Calgary Stampeders

The Calgary Stampeders are a football team. Calgary' s teams have been known by a variety of names since 1909 when the Alberta Rugby Football Union was formed. Team names have included Tigers, Canucks, Fiftieth Battalion, Altomahs, and Bronks. The Stampeders were formed in 1945, with prewar Regina star Dean Griffing as coach, and 3 years later the club won its first of 4 western championships to date. Coached by Les Lear, they defeated Ottawa in the 1948 GREY CUP game and the celebrations of their accompanying fans gave birth to the annual festival that has surrounded the game ever since. The team played in the national final again the following year but lost to the Montreal Alouettes and had to wait 19 years for their next Grey Cup appearance.

The team has made some significant contributions to the growth of football in Canada. The first completed forward pass in senior league play was thrown by Jerry Seiberling, a Calgary halfback, to outside wing (end) Ralph Losie, in a game against Edmonton. Calgary won that game 21 September 1929, by a score of 33-8. Perhaps the greatest contribution the Stampeders and Calgary fans have made to the growth of the game, particularly the Grey Cup, was in 1948. In that year, the team represented the west against the east's Ottawa Rough Riders in a game played at Toronto's Varsity Stadium. Followers turned the event into a national celebration. The Stampeders also won the first Grey Cup played on artificial turf, the 1971 game played at Vancouver's Empire Stadium when they defeated the Toronto Argonauts by a 14-11 score.

In 1960 the community-owned Stampeders moved into their present home, McMahon Stadium, and in 1968 and 1970 they returned to the Grey Cup, losing to Ottawa and Montréal, respectively, but capturing the championship a year later against the Toronto Argonauts. The team had limited success on the field in the 1980s and was saved in 1986 only by a special promotional drive. President and general manager Normie KWONG set about rebuilding the franchise, and in 1991 a new owner, Calgary businessman Larry Ryckman, purchased the team and finally retired the debt. That year, the Stamps finally made a return to the Grey Cup game after 20 years, losing to Toronto. The Stampeders dominated the 1992 season, winning their first Grey Cup championship since 1971.

The team celebrated their 4th Grey Cup victory in 1998, edging Hamilton 26-24. Following their 5th Grey Cup victory, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2001, the team faced a slump for several years and did not make the playoffs again until 2008. In 2005 a group of Calgary businessmen that included Ted Hellard, Doug Mitchell and John Forzani purchased the team in hopes of returning it to its former glory. Indeed, the team began to experience regular-season success once again. The team advanced to the Grey Cup in 2012, the 100th championship game, but were defeated by the Toronto Argonauts, 35-22.

The team plays its home games at McMahon Stadium, an outdoor stadium that seats 38 200. Its colours are red, white and black.

Author DEREK DRAGER Revised: FRANK COSENTINO

Links to Other Sites
Calgary Stampeders
Official website of the Calgary Stampeders football club.

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