Calgary Stampeders

This article is about Calgary's football team. For the ice hockey team that existed from 1938 until 1972, see Calgary Stampeders (ice hockey). For the WIHL ice hockey team that played the 1978–79 season, see Calgary Stampeders (WIHL ice hockey).
"Calgary Bronks" redirects here. For the ice hockey team, see Calgary Bronks (ice hockey).
Calgary Stampeders
Founded 1935
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Home field McMahon Stadium
Head coach Dave Dickenson
General manager John Hufnagel
Owner(s) Calgary Sports and Entertainment (majority) and Doug Mitchell
League Canadian Football League
Division West Division
Colours Red, white, and black
              
Nickname(s) Stamps, Horsemen
Mascot(s) Ralph the Dog
Grey Cup wins 7 (1948, 1971, 1992,
1998, 2001, 2008, 2014)
Website www.stampeders.com
Current uniform

The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta, competing in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-oldest active franchise in the CFL. The Stampeders were officially founded in 1935 as the Calgary Bronks, although there were clubs in Calgary as early as 1909. The team officially became known as the Stampeders in 1945.[1]

The Stampeders have won seven Grey Cups, most recently in 2014, from their appearances in 14 Grey Cup Championship games. They have won 19 Western Division Championships and one Northern Division Championship in the franchise's history. The team has a provincial rivalry with the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as fierce divisional rivalries with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the BC Lions.

Team facts

Calgary Stampeders Wordmark Red
Founded: 1935
Formerly known as: Bronks 1935 to 1944
Helmet design: red background with a white, running horse. This design has been in place, with slight variations, since the 1967 season.
Uniform colours: Red, white and black.
Nicknames: Stamps, Horsemen
Mascot: Ralph The Dog
Fight Song: Ye Men of Calgary
Stadiums: Mewata Park Stadium (1939–1959), McMahon Stadium (1960–present)
Main Rivals: Edmonton Eskimos (see Battle of Alberta), Saskatchewan Roughriders, BC Lions
Western Division 1st Place: 19—1937, 1938, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014
Northern Division 1st Place: 1—1995
Western Division Champions: 14—1948, 1949, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1991, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014.
Northern Division Champions: 1—1995
Grey Cup Championships: 7—1948, 1971, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2008,2014
2015 Regular Season Record: 14 wins, 4 losses

Franchise history

The first time Calgary took the field in Canadian football was in 1891 when they faced Edmonton in a home and away series. The following years saw the formation of several Calgary-based football teams starting with the Calgary Tigers of the Alberta Rugby Football Union in 1908. This was followed by the likes of Canucks, the 50th Battalion, the Tigers for a second time, and the Altomahs.

The modern era of Calgary football began in 1935 with the formation of the Calgary Bronks of the ARFU. They set up shop at Mewata Stadium, and came up one game short of representing the West in the Grey Cup final. A year later, they became a charter member of the Western Interprovincial Football Union, forerunner of the current CFL West Division. They finished first in the 1938 regular season, but were defeated by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a two-game series for the berth in the Grey Cup. The Bronks suspended operations for the 1941 season, and would not return for the duration of World War II.

Senior football returned to Calgary on September 29, 1945 with the formation of the Calgary Stampeders. They claim the Bronks' records and history as their own. In their very first game played on October 22 at Mewata Stadium they beat the Regina Roughriders 12–0 before 4,000 fans in attendance. It was a taste of success to come that decade under the direction of head coach Les Lear and talented stars such as Woody Strode, Paul Rowe, Keith Spaith, Dave Berry, Normie Kwong and Ezzert "Sugarfoot" Anderson.

The year 1948 was perhaps the greatest season in Stamps history, becoming the only professional Canadian football team ever to achieve a perfect season with a record of 12–0 and capping the year with a Grey Cup victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders at Toronto's Varsity Stadium. It was also during that same Grey Cup festival that Calgary fans brought pageantry to the game and made it into a national celebration, featuring pancake breakfasts on the steps of City Hall, starting the Grey Cup parade and even riding horses in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel.

They returned to the Grey Cup the following year (1949), with a 13–1 record but lost to the Montreal Alouettes 28–15 in the title game. It was 19 years until Calgary once again reached the Grey Cup, losing 24–21 to Ottawa in the 1968 final and not until 1971 when they were crowned champions, defeating the Toronto Argonauts 14–11.

The Stampeders nearly folded after the 1985 season due to years of declining attendance, financial woes and a poor 3–13 record. However, a successful Save Our Stamps campaign resulted in season ticket sales of 22,400, additional funds and stability that translated to improved on-field play which laid the groundwork for Grey Cup berths in 1991 and 1992 when they won the title over Winnipeg.

The decade of the 1990s was very successful for the Stampeders, led by quarterbacks Doug Flutie and later Jeff Garcia and Dave Dickenson throwing to receivers Allen Pitts, Terry Vaughn and Dave Sapunjis, and a rock steady defence led by Western All Stars Alondra Johnson, Stu Laird and Will Johnson. They reached the Grey Cup final three more times, losing in 1995 and 1999 and winning in 1998.

After winning their fifth Grey Cup championship in 2001, Calgary went into a brief period of decline until 2005 when they emerged as playoff contenders again, led by Henry Burris at quarterback and Joffrey Reynolds at running back. Nevertheless, they did not win a playoff game for several years, suffering three successive losses in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Western semi-final games.

In 2008, the Stampeders ended their playoff drought en route to winning the team's sixth Grey Cup 22–14 against the Montreal Alouettes. Burris was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player with DeAngelis being the top Canadian for their efforts. John Hufnagel has been interviewed by several NFL and College football teams, but is still the teams's head coach and general manager to this day.

Between 2009 and 2014, the Stampeders have reached the Western Final every year except 2011, when the team lost the semi-final game to the Eskimos in Edmonton, 33–19. They were able to reach the Grey Cup game the following year only to come up short against the Argonauts, falling by a score of 35–22. Following another heartbreaking defeat in the Western Final in 2013, the Stampeders were once again able to reach the Grey Cup the following year. This time, they came out on top with the franchise's seventh championship, defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20–16.

Grey Cup championships

Year Winning team Score Losing team Title Location
1948 Calgary Stampeders 12–7 Ottawa Rough Riders 36th Grey Cup Varsity Stadium, Toronto
1971 Calgary Stampeders 14–11 Toronto Argonauts 59th Grey Cup Empire Stadium, Vancouver
1992 Calgary Stampeders 24–10 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 80th Grey Cup SkyDome, Toronto
1998 Calgary Stampeders 26–24 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 86th Grey Cup Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
2001 Calgary Stampeders 27–19 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 89th Grey Cup Olympic Stadium, Montreal
2008 Calgary Stampeders 22–14 Montreal Alouettes 96th Grey Cup Olympic Stadium, Montreal
2014 Calgary Stampeders 20–16 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 102nd Grey Cup BC Place, Vancouver

Builders of note

Builders honoured as of 2012

Players of note

Head coaches

General managers

The Presidents' Ring

The Presidents' Ring was established in 1967 by Calgary Stampeders Football Club team president George McMahon and general manager Rogers Lehew. Formerly presented to the team's most valuable player,[2] it is currently awarded to the player who best demonstrates leadership ability.[3] As of 2012, 29 players have won the award, including three-time winners Henry Burris, Danny Barrett and Stu Laird.[4]

Wall of Fame

The Stampeders Wall of Fame recognizes the greatest players and most important off-field contributors in Stampeders history; it was Instituted in 1985.

Current coaching staff

Calgary Stampeders Staff
Front Office
  • President and COO – Lyle Bauer
  • General Manager – John Hufnagel
  • Assistant General Manager of Player Personnel – John Murphy
  • Assistant General Manager of Football Operations – Michael Petrie

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

  • Offensive Coordinator – Dave Dickenson
  • Running Backs – Marc Mueller
  • Receivers – Pete Costanza
  • Offensive Line – Pat DelMonaco
 

Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches

  • Special Teams Coordinator – Mark Kilam

Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Brent Monson


Coaching Staff
More CFL staffs

Current roster

Calgary Stampeders roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Receivers

Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

Injured List

6-Game Injured List

Practice Roster

Suspended

Disabled

Territorial Exemption


Italics indicate International player
Roster updated 2015-08-10
Depth ChartTransactions
46 Active, 4 Injured, 13 Six-Game Injured,
7 Practice

More rosters

See also

References

  1. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2011-04-29. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  2. Maki, Alan (1982-11-17). "Stamps zero in on Reeves". Calgary Herald. p. D2. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  3. Busby, Ian (2010-06-29). "Familiar faces among Stamps' captains". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  4. "Raymond wins second President's Ring". Calgary Stampeders Football Club. 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-10-15.

Jim Finks as 1960 interim coach: Toronto Globe and Mail, Saturday 20 August 1960, p. 21, "Calgary Coach Resigns".

External links

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