southeast in 1994, has certainly been quite a star ever since he burst on to the CFL scene in 1996.

This year marked the third season in a row for Anderson to rush for more than 1,000 yards as he became only the second running back in the history of the Stampeders franchise to accomplish that feat. He was the CFL's Rookie of the Year in 1996.

At Southeast, Anderson rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons from 1992-94, finishing with a school-record 3,392 yards. His single-season best of 1,371 yards is also a school mark.

Anderson originally signed as a free agent with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks in 1995 before being released late in training camp. He hooked up with the Stampeders in 1996 and has been on a roll ever since.

Anderson's contract expires this year and he said earlier in the season that he was going to explore the possibility of getting another shot in the NFL.

And after the kind of numbers he's put up in Canada the last three seasons, he figures to draw considerable interest from the NFL.