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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Team logo
Founded 1910
Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Home field Mosaic Stadium
Mascot Gainer the Gopher
League Canadian Football League
Division West
Colours Green, white[1][2]

Nicknames Riders, Green and White

Personnel
Head coach Corey Mace
General manager Jeremy O'Day
Owner The Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club Inc.
Championships
Grey Cup wins 5 (1966, 1989, 2007, 2013, 2025)
Division titles 9 (1951, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1976,
2009, 2019, 2025)
Website [Link]
Current uniform

Current sports event Current season

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian
football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The
Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL)
as a member club of the league's West Division. The
Roughriders were founded in 1910 as the Regina Rugby Club.
Although Saskatchewan was not the first team to play
football in Western Canada, the club has maintained an
unbroken organizational continuity since their founding. The
Roughriders are the fourth-oldest professional gridiron
football team in existence today (only the Arizona Cardinals,
Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts are older). The
Roughriders are both the oldest professional sports team still
in existence that continuously has been based in Western
Canada and the oldest in North America to continuously have
been based west of St. Louis, Missouri. The team changed
their name to the Regina Roughriders in 1924, and to the
current moniker in 1946. The Roughriders played their home
games at historic Taylor Field from 1936 to 2016; in 2017, the
team moved to the newly constructed Mosaic Stadium at
Evraz Place.

The team draws fans from across Saskatchewan and Canada

who are affectionately known as the Rider Nation.[3] The
Roughriders play in the smallest market in the CFL, and the
second-smallest major-league market in North America (only
Green Bay, Wisconsin is smaller). They have finished first in
what is now the West Division nine times and have won the
Western championship a record 29 times. They have played
for the Grey Cup 20 times, winning five (1966, 1989, 2007,
2013, 2025).
The team has had 20 players inducted into the Canadian
Football Hall of Fame. The Riders' biggest rival is the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers; games between the two are often
sold out before the beginning of the season.[4] The
Roughriders Football Club and the city of Regina have hosted
the Grey Cup four times (1995, 2003, 2013,[5] 2022), and will
host a fifth in 2027.[6]

Team facts

Team wordmark
Formerly known as: Regina Rugby Club 1910–1923, Regina
Roughriders 1924–1947[7]
Past uniform colours: Old gold and purple (1910), blue and
white (1911), red and black (1912–1947)
Fight Song: "Green Is The Colour", "On Roughriders" and
"Rider Pride"
Main rivals: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (see Labour Day Classic
and Banjo Bowl), Edmonton Elks, Calgary Stampeders.
Western Division 1st Place: 9—1951, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970,
1976, 2009, 2019, 2025
Western Division Championships: 29—1912, 1913, 1914,
1915, 1919, 1920, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931,
1932, 1934, 1936, 1951, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1989,
1997, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2025
Grey Cup Championships: 5—1966, 1989, 2007, 2013, 2025
Community ownership
Ownership
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club Inc. was
established in 1910 and incorporated in 1940.[8] The
organization is registered under the Non-Profit Corporations
Act of Saskatchewan.[8] The Roughriders are one of two CFL
teams with non-profit ownership, the other one being the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers,[9] and are among a select group in
North American sports. Prior to 2004, the club operated as a
corporation without share capital (no person or entity
"owned" the team or any portion of it), an ownership
structure the Blue Bombers have used continuously.

Membership shares
Since 2004, the Roughriders have offered two classes of
permanent Membership Interests (referred to as "Membership
Shares") similar to the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Class A
shares have voting rights and Class B shares have no voting
rights. As of March 2019, the Roughriders had issued 11,639
Class A shares and 435 Class B shares, though the total
number of individual owners is not publicly disclosed.[8]

It is not possible to resell these shares, no dividend payment

is possible and no person may hold more than 20 voting
(Class A) shares, though they may hold an unlimited number
of non-voting shares. The initial public offering of Rider
Shares (Series I) commenced in 2004 at an offering price of
$250 per share[10] In 2006 the Ottawa Sun reported that the
Roughriders had sold around 3,000 at $250 each.[11] The
Series 1 offering closed in 2008 after all 6,000 shares were
sold. A second public offering, Series II, was launched in 2010
in honour of the team's 100th anniversary.[12] As of 2016,
the Roughriders had released and subsequently sold out
1,989 shares of Series III at $250 each. this Series
"commemorates the 1989 Grey Cup championship victory"
and "features the likenesses of Kent Austin, Bobby Jurasin
and Don Narcisse with an illustration of the championship
winning kick in the background."[13] Series IV shares began
sale in 2017, with the price remaining consistent at $250.[14]

When shares are purchased, the funds are placed in the

team's Stabilization Fund.[8]

Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation

The Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation was created in
2019.[15] It raises and distributes funds, focusing on
community pillars of education, health, and amateur
football.[15] The Foundation aims to teach youth skills such
as leadership, resilience, and responsibility.[15]
History
Club origins, Regina Rugby Club (1910–1923)

1910 Regina Rugby Club

The team was founded as the Regina Rugby Club on Tuesday,
September 13, 1910, adopting the colours of old gold and
purple.[16] The team was also a founding member of the
Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union as it was organized on
September 22 of that year. Regina played their first game
against the Moose Jaw Tigers on October 1, 1910, at the
Moose Jaw Baseball Grounds where they were defeated 16–6.
After going winless in their inaugural season, Regina quickly
became the strongest team in the province. For the 1911
season, the team changed their colours to blue and white to
match the Regina Amateur Athletic Association.

Regina went 3-1 in their second season and captured their

first SRFU championship by winning a one game tiebreaker
playoff against Moose Jaw. Meanwhile, the Western Canada
Rugby Football Union had been formed within the three
prairie provinces with the intent of creating a playoff format
to determine a Western champion.[17] Much to the
displeasure of the SRFU, the Albertan and Manitoban unions
had agreed to a format (ostensibly to minimize travel) in
which the MRFU champion would host the Western semi-final
and the ARFU champion would host the Western final. Regina
balked at the prospect of playing up to two road games, and
refused to participate in the inaugural WCRFU playoffs.

The Regina Rugby Club changed their colours again in 1912

to red and black. Meanwhile, the WCRFU agreed to change the
playoff format so that the SRFU champion was given a bye to
the Western final in exchange for the Saskatchewan champion
agreeing to play the championship game on the road. Regina
began an era of western football dominance.[16] From 1912
through 1920, Regina not only won six consecutive WCRFU
titles, but went undefeated in competitive play during that
span. Due to World War I, no Western playoffs were held in
1916 and in 1917 and 1918 league play was halted altogether.

In 1921, the Western champion was invited to compete for

the Grey Cup national championship for the first time. Regina
again went undefeated in the regular season, but were
required to play the Saskatoon Quakers for the provincial
championship as travel difficulties had prevented Saskatoon
from playing the other southern teams. Regina defeated
Saskatoon, but the result was overturned after a successful
protest concerning an early touchdown which had provided
the decisive points. The Quakers won the rematch to mark
the only time other than their inaugural season that the
Regina Rugby Club did not win the SRFU championship while
it was their primary competition. Ultimately, the Edmonton
Eskimos travelled east to play in the 9th Grey Cup.[18]

The team's rise to early prominence came even as it led a

somewhat nomadic existence. It originally played at
Dominion Park, but after the war was forced to move to the
city exhibition grounds after the city sold Dominion Park. In
1921, it moved to Park Hughes on 10th Avenue in the North
Central section of Regina, a rugby and soccer field built in
1910. It was the first season at an address that remained
associated with the club for parts of the next nine
decades.[19][20]

In 1923, Regina returned to power as they won their eighth

western championship over the Winnipeg Victorias and
earned the right to compete in the national playoffs. The club
was given a bye and advanced straight to the Grey Cup finals
for the first time, but were severely outmatched, losing 54–0
to Queen's University at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.[18] This
was, and still is, the most lopsided defeat in Grey Cup history
as the defending champion Queen's won their third straight
national championship at the expense of the Regina Rugby
Club.[21]
Regina Roughriders (1924–1945)
Following their first Grey Cup loss, the club changed their
name to the Regina Roughriders in 1924 while retaining the
colours of red and black.[18] Ottawa also had a team called
the Ottawa Rough Riders, but the spelling was different and
the two clubs played in different leagues then (incidentally,
however, both clubs shared the same colours of red and black
then). The origin of the name has multiple theories, the most
credible of which describes how the North-West Mounted
Police were called Roughriders because they broke the wild
horse broncos that were used by the force and the moniker
was adopted from them.[22] Giving credence to this theory is
that during this time, the team occasionally played at the
RNWMP/RCMP barracks when the then-rudimentary facilities
at Park Hughes were rendered unsuitable for play by
inclement weather. For a long time, the playing surface at
Park Hughes was little more than dirt, and heavy rain often
turned the field to a muddy bog.

An alternative, discredited story states that the name was

adopted from Theodore Roosevelt's cavalry contingent that
was known as the Rough Riders, who fought in the
Spanish–American War. It was believed that there were
Canadian troops in the contingent who returned to Canada
following the war. However, this story is more often
associated with the Ottawa club. While it has been suggested
that some of the troops may have eventually moved out
west,[17] the Roughriders did not adopt their name until
1924, by which time the Spanish–American War was
(especially in Canada) barely a historical footnote compared
to the then-much more recent (and much more climactic)
First World War. Following World War I, any attempt to
deliberately name a Canadian sports team in honour of a unit
that participated in an earlier American war would have been
extremely unpopular.

During the first two years after their name change, the
Roughriders failed to reclaim their western championship
title, losing both times to clubs from Winnipeg.[23][24] The
1926 season marked the beginning of their next reign of
dominance as the club matched their own WCRFU record with
seven consecutive western championships from 1926 to
1932. With dominant players such as Canadian Football Hall
of Famer Eddie James, the Roughriders were a perennial
contender from the West, reaching the Grey Cup finals five
consecutive years from 1928 to 1932, the second-longest
streak in the championship's history (the team did not
challenge for the Cup in 1926 or 1927).[25][26] Unfortunately,
Regina remained winless in the national championship, being
outscored 102–15 in those five Grey Cup games. The
Roughriders won their last WCRFU title in 1934, representing
the west for the seventh time in the 22nd Grey Cup, but lost
to the Sarnia Imperials in that club's first Grey Cup win.[27]

In 1928, Park Hughes was combined with Park de Young, a

neighbouring baseball field, to create a much larger football
venue. However, from 1929 to 1935, the Roughriders played
most of their games at the larger exhibition grounds.

Western Interprovincial Football Union (1936–1958)

In 1936, Regina joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and
Calgary Bronks as the founding franchises of the Western
Interprovincial Football Union, the highest level of Canadian
football play in Western Canada. Also in 1936, the first
permanent grandstand was built at Park Hughes and Park de
Young. The Riders moved to the facility full-time that season.
The stadium, renamed Taylor Field in 1946, was the Riders'
home for over eight decades. The Roughriders became the
first WIFU champions after they defeated the Blue Bombers
and Bronks in the West Semi-Finals and West Finals
respectively. However, due to a rules dispute with the
Canadian Rugby Union over use of their five import players
from the United States, Regina was barred from competing
for the 24th Grey Cup.[28] Winnipeg had won the Grey Cup
championship one year earlier with seven imports and the
move to prevent Regina from competing was seen as a
reaction to the previous year's western win. While the
Roughriders had planned on travelling east without the five
ineligible players, the CRU remained steadfast in their
decision to disallow the team from competition.[28][29]

The next decade in the WIFU was not as successful as the first
as the team did not win another Western Final as the Regina
Roughriders, nor ever finish in first place in that time span.
After qualifying for the playoffs in three of their next five
seasons, play from 1942 to 1944 was interrupted by World
War II. While there was no regular season in 1945, the
Roughriders did play the newly named Calgary Stampeders in
the West Semi-Finals, but lost the series two games to
none.[30]

With the folding of both clubs in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon,

the Regina Roughriders became a provincially
community-owned club (and has remained so since), and,
consequently, changed their name to the Saskatchewan
Roughriders in 1946.[30] It is the first recorded instance of a
major-league team in North America branding itself as a
statewide or provincewide team. Prior to the 1948 season, the
Roughriders were in need of new uniforms as their red and
black ones had become old and worn out. While visiting a
surplus store in Chicago, executive member Jack Fyfe found a
set of green and white uniforms and purchased them for the
Roughriders. Green and white have remained as the team's
primary colours to this day (although the team has also worn
silver and black as accent colours since then at times).[17]
The name change was made official on April 1, 1950.[31][32]

After three years of first-round playoff exits, the Roughriders

finally returned to prominence in 1951, winning their first
WIFU regular season championship with an 8–6 record.
Saskatchewan, led by quarterback Glenn Dobbs, defeated the
Edmonton Eskimos in the West Final and advanced to the
Grey Cup for the first time since 1934. In this game, they
faced the Ottawa Rough Riders for the first time, marking the
first Roughriders versus Rough Riders championship game in
Canadian football history. Unfortunately, Saskatchewan still
did not win their first championship, as they were defeated
by Ottawa 21–14 in the 39th Grey Cup.[33]

Saskatchewan contended on and off in the 1950s, with four

consecutive winning seasons and second-place regular season
finishes from 1953 to 1956. Teams from this era featured
standouts such as Frank Tripucka, Reggie Whitehouse, Ken
Carpenter, Mike Cassidy, player-coach Frank Filchock and
Cookie Gilchrist who was the first Roughrider player to rush
for 1,000 yards in 1958. Even with that talent, they could not
return to the Grey Cup as clubs fielded by either the
Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers ended their
season in each of these years. Their strongest season was in
1956 when the Roughriders achieved a 10–6 record and won
their first playoff series since 1951, only to lose to the
Eskimos in the Western Finals.

Following their 1956 campaign, tragedy struck the

Roughriders franchise when four members of the team were
killed in a plane crash on December 9, 1956, while returning
from the Canadian Football Council (CFC) All Star Game in
Vancouver. Gordon Sturtridge, Mel Becket, Ray Syrnyk, and
Mario DeMarco were killed when Flight 810 crashed into
Slesse Mountain near Chilliwack, British Columbia. The team
retired the numbers of the four players shortly after the
tragedy.[34] The following season, the Roughriders finished
with seven fewer wins and a last place finish in the WIFU.

Ken Preston Era (1958–1978)

1958 brought not only change, as the Saskatchewan
Roughriders became charter members of the newly formed
Canadian Football League in 1958, but also stability with Ken
Preston becoming the General Manager—a position he held
for the next 20 years, arguably the most successful tenure in
Roughrider history as the team only missed the playoffs five
times, went to five Grey Cup final games, winning one in
1966. In the Roughriders' first season in the newly formed
Canadian Football League, the team finished with a
respectable 7–7–2 record and a third-place finish.[32]
However, the following season proved to be the worst in
franchise history, as the team finished with just one win and
15 losses under head coach Frank Tripucka, the third-worst
winning percentage in CFL history.[35] The following years
featured similar results, with various head coaches, as the
Roughriders missed the playoffs for three consecutive
seasons, their worst such streak since joining the WIFU in
1936.

Ronnie and George show (1963–1975)

Following a 1962 season that saw the Roughriders return to
the playoffs, the team made roster moves that defined a
generation of football in Saskatchewan. In the off-season, the
Roughriders signed fullback George Reed from Washington
State to replace Fred Burket, who had been traded to the
Alouettes.[36] Then, prior to their season opening game of
the 1963 season, general manager Ken Preston acquired
Ottawa Rough Riders quarterback and defensive back Ron
Lancaster on July 30 on a straight cash basis following three
years with the Eastern Riders.[37][38] The duo contributed to
a productive season for Saskatchewan as they finished with a
7–7–2 record and won a playoff series for the first time since
1956 before losing their first playoff match-up with the BC
Lions. The Roughriders continued to make progress in the
next two seasons, posting back-to-back winning records, but
lost in the West Semi-Finals in both years.

Eagle Keys Era (1965–1970)

1966 Grey Cup champions
In 1965 after one year as the offensive coordinator, Eagle
Keys became the head coach of the Roughriders and guided
them to an 8–7–1 record and an appearance in the western
semi final which they lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 15–
9. Fullback George Reed finished the season with over 1,700
yards rushing. Before the 1966 season began, the team added
the final pieces to the roster by signing defensive tackle Ed
McQuarters who was a recent cut by the St. Louis Cardinals,
safety and backup quarterback Bruce Bennett, defensive end
Don Gerhardt and running back Paul Dudley from the
Stampeders. During the 1966 season the Roughriders finally
captured the Western Conference regular season title with a
9–6–1 record. This was the first time they had accomplished
that feat since 1951. Ron Lancaster won the Jeff Nicklin
Memorial Trophy as the Western Conference's most
outstanding player while George Reed, receiver Hugh
Campbell and four other Riders were named league all-stars,
the most from any team that year. Saskatchewan swept
Winnipeg in the West Finals, winning two games to no losses,
and qualified for the ninth Grey Cup final in franchise
history. In the 54th Grey Cup, Saskatchewan once again faced
the Ottawa Rough Riders in a rematch of the 1951
championship game. After the score was tied 14–14 at
halftime, Saskatchewan scored 15 fourth-quarter points to
win the franchise's first Grey Cup championship 29–14 on
November 26, 1966.[39][40] Saskatchewan was the last of the
original nine CFL franchises to win the Grey Cup, doing so in
Vancouver at Empire Stadium. George Reed was the MVP with
31 rushes for 133 yards and one rushing touchdown.

The Roughriders began the 1967 season as defending

champions for the first time in franchise history. They
finished in second place in the West with a franchise-best 12–
4 record and advanced to Grey Cup final once again, but lost
to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24–1.[41] The 1968 season saw the
Roughriders finish with the best record in the league at 12–3–
1, although they placed 1st in the west division they lost the
western final series to the Calgary Stampeders 2–0 by a
combined score of 57–12. Besides the 1st-place finish another
highlight of the season was coach Eagles Keys winning the
Annis Stukus Trophy awarded to the coach of the year. The
Roughriders finished in first place in 1969 and defeated the
Stampeders to qualify for another Grey Cup. In the Grey Cup
against the Ottawa Rough Riders, Saskatchewan fell 29–11 in
their third Grey Cup game in four years. The Roughriders won
a franchise-best 14 games in 1970, a record that stands to
this day, but were upset in the West Finals by the Stampeders.
Eagle Keys resigned during the following off-season, ending
his career as the all-time leader in wins by a Saskatchewan
Roughrider head coach with 68 wins and four first-place
finishes.[42]

John Payne era (1973–1976)

George Reed is the club's all-time leading rusher.

Dave Skrien was hired as the next head coach of the
Roughriders and led them as they continued their winning
ways, namely with an appearance in the 1972 Grey Cup,
which yielded another Saskatchewan loss to Hamilton.[43] For
the 1973 season the Roughriders hired head coach John
Payne. The Riders then had three consecutive second-place
finishes and West Final losses to the Edmonton Eskimos,
ending when George Reed retired after the 1975 season as
the all-time leading rusher in all of professional football with
16,116 rushing yards. In 1976, the Roughriders recaptured
first place in the Western Conference and defeated the
Eskimos in the West Final, advancing to the Grey Cup to once
again play the Ottawa Rough Riders. The Roughriders allowed
a last-minute touchdown catch by Ottawa tight end Tony
Gabriel to lose their fourth Grey Cup in ten years, ending one
of the most bittersweet eras in Roughrider history.[44]
Saskatchewan had qualified for the playoffs for 15
consecutive seasons, tied for fourth-best in CFL history, and
played in 11 consecutive Division Finals, which is a CFL
record. While they also posted the best regular season record
in all of professional football over that time period, the team
only won one championship during that time.[45]

Post-Ron Lancaster era (1979–1986)

After their loss in the 1976 Grey Cup game to the Ottawa
Rough Riders, coach John Payne left the team to become head
coach of the Detroit Lions and Saskatchewan fell into a
drought that was unheard of in the CFL. They posted an 8–8
record in 1977, but finished in fourth place. It was the start of
an 11-year playoff drought, the longest in CFL history. The
Roughriders had several talented players during this era,
including Joey Walters at receiver, Vince Goldsmith at
defensive end, offensive lineman Roger Aldag from Gull Lake
and Dave Ridgway, who became one of the greatest kickers in
CFL history. However, in an era where the West was
dominated by Edmonton, Winnipeg and (by the early 1980s)
the B.C. Lions, the Roughriders often found themselves in a
losing battle for the third and final playoff spot in the West.

Franchise quarterback Ron Lancaster retired after the 1978

season as the CFL's all time passing leader in passing yards,
completions and touchdown passes.[46] Furthermore, he is
the only Roughrider to win the CFL's Most Outstanding Player
Award twice while playing with Saskatchewan. Playing
without Lancaster behind centre for the first time in 16
seasons proved difficult as the team posted back-to-back 2–
14 seasons in 1979 and 1980. Ironically, the head coach of
those squads was none other than Lancaster himself. The
Riders' only winning record during this time came in 1981
when they finished with a 9–7 record under Joe Faragalli, but
it was only good enough for fourth place in a competitive
West Division – the "crossover rule" had not yet been
implemented – therefore, as in 1977, the Riders were denied a
playoff spot despite the third place Eastern team having a
worse record (the Montreal Alouettes finished 3–13). During
the following six seasons, the Roughriders never earned more
than six wins in a season, leaving them soundly out of the
playoff picture. In 1985, the Roughriders introduced a new
logo as part of the 75th anniversary of the inception of the
team, adding black and silver to the team's colour
scheme.[17]

Kent Austin era (1987–1993)

Before the 1987 season started, after almost a decade out of
the playoffs and poor attendance saddling the team, the
Roughriders felt it was necessary to conduct a telethon to
keep the team afloat; Roughriders management privately
knew the Montreal Alouettes were almost certainly going to
fold before the season got underway (Montreal would not
return for nearly a decade), and the Riders were determined
not to let the same fate befall them. The province-wide "Save
the Roughriders" telethon was a success in that the team sold
enough tickets to keep the team in operation.[47] Also in
1986, team executive Tom Shepherd founded the group
"Friends of the Riders" to run an annual Touchdown Lottery
to further bolster the club's finances. Originally conceived as
a one-time fundraiser, it raised almost $22.6 million during
its run and operated for 33 years. By the time the lottery was
discontinued with Shepherd's retirement in 2019, the club's
financial situation had long been stabilized.

After a carousel of head coaches since John Payne's departure

in 1977, the Roughriders hired John Gregory after the 1986
season. Gregory took over a team that had missed the
playoffs for ten consecutive seasons. In Gregory's first season
as Saskatchewan's head coach, the Roughriders finished 5–12.
Gregory then led the Riders to an 11–7 record in 1988 and a
playoff berth. He won the Annis Stukus Trophy as the
league's coach of the year. The 2nd-place finish in 1988
finally ended the franchise's 11-year playoff drought, the
longest in CFL history. However, the Roughriders had to settle
for second place because the Eskimos who had an identical
record swept them in the regular season. On November 13,
1988, the Roughriders hosted a playoff game for the first
time since 1976, but lost to the BC Lions in the Western
Semi-Final by a score of 42–18. Nonetheless, it was a step in
the right direction as the Roughriders learned how to win and
gained valuable playoff experience that they would need for
next season.

1989 Grey Cup champions

The Roughriders finished with a 9–9 record and a third-place
finish in the 1989 season, but still qualified for the playoffs
for a second consecutive season. They defeated the Calgary
Stampeders 33–26 in the West Semi-Finals in part because of
delay run play to Brian Walling who ran 50 yards for a
touchdown to make it 30–26 with 1:38 left to play. Walling
had just been picked up by the Roughriders just weeks
previously from the Edmonton Eskimos practice roster. In the
West Final, Saskatchewan faced the powerhouse Edmonton
Eskimos, a team that set (and still holds) a CFL record with 16
regular season wins in one season since the institution of the
18-game CFL schedule in 1986. The Roughriders defeated the
heavily favoured Eskimos 32–21 to advance to the Grey Cup
where they faced the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the third time
in franchise history. With a talented roster that included Kent
Austin at quarterback, receivers Ray Elgaard, Donald Narcisse,
Jeff Fairholm and James "Duke" Ellingson, and an outstanding
offensive line featuring Roger Aldag, Vic Stevenson, Dan
Payne and Bob Poley, the Roughriders found themselves in a
game that featured extensive offensive prowess. With the
score tied 40–40, placekicker Dave Ridgway kicked a 35-yard
game-winning field goal to win the 77th Grey Cup for the
Roughriders, with a play that has become simply known as
"The Kick."[48] It was the second championship for the
franchise, following a 23-year drought and is considered the
greatest Grey Cup game ever played.[49] Saskatchewan
qualified for the playoffs in four of the next five seasons,
including two seasons with winning records, but lost in the
West Semi-Final each time to either of the two Alberta teams,
the Calgary Stampeders or Edmonton Eskimos.

Struggles and challenges (1994–1999)

In 1995, Regina hosted the Grey Cup for the first time in
league history, giving the Roughriders an opportunity to
compete for the championship at home. Unfortunately, the
Roughriders finished in sixth place in the newly named North
Division, as part of the CFL's American expansion, and did
not qualify for the playoffs.[50]

With most CFL teams losing money after the ill-fated

American expansion ended after the 1995 season, the
Roughriders conducted another "Save the Roughriders"
telethon in 1997 to help the team's financial health, they
remain one of only two professional sports teams to organize
a telethon due to a precarious financial situation. As was the
case, the telethon along with the then-ongoing Touchdown
Lottery helped to keep the franchise afloat again,[51][52]
although the 1997 telethon ended with intrigue after
Roughriders management announced that a $500,000
"donation" from a mysterious benefactor had helped to put
the team's fundraising effort over the top. It was only after
weeks of speculation that the club was able to confirm that
the funds were in fact the Roughriders' share of a US$3
million interest-free loan from none other than the National
Football League. Roughriders management subsequently
explained that loan, equal to roughly C$4 million or $500,000
for each of the then-eight CFL teams at contemporary
exchange rates, had been agreed between the leagues in
principle but not finalized in time for the telethon, and thus
had to remain confidential until formally announced by the
respective commissioners.

The Roughriders qualified again for the playoffs that same

year for the first time since 1994, when they did so with a
losing record, which was a first for the team since 1948. The
team made the most of their opportunity as they defeated
both of the Alberta-based teams, the Stampeders and Eskimos
in the West Semi-Final and West Final, respectively, to
advance to the 85th Grey Cup. Unfortunately, the upstart
Roughriders fell to the Doug Flutie-led Toronto Argonauts
47–23 in the first ever Grey Cup match-up between the two
oldest franchises in the league.[17][53] The Roughriders
closed out the 20th century with two more losing seasons,
failing to qualify for the playoffs in both 1998 and 1999.

Roy Shivers and Danny Barrett era (1999–2006)

Following the 1999 season, Roy Shivers, the former Director
of Player Personnel for the Calgary Stampeders, assumed the
duties of general manager of the Roughriders.[54][55] Shivers
then hired Danny Barrett as the team's head coach despite
the latter's limited coaching experience. The Roughriders
made football history by being the first professional team
with both a black general manager and head coach.

In what was described as a rebuilding process, the

Roughriders began the Shivers and Barrett era with two
consecutive last place finishes in 2000 and 2001, missing the
playoffs in both years. In 2002, progress was being made as
Saskatchewan made the playoffs for the first time since their
1997 Grey Cup run with an 8–10 record and a fourth-place
finish. The team played in the East Semi-Final due to the
crossover rule instituted in 1997, playing in the eastern
playoffs for the first time in their 90-year history, losing to
their last playoff opponent, the Toronto Argonauts. The 2003
season saw the Roughriders earn their first winning record
since 1994, finishing 11–7 and in third place, building
optimism in a year where the franchise was hosting their
second ever Grey Cup game. While the team played their
longtime rival, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in the playoffs for
the first time since 1975 and won, they lost the West Final to
the eventual champion Edmonton Eskimos, missing a close
chance to play in the Grey Cup at home.

After their strong 2003 campaign, the Roughriders were

expected to build upon that success in 2004. While the team
regressed slightly with a 9–9 record, they won the West
Semi-Final over the Eskimos and advanced to the West Final
for the second consecutive year to face the BC Lions. After
Saskatchewan scored a late touchdown to take the lead, BC
tied the game with a late field goal, sending the game to
overtime. Saskatchewan placekicker Paul McCallum missed an
18-yard field goal while BC kicker Duncan O'Mahoney hit a
40-yarder to win the game for the Lions, adding to the
frustration of the Roughrider fanbase.[56]

Prior to the 2005 season, quarterback Henry Burris signed as

a free agent with Calgary, leaving the Roughriders with a
smaller chance at progress. The team finished in fourth place
with a 9–9 record and crossed over to the Eastern playoffs
again, only to be defeated by the Montreal Alouettes in the
first ever post-season meeting with that team. Feeling a
greater need for progress, the pressure was on the
Roughriders to perform in 2006 season. After Saskatchewan
started the season with a 4–5 record, general manager Roy
Shivers was fired on August 21, 2006.[55] The Roughriders
then hired Eric Tillman to take over and he elected not to
renew Danny Barrett's contract at the end of the season,
following a third consecutive 9–9 season and a West Final loss
to the Lions.[57] While they did not win any championships,
Shivers and Barrett restored a measure of respectability to the
franchise and set the stage for things to come.

Ken Miller and Darian Durant era (2007–2011)

2007 Grey Cup champions

The Roughriders celebrate their 2007 Grey Cup victory

After contending on and off in the early part of the 21st
century, the Roughriders hired 1989 Grey Cup hero Kent
Austin as head coach and Ken Miller as offensive coordinator
in the 2007 season. Despite a rookie head coach, the team
jumped out to a 7–2 start, which was their best start since
1976. They finished the season with a 12–6 record and
brought along with it the Roughriders' first home playoff
game since 1988, which became a 26–24 victory over the
Calgary Stampeders. This was also their first home playoff
win since 1976. The team then followed up with a 26–17 win
at BC Place over the BC Lions in the West Division final to give
the Roughriders a berth in their first Grey Cup final since
1997.

On November 25, 2007, the Riders played the Winnipeg Blue

Bombers in the 95th Grey Cup. The Riders' traditional rivals
had moved to the East Division the previous year following
the demise of the Ottawa Renegades, and the 2007
championship game marked the first time that the two
Labour Day Classic opponents played each other in a Grey
Cup game. Saskatchewan won 23–19 in a game where James
Johnson recorded a Grey Cup record three interceptions en
route to being named Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Grey
Cup. Fellow Roughrider Andy Fantuz was named the
Canadian MVP in the game after recording 70 yards receiving
and the game-winning touchdown.

A month and a half after capturing the 2007 Grey Cup, Austin
stepped down as head coach to become the offensive
co-ordinator at his alma mater University of Mississippi.[58]
In accepting this position in the NCAA, Austin turned down a
very lucrative contract that the Riders had offered. On
February 6, 2008, Roughriders GM Eric Tillman announced
that the new head coach would be Ken Miller.[59] Miller was
formerly the offensive coordinator under Austin. The team
also traded former league MVP Kerry Joseph to the Toronto
Argonauts, leaving the team without their Grey Cup-winning
head coach and starting quarterback.

The 2008 season began with a 6–0 record with wins shared
between three quarterbacks, including the season opening
starter, Marcus Crandell. This was the team's best record
since 1934, when they were still known as the Regina
Roughriders. On August 24, 2008, the team's General
Manager, Eric Tillman, announced the acquisition of
Quarterback Michael Bishop, the Toronto Argonauts backup
quarterback at the time of the trade, who went 11–1 as a
starter for the Argonauts in 2007. This was the end of Marcus
Crandell's run with the Roughriders, as he was released four
days later. After the 6–0 start, the Riders went on to finish the
2008 CFL Regular season with the same record they finished
with in 2007, at 12–6. The Roughriders finished in second
place in the CFL West Division and earned the right to host
the CFL West Division Semi-Final for the second consecutive
year. The Roughriders suffered a devastating 33–12 loss to
the BC Lions in the western semi-final game, leading to
Bishop's release shortly after the loss.

In 2009, the Roughriders were led by quarterback Darian

Durant, who had seen his first significant playing time in
2008 and was named the opening day starter. Durant started
all 18 games for Saskatchewan and led the team to a 10–7–1
record and their first West Division regular season title since
1976.[60] After defeating the Calgary Stampeders in the West
Final, the team advanced to the 97th Grey Cup to face the
Montreal Alouettes. After the Roughriders were leading 27–11
in the fourth quarter, Montreal stormed back to make the
score 27–25 late in the fourth. Montreal kicker Damon Duval
attempted a 43-yard field goal and missed, but Saskatchewan
had been called for a too-many-men penalty, advancing the
placement 10 yards. Duval did not miss a second time,
scoring the three points to win the game 28–27 for the
Alouettes and adding to the Roughriders' championship
woes.[61]

The Roughriders celebrated their 100-year anniversary as a

football club during the 2010 season, wearing retro-themed
red and black uniforms based on the ones worn by the Regina
Roughriders. The Roughriders finished second in the West
with a 10–8 record and defeated the BC Lions in double
overtime in the West Division Semi-Final.[62] After defeating
the Stampeders in the West Final for the second year in a row,
the Roughriders faced the Alouettes in the 98th Grey Cup
once again. Despite leading 11–8 at the half, the Roughriders
faced a ten-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The lead
proved insurmountable, as Saskatchewan lost the game to
Montreal for the second consecutive year by a score 21–
18.[63]

Following the Grey Cup loss, head coach Ken Miller resigned
and became Vice President of Football operations. The club
hired Greg Marshall as his replacement, but the 2011 season
was one to forget, as the Roughriders finished last in the
West with a 5–13 record and missed the playoffs. The
Roughriders fired Marshall after a 1–7 start and had Miller
step in as his replacement. The season was plagued by errors
and mishaps, most of them self-inflicted as the team could
not dig itself out of their early season hole. 2011 proved to be
Ken Miller's last season with the Roughriders, as he retired
shortly after the 2011 season.[64]

Corey Chamblin era (2012–2015)

2013 Grey Cup champions

Roughrider Cheerleaders, 2012.

On December 16, 2011 Corey Chamblin, who had been the
defensive coordinator for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, was
named the new head coach of the Roughriders.[65] The
Roughriders signed two of the top Canadian players available
in free agency in non-import offensive linemen Brendon
LaBatte and Dominic Picard.[66] However, they were not so
fortunate with all-star linebacker Jerrell Freeman, who led the
league in tackles in 2011 and departed for the NFL. The
Roughriders also lost outstanding Canadian slotback Andy
Fantuz, who led the league in receiving yards in 2010, as he
signed as a free agent with Hamilton. Nonetheless, the team
qualified for the playoffs after missing out during the
previous season. In 2012, Saskatchewan lost the Western
Division Semi-Final game to the Calgary Stampeders in a close
game, 36–30.

On January 24, 2013, the Riders traded Justin Harper and a

4th round 2014 pick to the BC Lions for six-time all-star
Geroy Simon. Simon holds the record for most career
receiving yards. Simon played for the Lions from 2001 to
2012. The 2013 season started off spectacularly for the
Roughriders, mainly for Darian Durant and Kory Sheets. The
Roughriders went 8–1 in the first nine games and set a record
for the best start in franchise history (their previous best was
7–1 during the 1970 season). Running back Kory Sheets had
the best start for a running back in CFL history and Darian
Durant had thrown only one interception while throwing 21
touchdowns.

The 2013 season ended with an 11–7 record, for 2nd in the
West Division, behind Calgary. The team hosted its first
playoff game since 2010 on November 10, the West Semi
Finals against the BC Lions. The Roughriders won the game,
29–25, the first playoff win of Corey Chamblin's CFL head
coaching career and the first since 2010 for the Roughriders,
when quarterback Darian Durant put the team on his
shoulders and rushed for 41 yards.[67] On Sunday, November
17, 2013, the Roughriders successfully defeated the Calgary
Stampeders in the Western Finals, the score being 35–13. This
allowed the Saskatchewan Roughriders to advance to the
101st Grey Cup. It was the first time in Saskatchewan
Roughriders history that they were part of the Grey Cup in
their own hometown. In defiance of the individual player
introduction format the league had planned for the Grey Cup
game, the Roughriders took to the field as a team as the
Saskatchewan crowd chanted "bring 'em out," their usual
home game entrance song.[68] The Roughriders defeated the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 45–23, with RB Kory Sheets winning the
Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Award after rushing for a
franchise and Grey Cup record 197 yards, to be the third
consecutive team to win the championship at their home
field. The following offseason was a difficult one for the
Roughriders, as they lost top players Kory Sheets and Weston
Dressler to the NFL and key leaders Mike McCullough,
Renauld Williams and Geroy Simon to retirement. The
expansion draft saw them give up Canadian players in Keith
Shologan and Zach Evans.

In February 2014, the Roughriders traded backup quarterback

Drew Willy to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Roughriders
gave head coach Corey Chamblin an extension through 2017
after Chamblin won Coach of The Year in the CFL. 2014
training camp found starters in Anthony Allen and Brett
Swain as the Roughriders went out to attempt the first repeat
championship season in franchise history. They began the
2014 season with a record of 9–3, similar to that of the 2013
season start. The Roughriders defensive line led by John
Chick, Ricky Foley and Terrious George led the league in
sacks throughout the season, and Brian Peters led a defence
poised to make a run at another championship. On
September 7, 2014, Darian Durant sustained an elbow injury
during the Banjo Bowl that required surgery, ultimately
ending his 2014 campaign. The Roughriders then gave
backup Tino Sunseri a shot at starting quarterback. With Tino
Sunseri leading the team, the Roughriders went 1–4 and Seth
Doege got a shot as well. The Roughriders then brought 2007
Most Outstanding Player Kerry Joseph out of retirement to
help the struggling team. Joseph, alongside new running back
Jerome Messam and receiver Korey Williams won one game
before losing to the Edmonton Eskimos in the Western Semi
Final.

The 2015 offseason saw the Roughriders lose top defensive

players in Brian Peters and Ricky Foley. Peters was signed by
the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL and Foley was traded to
Toronto for Canadian linebacker Shea Emry on January 24,
2015. Soon after, Weston Dressler was signed to a 4-year
contract with the Roughriders and Tyron Brackenridge also
signed a contract to stay in Saskatchewan. Free agency saw
the Roughriders bring back Kevin Glenn as their backup
quarterback. They also brought back veterans Alex Hall,
Keenan MacDougall and Jamel Richardson. The 2015 CFL
Draft saw them pick receiver Nic Demski from the University
of Manitoba Bisons. To begin the year, the Roughriders found
a linebacker, Jeff Knox Jr, in training camp and he became an
immediate starter next to Shea Emry and Weldon Brown. The
first game of the 2015 season was devastating, with the
Roughriders losing quarterback Darian Durant once again to
a season-ending injury, along with injuries to Shea Emry and
Keenan MacDougall early in the season. This led to players
such as Jake Doughty getting a starting gig with the team.

With the injury to Durant, Kevin Glenn became the starting

quarterback, fulfilling the purpose for which he was signed by
Saskatchewan. Days later, Chris Milo was released by the
Roughriders, and they brought in veteran Paul McCallum as
starting kicker. McCallum first game back with the Green and
White was on July 5, 2015, a 42–40 overtime loss to the
Toronto Argonauts. Weeks later, the Roughriders still did not
have a win in the 2015 season, raising concern on whether
head coach Corey Chamblin would eventually be fired. The
injury bug around Saskatchewan got worse as quarterback
Kevin Glenn, receiver Chris Getzlaf, linebacker Weldon Brown,
and receiver Taj Smith were lost to injury. This eventually led
to rookie quarterback Brett Smith getting a shot as the
starter. During the August 30, 2015 game against the Ottawa
Redblacks, head coach Corey Chamblin made the decision to
bench Smith in favour of Tino Sunseri following an
interception, which disgusted many Roughrider fans.
Following another disappointing loss to Ottawa and a record
of 0–9 for the first half of the season, head coach Corey
Chamblin and general manager Brendan Taman were fired on
September 1, 2015. Special teams coordinator Bob Dyce was
appointed interim head coach and assistant general manager
Jeremy O'Day was appointed interim general manager.

Chris Jones era (2016–2018)

On December 7, 2015, a mere week after winning the 103rd
Grey Cup with the Edmonton Eskimos as their head coach, it
was announced that Chris Jones would be the new head
coach, general manager and vice-president of football
operations for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Jones has won
four Grey Cups rings with four teams: Montreal 2002, Calgary
2008, Toronto 2012, Edmonton 2015. On December 16, 2015,
eight assistant coaches under Jones in Edmonton joined the
Roughrider coaching staff. This is includes Stephen McAdoo
as Offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach, Craig
Dickenson as Special teams co-ordinator, Jarious Jackson as
Quarterbacks coach and passing game co-ordinator, Mike
Scheper as Offensive line coach, Phillip Lolley as Linebackers
coach, Jason Shivers as Defensive backs coach, Ed Philion as
Defensive line coach and Craig Davoren as Running backs
coach and special teams assistant.

Jones' first major moves as head coach and general manager

of the Roughriders occurred on December 15, when Jones cut
19 players from the roster including Tyron Brackenridge,
Anthony Allen and Terrell Maze. On January 14, 2016, Jones
continued the rebuild by cutting fan favourites and long-time
Roughriders John Chick and Weston Dressler. Chick went on
to sign with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, while Dressler went on
to sign with rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers. However, the
Roughriders suddenly signed defensive end Shawn Lemon to
replace Chick soon after. Later that month, the Roughriders
re-signed longtime receiver Rob Bagg. Jones departed after
the 2018 season, being succeeded by Craig Dickenson on
January 25, 2019.[69]

Craig Dickenson's Riders (2019–2023)

The Green Riders clinched their first first-place West Division
finish since 2009 with a 13–5 record, in Craig Dickenson's
first year at the coaching helm. However, the team lost in a
hard-fought heartbreaker in the West Final game over the
arch-rival (and eventual Grey Cup champion) Blue Bombers,
20–13. After the 2020 CFL season was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the Riders returned to the playoffs in
2021, finishing in second place at 9–5 in the shortened
season, defeating the Calgary Stampeders in the West
Semi-Final, but losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers again
(who would win their second straight Grey Cup
championship) in the West Final for the second straight
season.

In 2022, the Riders missed the playoffs for the first time in
six years, posting a 6–12 mark, good for fourth place in the
West. The season was much more successful off the field as
the franchise again became profitable. This, combined with
the team's share of revenues from the 2022 Grey Cup (held at
Mosaic Stadium as a replacement for the cancelled 2020
championship game) allowed the club to replenish its
stabilization fund back to pre-pandemic levels.

Following the season, the Riders replaced both offensive

coordinator Jason Maas and quarterback Cody Fajardo, but
the end result was the same in the 2023 season as the year
previous. The green and white posted the exact same record
as the previous year at 6-12, missing the playoffs after ending
the season on a seven-game losing streak. The team's
replacement for Fajardo, veteran CFL quarterback Trevor
Harris, was injured early in the season, creating a quarterback
controversy where both Mason Fine and Jake Dolegala took
turns as the starter.

On October 23, 2023, the Riders announced the organization

would not renew its contract with Dickenson, ending his time
as head coach.[70] The team did sign Vice President of
Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O'Day to a
three-year extension.

Corey Mace takes over (since 2023)

The Riders announced Corey Mace would become the team's
48th head coach on November 30, 2023.[71] Mace left the
Toronto Argonauts organization after two seasons as
defensive coordinator to take on the role, his first as a head
coach.

Among Mace's first moves as head coach was hiring Regina

product Marc Mueller[72] as offensive coordinator, someone
Mace had previously coached with in Calgary. It was also
announced that Kent Maugeri would stay on as special teams
coordinator for his ninth overall season with the team.[73]

In early 2024, the Riders announced Mace would also serve as

the team's defensive coordinator in addition to his head
coaching duties.[74]

During Mace's first season at the helm in 2024, the Riders

opened the season on a hot start before falling into a summer
slump that included the club's first tie game since 2009.[75]
The team was able to rally later in the season, finishing the
regular season with a record of 9–8–1. It was enough to make
the playoffs for the first time since 2021, although the team
fell short of a Grey Cup appearance.[76] After defeating the
BC Lions 24–21 to win the West Division, the Riders won their
fifth Grey Cup in 2025, 25–17 over the Montreal Alouettes.

Popularity
Fan support

Now-defunct Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field prior to a CFL

match.
In 2009, the team was described as having the largest fan
base in the CFL.[77] The team is third behind the Montreal
Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs for merchandise sales of
Canadian sports teams,[78] According to a survey (July 2015),
the Riders were considered the third strongest sports Brand
in Canada.[79] When the Roughriders play on the road, there
is always a strong contingent of fans due to fans travelling
and also because of people having relocated from
Saskatchewan to other parts of Canada. The Roughriders
home attendance record came in 1995 in a win over the
Calgary Stampeders as 55,438 (more than 25% of Regina's
population) fans watched on.[80] This crowd was attainable
that year because of the increased capacity of Taylor Field in
preparation of hosting the Grey Cup. Rider fans are also
known for dressing up in unique and often bizarre
Rider-themed costumes, the most popular being the
watermelon helmet.[citation needed] They are the only CFL
football team with a fan-based analytic website, dedicated to
fan-based opinion and perception. Beginning with the 2011
season, Insightrix Research Inc. has conducted a poll after
each Roughrider game, surveying a random selection of fans
from the SaskWatch Research online community. Each week,
fans weigh in on the Riders' game performance and
predictions for the rest of the season. These predictions are
compared against other Regions in Saskatchewan, titled
"Battle of the Regions."[81]

Fundraisers
Fans supported the team through the Friends of the Riders
Touchdown Lottery. From 1986 to 2018, the Lottery raised
over $23 million for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, while
giving out more than $33 million in prizes.[82] During
difficult financial times, lottery revenues were crucial to the
team's survival. In 1987 and 1997,[83] fans responded when
the Roughriders held season-ticket telethons to try and raise
money to help the team avoid bankruptcy.

Section 28
Section 28 (formerly known as the University Section) was a
notorious section in the East Side bleachers at Taylor Field.
They were known for their strict allegiance to the
Riders,[citation needed] standing through the entire game,
and often being merciless to opposing fans who sit in the
section and cheer for the road team. The University Section
got its nickname from the section's main purpose in the
1980s and 1990s and was a discount section offered to
university students in Saskatchewan. The section later ceased
to be a university section but remained a section with a
rowdy reputation until Taylor Field's closure in 2016.[84]

Fight and theme songs

The official Rider songs are played regularly at the stadium,
and include "Rider Pride", and "Paint the Whole World
Green."[85] Among several 'borrowed songs' is the team's
touchdown song and victory march, "Green Is the Colour"
(adapted from the original "Blue Is the Colour" written by D.
Boone and R. McQueen for the Chelsea Football Club) and "On
Roughriders" (adapted from "On Wisconsin", the fight song
for the Wisconsin Badgers). In addition, during every fourth
quarter intermission, the P.A. system plays the cult hit "The
Last Saskatchewan Pirate" by The Arrogant Worms, and the
Riders Cheer Team leads the crowd in a fourth quarter
stretch. There are many other songs that have been created
over the years to tribute the team as well. Many of these
songs have proved so popular in Western Canada that they
have become popular culture phenomena.[citation
needed][86] The music selection at Mosaic Stadium mostly
consists of mainstream popular music. "Green Is the Colour"
is played after every rider touchdown, followed by Gainer the
Gopher being driven around the stadium's track and giving
high fives to those in the first row.

Mascots

Gainer the Gopher

The current official Rider mascot is Gainer the Gopher, who
made his first appearance in 1977,[87] and was updated in
2019.[88][89][90] Gainer is an anagram of Regina, and the
gopher, or more precisely Richardson's ground squirrel, is a
common animal on the Canadian Prairies.

Radio
Roughriders radio broadcasts are broadcast throughout the
province via The Co-operators Roughrider Football Network,
fronted by flagship station CKRM in Regina. Affiliates include
CFWD-FM in Saskatoon, CJGX in Yorkton, CKBI in Prince
Albert, CJNB in North Battleford and CJNS-FM in Meadow
Lake. Additionally, CKRM's 10,000-watt signal brings Rider
games to much of the province during the day.

Notable broadcasters for the Roughriders include Dave

Dryburgh from 1940 to 1947,[91] and John Badham from
1959 to 1969, on CKCK/620.[92][93] Rod Peterson was the
Roughriders' voice on CKRM from 1999 to 2019. He was
replaced in 2019 by former TSN anchor Derek Taylor. Prior to
the 2022 season, Taylor moved to the Blue Bombers to
replace the retiring Bob Irving.[94][95] For the 2022 season,
Michael "Ballsy" Ball—who hosted CKRM's pre-game and
post-game shows, was play-by-play announcer for the Regina
Rams, and co-hosted sister station CFWF-FM's morning
show—became the new voice of the Roughriders.[96][95] In
2024, he was replaced by Dave Thomas, a former broadcaster
for the Saskatoon Blades (CJWW) and Weyburn Red Wings
(CFSL), and previously a pre-game host and sideline reporter
for the Riders.[97]

Current roster
Saskatchewan Roughriders rosterviewtalkedit
Quarterbacks
7 Trevor Harris
9 Jake Maier
17 Tommy Stevens
Receivers

2 Mario Alford KR/WR

80 Ajou Ajou
19 Samuel Emilus
88 Dohnte Meyers
83 Tommy Nield
81 Mitchell Picton
89 Kian Schaffer-Baker
Running backs

30 Thomas Bertrand-Hudon
45 A. J. Ouellette
Fullbacks

41 Albert Awachie
39 Morgen Runge
Offensive linemen
66 Jacob Brammer
62 Payton Collins
63 Logan Ferland
67 Zack Fry
52 Jermarcus Hardrick
64 Trevon Tate
Defensive linemen
95 Habakkuk Baldonado
11 Malik Carney
4 Micah Johnson
42 Mike Rose
91 Aaron Patrick
96 Ali Saad
92 Caleb Sanders
Linebackers
32 A. J. Allen
38 Jayden Dalke
47 Aubrey Miller Jr.
28 Melique Straker
6 Jameer Thurman
43 Nick Wiebe
Defensive backs

33 Antoine Brooks Jr.

26 Tevaughn Campbell
20 Kerfalla Exumé
22 DaMarcus Fields
21 Jaxon Ford
0 Rolan Milligan
25 Nelson Lokombo
1 C. J. Reavis
8 Marcus Sayles
Special teams

46 Jorgen Hus LS
12 Brett Lauther K
74 Jesse Mirco P
1-game injured
24 Mario Anderson RB
35 C. J. Avery LB
15 Shawn Bane Jr. WR
29 Ka'Deem Carey RB
14 Jack Coan QB
99 Charbel Dabire DL
18 Dhel Duncan-Busby WR
53 Philippe Gagnon OL
65 Daniel Johnson OL
3 KeeSean Johnson WR
29 Nafees Lyon DB
49 Lake Korte-Moore DL
93 Benoit Marion DL
51 Sean McEwen OL
59 Braydon Noll OL
5 Shane Ray DL
16 Sheldrick Redwine DB
82 Joe Robustelli WR
37 Benny Sapp III DB
68 Noah Zerr OL
Practice roster
78 Caleb Barajas OL
94 Chico Bennett Jr. DL
97 Kendy Charles DL
70 Joe Couch P
77 Kenten Effa LB
71 Micheal Hughes K
79 James Lucio OL
27 Marcus Major Jr. RB
84 Siaosi Mariner WR
85 D'Sean Mimbs WR
48 Tuasivi Nomura LB
98 Deshawn Stevens DL
50 Alphonzo Tuputala LB
90 Sylvain Younjouen P
58 Darius Washington OL
Suspended

54 Julius Buelow OL
-- D'Mitri Emmanuel OL
-- Jonathan Hubbard OL
-- Dazz Newsome WR
Italics indicate American player • Bold indicates Global player
• 45 Roster, 20 Injured, 15 Practice, 4 Suspended
Roster updated 2025-11-15 • Depth chart • Transactions •
More CFL rosters
Current coaches and directors
Saskatchewan Roughriders staffviewtalkedit
Front Office
President and CEO – Craig Reynolds
General manager and Vice President of Football Operations –
Jeremy O'Day
Assistant General Manager – Paul Jones
Assistant General Manager – Kyle Carson
Director of Football Operations – Jordan Greenly
Player Personnel Coordinator – Larry Dean
Head Athletic Therapist – Greg Mayer
Manager of Equipment – Gordon Gilroy
Head Coaches

Head coach/Defensive Coordinator – Corey Mace

Offensive Coaches

Offensive Coordinator – Marc Mueller

Offensive Line – Edwin Harrison
Receivers – Marquay McDaniel
Running Backs – Andrew Harris
Offensive Assistant – Josh Donnelly

Defensive Coaches

Pass Game Coordinator and Defensive Backs – Josh Bell

Defensive Line – Phillip Daniels
Linebackers – Travis Brown
Defensive Assistant – Jordan Linnen
Special Teams Coaches

Special Teams Coordinator – Kent Maugeri

Strength and Conditioning

Head of Strength and Conditioning – Dan Farthing

→ Coaching Staff
→ More CFL staffs
Management
Head coaches
Ken Preston (1946–1947)
Fred Grant (1947–1950)
Harry Smith (1951)
Glenn Dobbs (1952)
Frank Filchock (1953–1957)
George Terlep (1958–1959)
Frank Tripucka (1959)
Ken Carpenter (1960)
Steve Owen (1961–1962)
Bob Shaw (1963–1964)
Eagle Keys (1965–1970)
Dave Skrien (1971–1972)
John Payne (1973–1976)
Jim Eddy (1977–1978)
Walt Posadowski (1978)
Ron Lancaster (1979–1980)
Joe Faragalli (1981–1983)
Reuben Berry (1983–1984)
Jack Gotta (1985–1986)
John Gregory (1987–1991)
Don Matthews (1991–1993)
Ray Jauch (1994–1995)
Jim Daley (1996–1998)
Cal Murphy (1999)
Danny Barrett (2000–2006)
Kent Austin (2007)
Ken Miller (2008–2010, 2011)
Greg Marshall (2011)
Corey Chamblin (2012–2015)
Bob Dyce (2015)
Chris Jones (2016–2018)
Craig Dickenson (2019–2023)
Corey Mace (2024–present)
General managers
Clair Warner (1946–1949, 1951–1952)
Greg Grassick (1950)
Frank Filchock (1953)
Dean Griffing (1954–1957)
Ken Preston (1958–1977)
Henry Dorsch (1978–1980)
Jim Spavital (1981–1982)
John Herrera (1983–1984)
Bill Quinter (1985–1986)
Bill Baker (1987–1988)
Alan Ford (1989–1999)
Roy Shivers (2000–2005)
Eric Tillman (2006–2008)
Brendan Taman (2010–2015)
Jeremy O'Day (interim) (2015)
Chris Jones (2016–2019)
Jeremy O'Day (2019–present)
President and CEO
Jim Hopson (2005–2015)
Craig Reynolds (2015–present)
Players of note
Retired numbers
Becket, DeMarco, Syrnyk, and Sturtridge's numbers were
retired posthumously after their deaths in the Trans-Canada
Air Lines Flight 810 plane crash on December 9, 1956.[98]

Saskatchewan Roughriders retired numbers

No. Player Position Tenure Championships
23 Ron Lancaster QB 1963–1978
1966
34 George Reed RB 1963–1975
1966
36 Dave Ridgway K 1982–1995
1989
40 Mel Becket TE/C 1952–1956 –
44 Roger Aldag OL 1976–1992
1989
55 Mario DeMarco OL 1953–1956 –
56 Ray Syrnyk OL 1956 –
73 Gordon Sturtridge DE 1953–1956 –
Plaza of Honour
The Saskatchewan Roughriders' Plaza of Honour recognizes
people who have made significant contributions to the
Saskatchewan Roughriders.[99] The first induction class was
in 1987.[100] The following is the list of inductees from 1987
to 2023:[8]

2023 – Wendy Kelly, 2013 Grey Cup Championship Team[95]

2022 – Weston Dressler, Mike McCullough, Ken Miller

2021 – Chris Getzlaf, Andy Fantuz, Paul Hill, Gabe Patterson

2019 – Neal Hughes and Kerry Joseph

2018 – Jim Hopson and John Terry

2017 – Wes Cates and Roger Brandvold

2016 – Matt Dominguez and Ivan Gutfriend

2015 – Scott Schultz and Tim McCray

2014 – Reggie Hunt and Chris Szarka

2013 – Eddie Davis & Gene Makowsky

2012 – Ed Buchanan, Nate Davis, Andrew Greene, Tom

Robinson

2011 – Corey Holmes, Dan Rashovich, Mike Saunders

2010 – Three Grey Cup Championship Teams – 1966, 1989

and 2007

2009 – Dan Farthing, Tom Burgess, Norm Fong

2008 – Ted Provost, Tom Campana, Lawrie Skolrood

2007 – Steve Dennis, Bobby Thompson, Vic Stevenson

2006 – Ken Reed, Rhett Dawson, Gary Lewis

2005 – Jeff Fairholm, Tim Roth, John Wozniak

2004 – Mike Anderson, Henry Dorsch, Steve Mazurak

2003 – Larry Dumelie, John Lipp, Donald Narcisse

2002 – Gary Brandt, Larry Bird, Bobby Jurasin

2001 – Bob Ptacek, John Payne, Bill Manchuk, Doug Killoh

2000 – Dave Ridgway, Bruce Cowie, Cleveland Vann

1999 – Kent Austin, Ray Elgaard, Larry Isbell

1998 – Johnny Bell, Glen Suitor, Roger Goree

1997 – Bob Kosid, Dale West, Dick Rendek, Lorne Richardson

1996 – Bob Poley, Stan Williams, Ralph Galloway, Jim Worden,

John Gregory

1995 – Tom Shepherd, Gene Wlasiuk, Wally Dempsey, Eddie

Lowe, Clyde Brock

1994 – Vince Goldsmith, Wayne Shaw, Gord Barwell, Mike

Cassidy, Chris DeFrance

1993 – Roger Aldag, Ken McEachern, Ted Dushinski, Gord

Staseson, Maurice Williams, Piffles Taylor

1992 – Jack Abendschan, Neil Habig, Reg Whitehouse, Alan

Ford, Howie Milne
1991 – Tare Rennebohm, Johnny Garuik, Sully Glasser, Del
Wardien, Al Benecick, Bruce Bennett, W.E. Clarke, Mike
Samples

1990 – J.D. Rowand, S.D. Stack Tibbits, D.S. McDonald, Toar

Springstein, Pete Martin, Garner Ekstran, Joey Walters, Bill
Baker

1989 – Ken Carpenter, Jack Hill, Bobby Marlow, Ed

McQuarters, Frank Tripucka, Al Urness, Ted Urness, Bob
Walker, Clair Warner

1988 – Sandy Archer, Gordon Barber, Hugh Campbell, Ken

Charlton, Bill Clarke, Glenn Dobbs, Greg Grassick, Don
McPherson, Martin Ruby

1987 – Ron Lancaster, George Reed, Fred Wilson, Ron

Atchison, Ken Preston, Dean Griffing, Al Ritchie, Bob Kramer,
Eagle Keys

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

As of 2024, 51 members of the Canadian Football Hall of
Fame have played or worked for the Saskatchewan
Roughriders.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Canadian Football Hall of Famers

No. Name Position Tenure Inducted No.
Name Position Tenure Inducted
– Neil Joseph "Piffles" Taylor QB
President 1914–1915, 1919
1934–1936 1963 – Cal Murphy
Head coach 1999 2004
– Brian Timmis DT 1920–1922
1963 39 Willie Pless LB 1999
2005
– Al Ritchie Manager
Head coach 1921–1924
1929–1933, 1935 1963 71 Bobby Jurasin
DE 1986–1997 2006
– Eddie "Dynamite" James RB/DB/FW
1928–1931 1963 35 Greg Battle
LB 1996 2007
– Dean Griffing C/G/QB 1936–1941
1965 – Tom Shepherd Executive 1966–
present 2008
– Clair Warner E
Executive
President 1924–1928, 1931–1932
1934–1970
1941 1965 51 Alondra Johnson LB
2004 2009
36,63 Martin Ruby OT/DT 1951–1957
1974 80 Don Narcisse WR 1987–1999
2010
41,54,64 Ron Atchison C/MG/DT 1952–1968
1978 – Don Matthews Head coach
1991–1993 2011
34 George Reed RB 1963–1975
1979 53 Jack Abendschan G/K 1965–1975
2012
37 Gerry James FB 1964 1981
35 Tyrone Jones LB 1992 2012
23 Ron Lancaster QB
head coach 1963–1978
1979–1980 1982 60 Gene Makowsky
OT 1995–2011 2015
– Don McPherson President 1956–1957
1983 29 Eddie Davis DB 2001–2009
2015
– Robert A. Kramer President 1951–1953, 1961–
1965 1987 81 Geroy Simon SB
2013 2017
61 Ed McQuarters DT 1966–1974
1988 – Jim Hopson President 2004–2015
2019
43 Ted Urness OL 1961–1970
1989 67 Clyde Brock OT 1964–1975
2020
8,11 Ken Preston QB/HB/FW
Head coach
General manager 1940, 1946–1948
1946–1947
1958–1990 1990 1 Henry Burris
QB 2000, 2003–2004 2020
– Eagle Keys Head coach 1965–1970
1990 69 Fred Childress OT 2004–2006
2020
88 Ken Charlton RB/FW 1941, 1948–54
1992 – John Hufnagel Coach 1987
2020
65,76 Bill Baker DE 1968–1973, 1977–1978
1994 99 Will Johnson DL 1997
2021
2 Tom Clements QB 1979 1994 4,
15 Paul McCallum K/P 1994–2005, 2015
2022
22,42,60,67 Bill Clarke OT/DT 1951–1964
1996 – Roy Shivers General manager
2000–2006 2022
66 Al Benecick OL 1959–1968
1996 10 Solomon Elimimian LB 2019
2023
21 "Gluey" Hugh Campbell WR 1963–1967,
1969 2000 7 Weston Dressler SB
2008–2015 2024
44 Roger Aldag OL 1976–1992
2002 2 Chad Owens SB/KR 2017
2024
81 Ray Elgaard SB 1983–1996
2002 78, 70 Vince Goldsmith DL 1981–1983
1988–1990 2024
36 Dave Ridgway K 1982–1995
2003
Recent regular season and playoff results
Season-by-season records
Main article: Saskatchewan Roughriders seasons

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: The

most recent development in this section is from 2015.. Please
help update this article to reflect recent events or newly
available information. (November 2022)
1990s
Legend:
F = Points scored For, A = Points scored Against

Season Coach Won Lost Tied Points F

A Home Away Division Standing Playoff
Results
1990 John Gregory 9 9 0
18 557 592 7–2 2–7 4–6
3rd Lost West Semi-Final 43–27 to Edmonton
1991 Gregory/Matthews 6 12 0
12 606 987 4–5 2–7 3–7
4th Missed Playoffs
1992 Don Matthews 9 9 0
18 505 545 7–2 2–7 6–4
3rd Lost West Semi-Final 22–20 to Edmonton
1993 Don Matthews 11 7 0
22 511 495 7–2 4–5 5–5
3rd Lost West Semi-Final 51–13 to Edmonton
1994 Matthews/Jauch 11 7 0
22 512 454 7–2 4–5 4–6
4th Lost West Semi-Final 36–3 to Calgary
1995* Ray Jauch6 12 0 12
422 451 4–5 2–7 5–7 6th*
Missed Playoffs
1996 Jim Daley 5 13 0 10
360 498 4–5 1–8 3–7 4th
Missed Playoffs
1997 Jim Daley 8 10 0 16
413 479 5–4 3–6 5–5 3rd
Won West Semi-Final 33–30 over Calgary
Won West Final 31–30 over Edmonton

Lost Grey Cup 47–23 to Toronto

1998 Jim Daley 5 13 0 10

411 525 4–5 1–8 2–8 4th
Missed Playoffs
1999 Cal Murphy 3 15 0 6
370 592 3–6 0–9 1–9 4th
Missed Playoffs
* For the 1995 Season, all 8 Canadian teams were featured in
the Northern Division.

Danny Barrett era

Season Won Lost Tied Points* F A
Home Away Division Standing Playoff Results
2000 5 12 1 11 516
626 2–6–1 3–6 3–6–1 4th Missed
Playoffs
2001 6 12 0 12 308
416 2–7 4–5 3–7 4th Missed
Playoffs
2002 8 10 0 18* 435
393 7–2 1–8 4–6 4th Crossover:
Lost East Semi-Final 24–14 to Toronto
2003 11 7 0 22 535
430 7–2 4–5 7–3 3rd Won West
Semi-Final 37–21 over Winnipeg
Lost West Final 30–23 to Edmonton

2004 9 9 0 18 476
444 6–3 3–6 4–6 3rd Won West
Semi-Final 14–6 over Edmonton
Lost West Final 27–25 to B.C. in OT

2005 9 9 0 18 441
433 5–4 4–5 6–4 4th Crossover:
Lost East Semi-Final 30–14 to Montreal
2006 9 9 0 18 465
434 6–3 3–6 4–6 3rd Won West
Semi-Final 30–21 over Calgary
Lost West Final 45–18 to B.C.

Totals 57 68 1 117* 3176

3176 35–27–1 22–41 31–38–1 – –
* From 2000 to 2002, the CFL awarded a single point to teams
losing in overtime. The Riders had two such losses during the
2002 season.

Ken Miller era

Season Coach Won Lost Tied Points F
A Home Away Division Standing Playoff
Results
2007 Kent Austin 12 6 0
24 530 434 6–3 6–3 6–4
2nd Won West Semi-Final 26–24 over Calgary
Won West Final 26–17 over B.C.

Won Grey Cup 23–19 over Winnipeg

2008 Ken Miller 12 6 0

24 500 471 7–2 5–4 5–5
2nd Lost West Semi-Final 33–12 to B.C.
2009 Ken Miller 10 7 1
21 514 484 6–3 4–4–1 5–4–1
1st Won West Final 27–17 over Calgary
Lost Grey Cup 28–27 to Montreal

2010 Ken Miller 10 8 0

20 497 488 7–2 3–6 5–5
2nd Won West Semi-Final 41–38 over BC
Won West Final 20–16 over Calgary

Lost Grey Cup 21–18 to Montreal

2011 Greg Marshall/
Ken Miller 5 13 0 10
326 459 3–6 2–7 0–10 4th
Missed Playoffs
Corey Chamblin era
Season Coach Won Lost Tied Points F
A Home Away Division Standing Playoff
Results
2012 Corey Chamblin 8 10 0
16 457 409 5–4 3–6 4–6
3rd Lost West Semi-Final 36–30 to Calgary
2013 Corey Chamblin 11 7 0
22 519 398 6–3 5–4 6–4
2nd Won West Semi-Final 29–25 over BC
Won West Final 35–13 over Calgary

Won Grey Cup 45–23 over Hamilton

2014 Corey Chamblin 10 8 0

20 399 441 6–3 4–5 5–5
3rd Lost West Semi-Final 18–10 to Edmonton
2015 Corey Chamblin/Bob Dyce 3 15 0
6 430 563 2–7 1–8 1–9
5th Missed Playoffs
See also
Saskatchewan Roughriders all-time records and statistics
List of fan owned sports teams
List of Canadian Football League seasons
Art McEwan
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External links
Official website Edit this at Wikidata
Media related to Saskatchewan Roughriders at Wikimedia
Commons
vte
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Founded in 1910Based in Regina, Saskatchewan
Franchise
FranchiseHistoryRecordsPlayersSeasonsHead coachesStarting
quarterbacks
Stadiums
Taylor FieldMosaic Stadium
Culture
Labour Day ClassicBanjo BowlGainer the GopherFinal 1983
CFL regular season game
Important figures
Ron AtchisonRoger AldagBill BakerAl Benecick"Gluey" Hugh
CampbellKen CharltonBill ClarkeRay ElgaardEdwin "Eddie"
"Dynamite" JamesBobby JurasinRon LancasterEd
McQuartersGeorge ReedDave RidgwayMartin RubyN. J.
"Piffles" TaylorTed Urness
Retired numbers
23 Ron Lancaster34 George Reed36 Dave Ridgway40 Mel
Becket44 Roger Aldag55 Mario DeMarco56 Ray Syrnyk73
Gordon Sturtridge
Key personnel
Owners: "Community" ownedGeneral manager: Jeremy
O'DayHead coach: Corey Mace
Grey Cup
championships (5)
19661989200720132025
West Division
championships (26)
1912191319141915191919201923192819291930193119321
9341951196619671969197219761989199720072009201020
132025
Current league
affiliations
League: Canadian Football LeagueDivision: West
Links to related articles
Categories: Saskatchewan RoughridersSports clubs and teams
established in 1910Canadian football teams in
SaskatchewanCanadian Football League teams1910
establishments in SaskatchewanPublicly traded sports
companies
This page was last edited on 19 November 2025, at 15:57
(UTC).
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Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces,

Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and
commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian
region that includes the four western provinces just north of
the Canada–United States border namely British Columbia,
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The people of the
region are often referred to as "Western Canadians" or
"Westerners", and though diverse from province to province
are largely seen as being collectively distinct from other
Canadians along cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic,
geographic and political lines. They account for
approximately 32% of Canada's total population.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"CFL" redirects here. For the lamp type, see Compact
fluorescent lamp. For other uses, see CFL (disambiguation).
Canadian Football League
Ligue canadienne de football
Most recent season or competition:
2025 CFL season

Sport Canadian football

Founded January 19, 1958 (67 years ago)[1][2]
First season 1958
Commissioner Stewart Johnston
No. of teams 9
Country Canada
Headquarters 50 Wellington Street East, Toronto,
Ontario
Most recent
champions Saskatchewan Roughriders
(5th title)
Most titles Edmonton Elks
(11 titles)
Broadcasters
Canada:
CTV, TSN
RDS (French)
United States:
Broadcast
CBSSN
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The Canadian Football League (CFL; French: Ligue canadienne
de football [liɡ kanadjɛn d futbol], LCF) is a professional
Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams
divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East
Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest
professional level of Canadian football in the world. The
league is headquartered in Toronto.

The CFL was officially established on January 19, 1958,[3]

upon the merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football
Union or "Big Four" (founded in 1907) and the Western
Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) (founded in March
1936).[4] The Big Four was renamed the Eastern Football
Conference in 1960, while the WIFU was renamed the Western
Football Conference in 1961.

As of 2025, the league features a 21-week regular season in

which each team plays 18 games with 3 bye weeks. The
season traditionally runs from mid-June to early November.
Following the regular season, six teams compete in the
playoffs, which culminate in the Grey Cup championship
game in late November. The Grey Cup is one of Canada's
largest annual sports and television events.[5]
History
Early history
Further information: History of Canadian football
Rugby football began to be played in Canada in the 1860s.
Many of the first Canadian football teams played under the
auspices of the Canadian Rugby Football Union (CRFU),
founded in June 1880, then reorganized in February 1884.[6]
The CRFU was reorganized as the Canadian Rugby Union
(CRU) in 1891, and served as an umbrella organization for
several provincial and regional unions. The Grey Cup was
donated by Governor General the Earl Grey in 1909 to the
team winning the "Senior Amateur Football Championship of
Canada". By that time, the sport as played in Canada had
diverged markedly from its rugby origins with the
introduction of the Burnside rules, and started to become
more similar to the American game.

For much of the early part of the 20th century, the game was
contested by intraprovincial leagues, or unions. In 1907,
several of the stronger senior clubs in Ontario and Quebec
formed the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU or
more commonly known as the "Big Four"). It took almost 30
years for an elite interprovincial western union to emerge,
when in 1936 the stronger senior clubs in Manitoba, Alberta
and Saskatchewan formed the Western Interprovincial
Football Union (WIFU). From the 1930s to the 1950s, the Big
Four and WIFU gradually evolved from amateur to
professional leagues, and amateur teams were no longer
competitive for the Grey Cup. Apart from the World War II
years, an amateur team last won the Grey Cup in 1936.

By the end of World War II, the WIFU's play was at the same
level as that of the Big Four. Within a few years after the
return of peace, both interprovincial unions had turned
openly professional. However, while the Big Four champion
got an automatic berth to the Grey Cup final, until 1954 the
WIFU's champion had to play in a semi-final against the
champion of the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU)–by
then, the only amateur union still competing for the Grey
Cup. The ORFU withdrew from Grey Cup competition after
the 1953 season, and the WIFU champion was given an
automatic berth in the Grey Cup final. For this reason, 1954 is
reckoned as the start of the modern era of Canadian football,
in which the Grey Cup has been exclusively contested by
professional teams. Since 1965, Canada's top university
football teams, competing in what is now U Sports, have
competed for the Vanier Cup.

Merger
In 1956, the Montreal Alouettes threatened to leave the Big
Four and join the rival WIFU. As a result, the Big Four and
WIFU formed a new umbrella organization, the Canadian
Football Council (CFC) to modernize the operations and
management of the professional game. In 1958, the CFC
formally left the CRU and reorganized as the Canadian
Football League (CFL). As part of an agreement between the
CRU and CFL, the CFL took possession of the Grey Cup, and
the amateurs were officially locked out of Grey Cup play,
formalizing the championship structure that had been in
place since 1954. The CRU remained the governing body for
amateur play in Canada, eventually adopting the name
Football Canada. Initially, the two unions remained
autonomous, and there was no intersectional play between
eastern (Big Four) and western (WIFU) teams except at the
Grey Cup final. This situation was roughly analogous to how
Major League Baseball operated for almost all of the 20th
century.

The Big Four was renamed the Eastern Football Conference in

1960, while the WIFU was renamed the Western Football
Conference in 1961. Also in 1961, limited intersectional play
was introduced. Because the West played 16 games by this
time while the East still only played 14, this arrangement
oddly allowed both the four-team Eastern Conference and the
five-team Western Conference to play three games per
intraconference opponent and one game per interconference
opponent. It was not until 1974 that the East expanded its
schedule to 16 games, just like the West. In 1981, the two
conferences agreed to a full merger, becoming the East and
West Divisions of the CFL. With the merger came a fully
balanced and interlocking schedule of 16 games per season
(with all nine teams playing each other twice, once at home
and once on the road). Since 1986 (with the exception of
2021), the CFL's regular season schedule has been 18 games.

The separate histories of the Big Four and the WIFU

accounted for the fact that two teams had basically the same
name: the Big Four's Ottawa Rough Riders were often called
the "Eastern Riders", while the WIFU's Saskatchewan
Roughriders were called the "Western Riders" or "Green
Riders". Other team names had traditional origins. With
rowing a national craze in the late 19th century, the Argonaut
Rowing Club of Toronto formed a rugby team for its
members' off-season participation. The football team name
Toronto Argonauts still remains even though it and the
rowing club have long since gone their separate ways. After
World War II, the Hamilton Tigers absorbed the upstart
war-era Flying Wildcats and called the team the Hamilton
Tiger-Cats.

The league remained stable with nine franchises—the BC

Lions, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan
Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Hamilton Tiger-Cats,
Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders and Montreal
Alouettes—from its 1958 inception until 1981. After the 1981
season, the Alouettes folded and were replaced the next year
by a new franchise named the Concordes.

In 1986 the Concordes were renamed the Alouettes to attract

more fan support, but the team folded the next year. The loss
of the Montreal franchise forced the league to move its
easternmost Western team, Winnipeg, into the East Division
from 1987 to 1994.
United States expansion
Main article: Canadian Football League in the United States
In 1993, the league admitted its first United States-based
franchise, the Sacramento Gold Miners. After modest success,
the league then expanded further in the U.S. in 1994 with the
Las Vegas Posse, Baltimore Stallions, and Shreveport Pirates.
For the 1995 campaign, the American teams were split off
into their own South Division, and two more teams, the
Birmingham Barracudas and Memphis Mad Dogs, were added;
at the same time, the Posse folded and the Gold Miners
relocated to become the San Antonio Texans. In 1995, the
Stallions became the only non-Canadian team to win the Grey
Cup.

Despite all American teams having the advantage of not being

bound to the CFL's minimum Canadian player quotas, only
the Stallions proved to be an on-field and off-field success.
The establishment of the National Football League's (NFL)
Baltimore Ravens, worsening financial problems among the
league's core Canadian teams, and the inconsistent
performance of the other American teams prompted the CFL
to abandon its American experiment and retrench its
Canadian operations. The Stallions organization was used as
the basis for a revival of the Montreal Alouettes.[7]

Post-U.S. expansion era

The CFL returned to an all-Canadian format in 1996 with nine
teams;[8] the league conducted a dispersal draft to distribute
players from the disbanded American-based teams; however,
the Ottawa Rough Riders, in existence since 1876, folded
after the 1996 season (another dispersal draft was conducted
the next year to distribute the former Rough Rider players
among the remaining eight teams). Toronto and recently
revived Montreal also were struggling; Montreal's woes were
solved by moving to Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, a
much smaller venue than the cavernous Olympic Stadium.
The Winnipeg team again moved to the East Division from
1997 to 2001 to make up for the loss of Ottawa.

In 1997, the NFL provided a US$3-million interest-free loan to

the financially struggling CFL. In return, the NFL was granted
access to CFL players entering a defined two-month window
in the option year of their contract. This was later written
into the CFL's collective bargaining agreement with its
players. The CFL's finances have since stabilized and they
eventually repaid the loan. The CFL–NFL agreement expired in
2006. Both leagues attempted to reach a new agreement, but
the CFL broke off negotiations in November 2007 after
Canadian telecommunications firm Rogers Communications
paid $78 million to host seven Bills games in Toronto over
five seasons (the last Bills Toronto Series game was played
during the 2013 NFL season).[9][10]

Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium (shown during player

introductions prior to a game) is the largest venue in the CFL.
In 2002, the league expanded back to nine teams with the
creation of the Ottawa Renegades. After four seasons of
financial losses, the Renegades were suspended indefinitely
before the 2006 season; their players were absorbed by the
remaining teams in a dispersal draft. Winnipeg was moved to
the East Division again in 2006, a situation that continued
until 2013.

In 2005, the league set an all-time attendance record with a

total attendance of more than 2.3 million.[11] In June 2006
the league announced the launch of CFL Broadband, an
internet streaming service designed to provide fans with
another media platform, in addition to TSN and CBC
broadcasts, to watch games live.[12]

Mark Cohon era (2007–2015)

With Mark Cohon as commissioner of the league the CFL
entered a period of stability and growth. New television deals,
two new collective bargaining agreements, the 100th Grey
Cup celebration, and widespread stadium renovation and
rebuilding highlighted this era. The 100th anniversary of the
Grey Cup had the highest ever television ratings for a
championship game in English Canada.[13]

During the 2000s the CFL had the third highest per-game
attendance of any North American sports league and the
seventh highest per-game attendance of any sports league
worldwide. A 2006 survey conducted at the University of
Lethbridge confirmed that the CFL was the second most
popular sports league in Canada, with the following of 19% of
the total adult Canadian population compared to 30% for the
NHL. The NFL had 11% following, with a total of 26%
following at least one of the pro football leagues. In other
words, approximately 80% of Canadian football fans follow
the CFL, and about 55% follow the NFL.[14] With the absence
of Ottawa from 2006 to 2013, league attendance hovered
around the 2 million mark. It stood at 2,029,875 in 2012 for a
single game average of 28,193.[15] The 2007 season was a
recent high point with average game attendance of 29,167,
the best since 1983.[16]

During Mark Cohon's time in office many of the teams either

undertook major renovations to their existing stadiums, or
constructed brand new stadiums. The Montreal Alouettes
were the first to undertake this project, adding 5,000 seats to
Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in time for the 2010 CFL
season.[17] The Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders
also renovated their respective stadiums and facilities for the
2010 season.[18] In 2011, the BC Lions played under a new,
retractable roof in BC Place after spending one and a half
seasons at Empire Field.[19] In 2013, the Winnipeg Blue
Bombers moved to Investors Group Field, now known as
Princess Auto Stadium, an entirely new stadium at the
University of Manitoba. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats began using
their new stadium, Tim Hortons Field, after spending 2013 at
University of Guelph's stadium and the first half of the 2014
season at McMaster University's football field following the
demolition of the iconic Ivor Wynne Stadium.[20]

In 2014 the Ottawa Redblacks kicked off their inaugural

season (having been awarded a franchise in 2008[21]),
becoming the third Ottawa franchise in CFL history. The new
Ottawa franchise returned the league to a nine-team
structure, with five teams in the West Division and four in the
East; the Winnipeg Blue Bombers moved back to the West
Division.[22] The expansion Ottawa Redblacks played at the
massively renovated Frank Clair Stadium, now branded as TD
Place Stadium.[23]

In Mark Cohon's last year as commissioner he negotiated a

new five-year collective bargaining agreement (from 2014
through the 2018 season) between the CFL and the Canadian
Football League Players' Association (CFLPA).[24]

Jeffrey Orridge era (2015–2017)

The Toronto Argonauts entered a period of transition off the
field, with new ownership and a new stadium. The Argonauts
were sold by politician/businessman David Braley to Bell
Media and MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum.[25] At the start
of the 2016 season the Argos moved to BMO Field after more
than twenty seasons at the Rogers Centre (formerly called the
SkyDome from 1989 to 2005).[26] Construction on the New
Mosaic Stadium for the Saskatchewan Roughriders was
completed in October 2016[27] and the first game was played
in the 2017 season.[28]

In 2015, Michael Sam signed a two-year contract with

Montreal Alouettes of the CFL,[29][30] becoming the first
openly gay player in the league's history.[30] Sam left the
team the day before the first preseason game, citing personal
reasons.[31] As reported by Fox Sports, Sam returned to
Montreal to continue his professional football career.[32] He
left again on August 14, this time permanently, again citing
personal reasons.
Immediately following the 2015 season Jeffrey Orridge
announced a re-branding for the CFL, including a new logo,
motto, uniforms for all nine teams and website.[33] After not
having a drug enforcement policy in effect for the 2015
season the league and the CFLPA agreed to a new drug
policy.[34] In 2017, the Board of Governors and Jeffrey
Orridge agreed to part ways, effective June 30, 2017; Orridge
cited "differing views on the future of the league" between
him and the Board of Governors for the departure, with both
sides stating the decision was mutual and amicable.[35] His
last day as commissioner was June 15, 2017.[36] Jim Lawson,
the CFL's Chair of the Board of Governors, took over the
duties of interim Commissioner until a suitable replacement
was found.[37]

Randy Ambrosie era (2017–2025)

On July 5, 2017, Randy Ambrosie succeeded Orridge as CFL
commissioner.[38][39] Having spent nine seasons as a player
with the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts and
Edmonton Eskimos from 1985 to 1993, Ambrosie is the first
commissioner to have played in the league since Larry Smith
left the position in 1997.

On September 12, 2018, it was announced that Buffalo, New

York–based New Era Cap Company would become the official
apparel supplier of the CFL beginning in 2019, replacing
Adidas.[40]

In October 2018, the CFL began focusing marketing

internationally again after the unsuccessful expansion into
the United States during the 1990s, with Ambrosie's plan
being called CFL 2.0.[41] Ambrosie partnered with the
Professional American Football League of Mexico (LFA) for
player development, as part of the league's plan to expand
globally.[42][43][44] Ambrosie also later announced a special
edition of the CFL Combine to be held in 2019 in Mexico for
Mexican players, which was held on January 13, 2019.[45]
Ambroise said he wished the combine in Mexico to become
annual, and that a combine could be held in Europe.[45] On
January 14, 2019, the league held a draft of LFA and Mexican
university players[46] where wide receiver Diego Viamontes
was the first pick, selected by the Edmonton Eskimos.[47] The
CFL announced in February 2019 that German and French
football players from the German Football League and the
Fédération française de football américain [fr] would
participate in the CFL national combine.[48][49] Throughout
early 2019, Ambrosie actively travelled Europe forming
partnerships between the CFL and top-level European
American football leagues and associations, specifically
Germany (GFL), Austria (AFL), France (FFFA), the Nordic
countries (NL, VL, SS and NAFL) and Italy (IFL).[50][51][52] By
January 2020 football leagues from 13 countries had signed
partnerships with the CFL,[53] these partnerships included
mutual exchanging of players and coaches[54] with leagues
like the Mexican LFA holding reserved roster spots for
Canadians with up to 25 playing in the league's 2020
season.[55] In February 2020, the CFL expanded its global
alliance system, welcoming the Japanese X-League, generally
regarded the third-best professional gridiron league in the
world.[56] This coincided with the CFL announcing that its
global combine in 2020 with new rules, including two
designated active-roster international players and three
practice-squad international players with as many as 45
global players in the league.[57]

The league took over operations of the Montreal Alouettes

prior to the 2019 season after Robert C. Wetenhall, the
league's last non-Canadian owner, surrendered the franchise
to the league in May.[58] The Alouettes found new ownership
in January 2020 in Crawford Steel executives Sid Spiegel and
Gary Stern, whose holding company S and S Sportsco would
oversee the team.[59]

On August 17, 2020, the CFL cancelled its 2020 season after
coronavirus-related social distancing mandates and travel
restrictions imposed in most of Canada prevented the league
from selling tickets and the league was unable to secure a
bailout from the federal government to cover any losses.[60]
It was the first cancelled season in the league's history, and
the first year without a Grey Cup championship since the
canceled 1916–1919 seasons. The league returned in 2021,
playing a shortened 14-game schedule which began that
August, with the season concluding with the Grey Cup game
in December for the first time since 1972.[61][62] On March
10, 2021, the then-on hiatus XFL entered into talks with the
CFL over the possibility of a future collaboration;[63] these
discussions were called off four months later with nothing
coming of them.[64]

On August 29, 2022, Gary Stern of the Montreal Alouettes

stepped away from day-to-day operations with the club and
resigned from his role with the Canadian Football League's
board of governors, effective immediately.[65] On February
14, 2023, the ownership of the Alouettes was transferred
back to the CFL.[66] Mario Cecchini was appointed as the
interim president while the league sought to finalize a sale to
new ownership.[67] On March 10, Quebec media mogul and
former Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau purchased
the team.[68] On April 11, 2024, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
announced league record revenue of $50.5 million and
operating profit of $5.7 million.[69]

On October 26, 2024, Ambrosie announced his intention to

retire from the commissioner's role in 2025, once a successor
is found.[70] Ambrosie had allegedly lost a vote of confidence
among the league's owners the day prior, a report that
neither the league nor Ambrosie would confirm nor deny.[71]

Stewart Johnston era (2025–present)

On April 2, 2025, TSN president Stewart Johnston was
announced as Ambrosie's successor, officially assuming the
role on April 24, 2025.[72]

On September 22, 2025, the CFL announced future rule

changes to be implemented over the next two seasons,
particularly to the playing surface and the scoring of a rouge.
These changes include moving the goal posts from the goal
line to the back of the end zone, shortening the end zone
from 20 to 15 yards and the field from 110 to 100 yards,
implementing a new 35-second play clock that will
automatically begin as soon as the previous play is whistled
dead, having team benches on opposite sides of the field, and
scoring a rouge only if the ball isn't advanced out of the end
zone. The field changes are scheduled to occur in 2027, while
all other rules will begin in 2026.[73] The changes were met
with criticism from some, notably from Canadian quarterback
Nathan Rourke who called them "garbage",[74] while some
feared the rules will make the sport too "American" and look
similar to the NFL.[75]

Teams
LionsStampedersElksRoughridersBlue
BombersTiger-CatsArgonautsRedblacksAlouettes
Active CFL teams
Division Team City Stadium Capacity Founded
(lineage) Head coach General manager Owner
Chairperson
East Hamilton Tiger-Cats Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton Stadium 24,000 1950 (1869)[a] Scott
Milanovich Vacant Hamilton Sports Group[76]
Bob Young
Montreal Alouettes Montreal, Quebec Percival Molson
Memorial Stadium 20,025 1996 (1946)[b] Jason Maas
Danny Maciocia Pierre Karl Péladeau[78]
Ottawa Redblacks Ottawa, Ontario TD Place Stadium
24,000 2014 (1876)[c] Ryan Dinwiddie Ottawa
Sports and Entertainment Group
[79] Roger Greenberg
Toronto Argonauts Toronto, Ontario BMO Field
25,000 1873[80] Vacant Michael Clemons Maple Leaf
Sports & Entertainment
[81] Larry Tanenbaum
West BC Lions Vancouver, British Columbia BC Place
54,320 1954 Buck Pierce Ryan Rigmaiden
Amar Doman[82]
Calgary Stampeders Calgary, Alberta McMahon Stadium
35,400 1945 Dave Dickenson Calgary Sports and
Entertainment N. Murray Edwards
Edmonton Elks Edmonton, Alberta Commonwealth
Stadium 56,302 1949 (1911)[d] Mark Kilam
Ed Hervey Deb Thompson[85]
Saskatchewan Roughriders Regina, Saskatchewan
Mosaic Stadium 33,350 1910[e] Corey Mace
Jeremy O'Day Publicly owned[f] Wayne Morsky
Winnipeg Blue Bombers Winnipeg, Manitoba Princess
Auto Stadium 33,234 1930 (1887)[g] Mike
O'Shea Kyle Walters Winnipeg Football Club[h]
Dayna Spiring
Notes

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were created in 1950 as a merger

between the Hamilton Tigers (founded in 1869 as the
Hamilton Football Club)[6] and the Hamilton Wildcats
(founded in 1941).
The CFL considers the current Montreal Alouettes franchise
to be a continuation of the original Montreal Alouettes
(founded 1946, played in the CFL 1958–1981) and Montreal
Concordes (founded 1982, renamed the Montreal Alouettes in
1986, folded just before the 1987 season).[77] However this
does not include the Montreal Football Club that was formed
in 1872, and joined the IRFU in 1907–1915, and the Montreal
AAA Winged Wheelers, who played in the IRFU during the
1930s and 40s, winning the Grey Cup in 1931. While the
current incarnation of the Alouettes inherited many of the
players and staff of the Baltimore Stallions, the CFL considers
the Stallions a separate entity.
All Ottawa clubs including the previous Rough Riders (1876–
1996) and Renegades (2002–2006) are combined with the
current Redblacks for historical consistency only, even
though the CFL considers them separate clubs.
 While football in Edmonton was first played in 1890,[83] the
Edmonton Elks (in their current incarnation) recognize their
first season in 1949.[84] This was further evidenced by the
"60 seasons" decals worn on their helmets during the 2008
season.
Became the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially in 1950,
after the team became the only pro football team left in the
province in 1948. The Roughriders were originally called the
Regina Rugby Football club from 1910 to 1924. then called
the Regina Roughriders from 1925 to 1949.
Operated as nonprofit organization with ≤12,074
shareholders, as of 2019.[86]
Created by a merger of the Winnipegs and the St. John's team
on June 10, 1930, and became known as the "Winnipeg Pegs"
before changing to the current name, Blue Bombers, in
1937.[87]
Operated as nonprofit organization without shareholders.
Defunct CFL teams
Team City Stadium Years active
Baltimore FC / Baltimore Stallions Baltimore, Maryland
Memorial Stadium 1994–1995[a]
Birmingham Barracudas Birmingham, Alabama
Legion Field 1995
Las Vegas Posse Las Vegas, Nevada Sam Boyd Silver Bowl
1994
Memphis Mad Dogs Memphis, Tennessee Liberty
Bowl Memorial Stadium 1995
Montreal Alouettes (1) Montreal, Quebec Autostade
& Olympic Stadium 1946–1981
Montreal Concordes / Alouettes (2) 1982–1987
Ottawa Rough Riders Ottawa, Ontario Frank Clair
Stadium 1876–1996
Ottawa Renegades 2002–2005
Sacramento Gold Miners Sacramento, California
Hornet Stadium 1993–1994
San Antonio Texans (2) San Antonio, Texas
Alamodome 1995[b]
Shreveport Pirates Shreveport, Louisiana
Independence Stadium 1994–1995
Proposed and disbanded CFL teams
Team City Planned debut Result of proposal
Proposed London team London, Ontario 1974
[c][88]
Atlantic Schooners (1) Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
1984 [d]
San Antonio Texans (1) San Antonio, Texas 1993
[b]
Proposed Mississippi team Jackson, Mississippi1995
[e][89][90]
Miami Manatees Miami, Florida 1995 [f]
Proposed Houston team Houston, Texas 1996
[g]
Norfolk Pirates/Hampton Roads Pirates Norfolk, Virginia, or
Hampton, Virginia 1996 [h][91]
Proposed second Shreveport team Shreveport, Louisiana
1996 [i][92]
Proposed Milwaukee team Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1996 [j][93]
Proposed Quebec City team Quebec City, Quebec
2006 [k]
Atlantic Schooners (2) Halifax, Nova Scotia, or
Moncton, New Brunswick 2021 [l][94]
Notes

Franchise folded after the 1995 season. Owner and most

players moved to the revived Montreal Alouettes in 1996; the
league considers the Stallions a separate franchise from the
Alouettes.
The San Antonio Texans (1) formed in 1993, but folded
before playing a game. The San Antonio Texans (2) were the
former Sacramento Gold Miners, who relocated to San
Antonio in 1995.
An unknown investment group attempted an expansion bid
and the CFL quoted a price of CA$2,700,000 for a team. It is
unknown for what reasons this team never began play. This
team would likely have been a continuation of the ORFU
London Lords, which ultimately folded the same year.
Venture was abandoned due to a failed financing plan for a
new stadium.
While numerous locations (including Milwaukee and Los
Angeles) had been discussed as a home for a potential
relocation of the Las Vegas Posse, Jackson, Mississippi, came
the closest to fruition: it had hired a coach and general
manager and was included on early drafts of the 1995
schedule before the corporation that owned the Posse raised
the price unexpectedly to more than could be justified just as
the new owner was about to buy the team.
After exploring multiple cities to relocate the Las Vegas
Posse, Miami was chosen. However, the league suspended all
US operations before the team could ever take the field. Both
the Mississippi and the Miami teams were to use the franchise
of the Las Vegas Posse. Mississippi was included on the 1995
draft schedule, but disagreements with the Posse's ownership
led to the sale falling through. The Miami ownership group
would have put the franchise back onto the field in 1996, but
the league withdrew from the United States prior to the 1996
season.
After most US CFL franchises folded, the Baltimore Stallions
considered relocating to Houston; league pressure led
Stallions ownership to reactivate the then-dormant Montreal
Alouettes instead.
After two seasons in Shreveport, posting an 8–28 record,
Shreveport Pirates owner Lonie Glieberman intended to
relocate the team to Virginia. There, he agreed to rename
them the Hampton Roads Pirates or Norfolk Pirates if the city
paid $400,000 for stadium renovations. Local politicians
declined Glieberman's request upon learning that he had
lawsuits pending in Louisiana.
Investment group Ark-LA-Tex Football Association had
prepared to purchase the Birmingham Barracudas for
$750,000 and relocate them to Shreveport, replacing the
former Pirates; however, the CFL cancelled its US expansion
before the relocation could take place.
As the Las Vegas Posse looked for a place to relocate the
floundering franchise, Milwaukee, backed by real estate
developer Marvin Fishman and original owner of the
Milwaukee Bucks looked to bring a CFL team to the city. The
bid saw then CFL Commissioner Larry Smith giving a press
conference at Milwaukee County Stadium, but the proposal
fell through when the CFL suspended its US operations.
As the Ottawa Renegades' financial woes became apparent, a
business group from Quebec City emerged attempting to
relocate the team to their city. The venture was ultimately
abandoned and the franchise was suspended by the league
and later sold to Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.
Committed to by the league in 2021. In 2023 Schooners
Sports and Entertainment abandoned its involvement in
pursuing a team for Atlantic Canada.
Timeline

Note: team franchise history is listed as it is recognized by

the CFL in its publication CFL Guide & Record Book
(2025).[95]

Season structure

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo looks down

field with the ball during the 2005 Grey Cup game against the
Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place.
Since 2022, the CFL season has included:

A two-game, three-week exhibition season (or pre-season) in

late May to early June
An 18-game, 21-week regular season running from early June
to late October
A six-team, three-week single elimination playoff tournament
beginning in early November and culminating in the Grey Cup
championship in late November. Championship teams will
play either two or three playoff games, including the Grey
Cup game, depending on their standing at the end of the
regular season. The division leaders at the end of the regular
season receive byes in the first round of the playoffs.
Preseason
Team training camps open 28 days prior to the first regular
season game of the season, a camp solely devoted to first
year players is allowed the three days before the main camp
opens. The pre-season exhibition schedule is two weeks long
with each team playing two games against teams from its
own division.

Regular season
The regular season is 21 weeks long, with games beginning in
early June and finishing by late October. With 18 regular
season games being played, each team gets three bye weeks.
The CFL's nine current teams are divided into two divisions:
the East Division with four teams and the West Division, with
five teams.

From the 1986 season until the COVID-19 pandemic (other

than during the U.S. expansion when the league had twelve
and thirteen teams) each team played two games against each
of the other eight teams, plus two or four additional
divisional games with opponents rotating each season. This
format was changed when the league resumed play in 2021 to
create a greater emphasis on divisional play. Under the
eighteen game format, each Eastern team played ten games
within their division and eight games against Western
opponents, thus playing two of the Western teams once (one
at home and one on the road) and the other three Western
teams twice, while playing two Eastern opponents three times
and one division rival four times. Three of the Western teams
played each division rival three times, two Eastern teams
twice and two Eastern teams once. The remaining two
Western teams played three of the Eastern opponents twice
and one of the Eastern opponents once, while playing each
other twice and the other Western teams three times. The CFL
returned to the previous more balanced format beginning in
the 2024 season.[96]

The most popular featured week in the CFL season is the

Labour Day Classic, played over the course of the Labour Day
weekend, where the matchups feature the first half of
home-and-home series between the traditional geographic
rivalries of Toronto–Hamilton (a rivalry which began in
1873[6]), Edmonton–Calgary (see Battle of Alberta),
Winnipeg–Saskatchewan, and Ottawa–Montreal. In years that
Ottawa or Montreal were not in the league, BC played against
one of these teams.[97] The following week's rematch of
these games is a popular event as well, especially in recent
years, where the rematch of the Saskatchewan–Winnipeg
game has been dubbed the Banjo Bowl.

Other features of the regular season schedule are the Hall of

Fame Game and the Thanksgiving Day Classic, the one or two
games held on Thanksgiving where the match ups usually do
not feature traditional rivalries. From 2010 to 2013, a neutral
site regular season game was played in Moncton under the
name Touchdown Atlantic. The neutral site games returned
in 2019 and were also played in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

The league awards points based on regular season results

(much like in most ice hockey leagues, but unlike the NFL,
which strictly uses winning percentages to determine their
standings; two points are awarded for a win, one for a tie and
none for a loss). As of the 2021 season, in the event two or
more teams in a division finish the season with the same
number of points, the tie is broken based on the following
criteria (in descending order), with coin tosses used if all such
tie-breaker steps fail:[98]

Number of wins in all games;

Winning percentage in games between the tied teams;
Net aggregate of points scored (i.e. total points scored less
total points conceded) between the tied teams;
Net quotient of points scored (i.e. total points scored divided
by total points conceded) between the tied teams;
Winning percentage in divisional games;
Net aggregate of points scored in divisional games;
Net quotient of points scored in divisional games;
Net aggregate of points scored in all games;
Net quotient of points scored in all games.
Playoffs
The playoffs take place in November. After the regular
season, the top team from each division has an automatic
home berth in the division final, and a bye week during the
division semifinal. The second-place team from each division
hosts the third-place team in the division semifinal, unless a
fourth-place team from one division finishes with a better
record than a third place team in the other (this provision is
known as the crossover rule, and while it implies that it is
possible for two teams in the same division to play for the
Grey Cup, only five crossover teams have won a semifinal
since the rule's 1996 inception, and none of them have
advanced to the Grey Cup). The winners of each division's
semifinal game then travel to play the first place teams in the
division finals. The two division champions then face each
other in the Grey Cup game, which has been held on the third
Sunday of November since 2022. In 2021, the game was
played in December, which was the first time this had
happened since 1972.

Grey Cup

The Grey Cup

Main article: List of Grey Cup champions
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the
CFL and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious
team. The Grey Cup is the second-oldest trophy in North
American professional sports, after the Stanley Cup. The Grey
Cup game is hosted in one of the league's member cities. In
recent years, it has been hosted in a different city every year,
selected two or more years in advance. The Toronto
Argonauts have won the most Grey Cups with 19 wins total,
most recently in 2024. In 2013, the Grey Cup was won at
home for the third consecutive time (by the Saskatchewan
Roughriders), which had not been done since Toronto won at
home from 1945 to 1947. In 2016, the Grey Cup was won on
the natural grass turf of BMO Field by the Ottawa Redblacks
beating the heavily favoured Calgary Stampeders 39–33 in
overtime; the first Grey Cup championship for any Ottawa
CFL team in 40 years.

As the country's single largest annual sporting event, the

Grey Cup has long served as an unofficial Canadian autumn
festival generating national media coverage and a large
amount of revenue for the host city.[5] Many fans travel from
across the country to attend the game and the week of
festivities that lead up to it.

Since 2015, the Grey Cup game's presenting sponsor is Shaw

Communications.[99]

Awards
Following the Grey Cup game, the Grey Cup Most Valuable
Player and Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian are selected. A
number of league individual player awards, such as the Most
Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player,
are awarded annually at a special ceremony in the host city
during the week before the Grey Cup game; this ceremony is
broadcast nationally on TSN. The Annis Stukus Trophy, also
known as the Coach of the Year Award, is awarded separately
at a banquet held during the off-season each February. While
the CFL has not held an all-star game since 1988, an All-Star
Team is selected and honoured at the league awards
ceremony during Grey Cup week.

Broadcasting
See also: List of Grey Cup broadcasters
The CFL Championship game, the Grey Cup, previously held
the record for the largest television audience in Canadian
history. Television coverage on CBC, CTV and Radio-Canada
of the 1983 Grey Cup attracted a viewing audience of
8,118,000 people[citation needed] as Toronto edged B.C. 18–
17, ending a 31-year championship drought for the
Argonauts. At the time, this represented 33% of the Canadian
population.[citation needed] This has since been surpassed by
the 2002 and 2010 Men's Olympic Gold Medal Hockey
Game.[citation needed]

Canadian broadcasters
The Canadian Football Network was the league's broadcaster
from 1987 to 1990.[100][101] Since TSN became the league's
exclusive broadcast partner in 2009, Paul Graham produced
coverage for all Grey Cup games until 2024.[102][101]

TSN's French-language network RDS broadcasts Montreal

Alouettes games for the Quebec television market.[103][failed
verification] Games are typically scheduled for Thursday to
Saturday evenings during June, July and August, but switch to
more Saturday and Sunday afternoon games during
September and October.[104] TSN has created a tradition of at
least one Friday night game each week, branded as Friday
Night Football. CBC and TSN drew record television audiences
for CFL broadcasts in 2005.[105] The 2006 season was the
first season in which every regular-season game was
televised, as the league implemented an instant replay
challenge system.[106] In 2006, the CFL also began offering
pay-per-view webcasts of every game on CFL Broadband.[107]
Until the end of the 2007 season, CBC and RDS were the
exclusive television broadcasters for all playoff games,
including the Grey Cup, which regularly draws a Canadian
viewing audience in excess of 4 million.[108]

In 2008, the CFL began a new, five-year television deal with

CTVglobemedia. Valued at $16 million per-year, it gave TSN
and RDS exclusive rights to all CFL games, including the
playoffs and Grey Cup.[5] In March 2013, TSN exercised an
option to extend its contract through 2018. In 2015, the deal
was extended for an additional three years, along with
exclusive Grey Cup rights for Bell Media Radio stations.[109]

In June 2024, Bell Media announced that CTV would

broadcast TSN-produced 2024 season coverage on digital
terrestrial television, including a late-season package of
exclusive 3 p.m. ET games beginning on September 7,
continuing with playoff coverage of the East Division, and
concluding with a simulcast of the 111th Grey Cup; returning
the CFL to over-the-air television for the first time since
2007.[110] As of 2024, the CFL's agreement with TSN, CTV
and RDS runs through the 2026 CFL season.[111]

Foreign coverage
In 2013, the CFL announced that its U.S. broadcast rights
would return to the ESPN Networks for the 2013 season, with
five games airing on ESPN2, and 55 airing on ESPN3.[112] This
agreement was renewed in 2014 for five years, the same
length as the TSN deal (ESPN holds a stake in TSN), with a
stipulation that at least 17 games would be carried on ESPN2
(or another ESPN network, such as ESPN or ESPNEWS) each
season, including the Grey Cup; this gives ESPN exclusive CFL
rights during this time frame. Originally ESPN3 carried all
games not carried on one of the linear channels online, later
ESPN moved those games to ESPN+.[113][114][115][116]

ESPN has had a long relationship with the CFL; the channel
broadcast its first CFL game on July 9, 1980, when the
network was only 10 months old.[117]

On April 27, 2023, CBS Sports Network announced a

multi-year broadcasting rights deal with the league, becoming
the U.S. TV rightsholder to the league; the channel broadcast
34 CFL games during the first three months of the 2023
season.[118] CBSSN's 2024 broadcast package consisted of
the majority of June, July, and August games, and the Labour
Day and Thanksgiving Day Classics.

ESPN Brasil began broadcasting CFL games live in Brazil in

2015, as a result of the growth of the NFL and college football
fan base in Brazil.[119] BT Sport, which has a licensing
partnership with ESPN, has also carried CFL games in Britain
and Ireland since 2015.[120]

In June 2019, the CFL signed a broadcast deal with MVS

Comunicaciones to broadcast one game a week in Mexico on
MVS TV.[121]

Previous broadcasting arrangements

Canada

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The public broadcaster CBC Television, which held a
monopoly on Canadian television until 1961, held Canadian
professional football broadcast rights beginning the year of
its debut, 1952. The private, commercial CTV network was
created in 1961 in part because Toronto businessman John
W. H. Bassett had won the television rights to the Eastern
Football Conference, and needed an outlet to air the games.
From 1962 through 1986, CBC and CTV shared CFL
broadcasting rights. They split playoff games and simulcast
the Grey Cup. In 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1970, CTV
commentators were used for the dual network telecast, while
in 1963, 1964, 1966 and 1969, the CBC's announcers were
provided. From 1971 through 1986, one network's crew
called the first half while the other called the other half. After
the 1986 season, CTV dropped coverage of the CFL and the
Grey Cup. From 1987 through 1990, the CFL operated its own
syndicated network, CFN. Like CTV, CFN split playoff games
with CBC. However, CFN had completely separate coverage of
the Grey Cup, utilizing its own production and
commentators. From 1991 to 2007, all post-season games had
been exclusively on CBC; beginning in 2008, the Grey Cup and
all other CFL games are exclusive to cable TV on TSN,
although the cable provider reserves the right to move the
game to sister network CTV (from 2008 to 2023, it had never
done so, opting to broadcast that Sunday's NFL games on CTV
instead.)

United States
The predecessor to the CFL's East Division, the IRFU, had a
television contract with NBC in 1954 that provided far more
coverage than the NFL's existing contract with DuMont. NBC
aired games on Saturday afternoons, competing against
college football broadcasts on CBS and ABC. The revenue
from the contract allowed the IRFU to directly compete
against the NFL for players in the late 1950s, setting up a
series of CFL games in the United States beginning in 1958
and a series of interleague exhibitions beginning in 1959.
Interest in the CFL in the United States faded dramatically
after the debut of the American Football League in 1960.[122]

In 1982, during a players' strike in the NFL, NBC broadcast

CFL games in the United States in lieu of the NFL games
which were cancelled; the first week of broadcasts featured
the NFL on NBC broadcast teams, before a series of blowout
games on the network and the resulting low ratings resulted
in NBC cutting back and eventually cancelling its CFL
coverage after only a few weeks. ESPN host Chris Berman
became a fan of the game in the early days of ESPN, when the
network first aired CFL games, and continues to cover the
Canadian league on-air.[123] The now-defunct FNN-SCORE
(unrelated to the Canadian cable network formerly known as
The Score [now Sportsnet 360]) carried games in the late
1980s. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, SportsChannel
America carried games, using CBC Television, CFN and TSN
feeds. In 1993, several SportsChannel Pacific-produced games
that were part of the Sacramento Gold Miners' local package
were also shown nationally.

Beginning in 1994, with now four US-based teams in the

league, ESPN reached a four-year deal with the league to
produce and air two games per week and all post-season
games on its fledgling ESPN2. They also put some games on
the main network to fill broadcast time vacated by the 1994–
95 Major League Baseball strike. The 1994 and 1995 Grey
Cups were shown live on ESPN2 and then re-aired on ESPN
the following day, leading into the network's Monday Night
Countdown show. ESPN's on-air talent included a mix of the
network's American football broadcasters and established
CFL broadcasters from Canada. Most of the US-based teams
also had deals with local carriers to show games that were
not covered in the national package. Though there were no US
teams in the league after 1995, ESPN2 continued showing
games until 1997, albeit on a much lighter schedule.

The now-defunct America One network held CFL broadcast

rights in the United States from 2001 to 2009 and aired a
majority of the league's games.[124] Until the 2007 season,
America One syndicated CFL games to regional sports
networks like Altitude, NESN, and MASN; these were
discontinued in 2008, mainly because America One and the
CFL were able to reach a deal only days before the season
began, not allowing the network time to establish agreements
with individual RSNs. The Grey Cup aired on Versus on
November 22, 2008, with a replay the next day on America
One. From 2006 through the 2008 season, Friday Night
Football was carried exclusively on World Sport HD in the
United States; however, due to the January 2009 shutdown of
that channel's parent company, Voom HD Networks, America
One reclaimed those rights.

NFL Network took over the league broadcast contract in 2010.

For the 2010 season, the network carried 14 games, no more
than one each week.[125] For 2011, the network increased its
output to two games each week.[126] NFL Network declined
to continue its coverage after the 2011 season.[127] It offered
to pick up another package in 2019 on the condition that the
league change its schedule to not directly compete with the
NFL regular season,[128] something that the CFL stated needs
to be negotiated with the players' union.[129]

In late July 2012, NBC Sports Network acquired rights to the

CFL for the remainder of the 2012 season. The NBCSN deal
included nine regular season games starting August 27
(including Labour Day Classic games) and all the
playoffs.[130] NBC Sports renewed their agreement with the
CFL for the 2013 season.[131]

ESPN regained the U.S. CFL broadcast rights in 2014, airing

games until 2022.[115][132]

The European ESPN America network carried a collection of

CFL games as part of its lineup until the network shut down
in 2013.

Internet
There are no blackout restrictions on radio broadcasts of CFL
games, while TSN streams all games online for authenticated
subscribers to participating television providers.

The majority of games not on ESPN television channels are

streamed in the United States via the subscription service
ESPN+.[133]

In 2017, the league announced a partnership with Yare Media

to offer subscription streaming packages in 130 international
territories.[134]

In 2023, the league announced the creation of CFL+, which

made free, live streaming of every regular-season game
available to all international viewers outside of the United
States and Canada; for those in the United States, all games
not being carried on CBS Sports Network were similarly
available.[135] In 2024, the league expanded functionality of
CFL+ to include video on demand for up to 48 hours after the
game and coverage of the league's preseason matches by
combining in-stadium video feeds with local radio
play-by-play and commentary.[136]

In recent years, games have been available on TSN streaming

platforms, starting in 2014 with the TSN GO app and [Link],
which required users to sign-in with a cable
provider.[137][138] In 2018, TSN Direct was launched, which
allowed fans to stream games without a cable
subscription.[139] In 2024, TSN+ started a data enhanced
feed which features an augmented livestream version of the
broadcast.[140]

Radio
CFL teams have individual local broadcast contracts with
terrestrial radio stations for regular season and playoff
games, while TSN Radio owns the rights to the Grey Cup.[103]
In 2006, Sirius Satellite Radio gained exclusive rights for
North American CFL satellite radio broadcasts and broadcast
25 CFL games per season, including the Grey Cup, through
2008.[141] Sirius later extended its radio coverage through
2010,[142][143] after which it merged with former rival XM
Radio Canada to form Sirius XM Canada. The merged
broadcaster continues to air CFL games, and as of 2022, is
contracted to air the CFL until the 2023 season.[needs
update] English language broadcasts of every CFL game air on
Canada Talks, with French-language broadcasts of the
Montreal Alouettes broadcast on Influence Franco.[144]

Players and compensation

Salary cap (2025)
According to the new collective bargaining agreement, the
2025 salary cap was scheduled to be set at $5,650,000.
However, on February 5, 2025, the league announced that the
salary cap would grow by $412,365 to reach $6,062,365 (or
$134,719 per active roster spot).[145] The increase was driven
by the revenue growth sharing model which first went into
effect in 2024, but this was the first year that it impacted the
salary cap. The cap excludes unlimited non-football related
services payments and preseason and playoff bonus money.
The minimum player salary will be set at $70,000, which
remains unchanged since 2023. It was reported that the
revenue growth was not determined until the last week of
January and the CFL Player's Association was required to
determine how they wanted the money applied, with options
including increases to the salary cap, playoff bonuses,
training camp stipends, and pension contributions. The
timing of the announcement was questionable since the free
agency negotiating window had begun three days prior with
teams operating with the old salary cap figure. CFLPA
executive director David Mackie stated, "A reported
$18-million boost in league revenues triggered the cap
increase. The current collective bargaining agreement
between the league and union, reached in 2022, contains a
revenue-sharing formula."[146]

Salary cap (2024)

According to the collective bargaining agreement, the 2024
salary cap was at least CA$5,585,000 (or CA$124,111 per
active roster spot).[147][148] This was the first season that
players received revenue sharing, which was set at 25% for
the 2024 season (or cap increase of 2.78% for every dollar
increase).[clarification needed][147] The salary cap is officially
announced in late April every year as well as fines from the
previous year. As was the case in 2023, the minimum player
salary was set at CA$70,000.[147][148]

CFL operations cap (2024)

As of the 2024 season, CFL teams have a CA$2,500,000
operations caps which limits the number of people per team
drawing salaries for football operations to 11 coaches and 25
total people in total. That includes the general manager as
well as scouts, video personnel, and equipment staff.[149] For
the 2025 season, the CFL Maximum Salary Expenditure Cap
(SEC) is $6.062 million per team, a $412,365 increase over the
minimum required increase in 2025. A schedule for the
annual increases to the cap is laid out in the CBA.[150]

Historical player compensation and revenue

The CFLPA agreed to include a provision allowing the CFL to
enforce a salary cap in the 2002 Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA),[151] but the league began enforcing it only
from the 2007 season ($4.05 million per team) onward. The
cap was raised to $4.2 million in the 2008 season and
remained at that level for 2009.[152] Financial penalties for
teams that breach the cap are set at $1 to $1 for the first
$100,000 over, $2 to $1 for $100,000 to $300,000 over, and
$3 to $1 for $300,000 and above. Penalties could also include
forfeited draft picks.[153] On June 29, 2010, a new collective
bargaining agreement was ratified that raised the salary cap
to $4.25 million for the 2010 CFL season and continued to
increase by $50,000 each season until 2013.[154] In 2014, a
new CBA was ratified and the salary cap was raised to $5
million per team, with that amount increasing again by
$50,000 each year until 2018.[24] As per the 2019 collective
bargaining agreement, the 2021 salary expenditure cap is
scheduled to be $5,350,000 and with the minimum team
salary set at $4,750,000.[155][156][157]: 90 The salary cap
number was subject to increase as players now have revenue
sharing of 20% from broadcast deals (outside of TSN and
ESPN), but since the league did not play in 2020, the cap
number will likely be static.[156][157]: 90

For 2010, the minimum team salary was set at $3.9 million
while the minimum player salary was set at $42,000.[154]
With the new CBA in 2014, the salary floor was raised to $4.4
million per team with increases of $50,000 per year, and the
minimum salary was raised to $50,000 per year.[24] The
average salary per player in 2014 was CA$96,000.[158] A new
collective bargaining agreement was signed in 2019 that set
the minimum annual player salary at $54,000, with that
number increasing to $65,000 for National and American
players in 2020.[157]: 33 In 2019, Mike Reilly and Bo Levi
Mitchell were the highest paid players in the CFL after signing
contracts in February 2019 for average yearly salaries of over
$700,000.[159] Players designated as global players (see
player designations) are paid the league minimum by rule and
may have a portion of their salary sent back to their original
home league as part of a partnership with the CFL.[160]
Player compensation is not tied to league revenue, which
remains a trade secret. Only the four publicly held teams in
the league reveal their financial information, as those
companies are required to do so under Canadian law. As of
2013, prior to Ottawa's rejoining the league (at which time
Toronto, which is partially owned by a public company, was
still fully private), estimates of the CFL's revenue varied
between $150 million[161] and CA$200 million.[162] As of
2019, five of the CFL's nine teams (including all three
community-owned franchises) are profitable, and four
operate at a loss; those four teams lose more than the five
profitable teams, resulting in a net loss of approximately
CA$20 million overall.[163]

Player designations
Players in the CFL carry nationality designations referring to
their country of origin: Nationals ("a Canadian citizen at the
time of signing his first contract, was classified as a
non-import prior to May 21, 2019, was physically resident in
Canada for an aggregate period of five years prior to reaching
the age of 18, or played football for a minimum of three years
at a U Sports institution, was draft eligible in 2021 at a
minimum, and has graduated with a degree at that
institution"), Americans (non-National and non-Global players,
almost exclusively used for United States citizens), and
Globals (any player who does not hold Canadian or American
citizenship and does not qualify as a National in any other
way).[157]: 44 In prior versions of the CFL CBA and league
rules, National players were known as non-import players and
American players were known as international (2014–2018)
and import (before 2014) players, with the criteria to qualify
as a non-import player being more restrictive.[24] Global
players were introduced in 2019.[157]: 44

National players enter the CFL through the CFL draft or free
agency. Global players enter the CFL in a similar method as
national players, with exclusive drafts held only for eligible
players. American players are typically inducted by way of the
negotiation list: any team can lay unilateral claim to up to 45
players that have never played in the CFL at any given time
(each team must make at least ten of those names public as
of 2018), with no limit on how long a player can be held on
the list and no limit on how old the player must be (thus CFL
teams can claim players not yet eligible for the NFL draft).
Once a player on a negotiation list expresses formal interest
in joining the CFL, that team has up to ten days to offer a
contract (usually a league-minimum, two-year contract) to
retain the player's rights.[164] While the full list of names
league-wide were secret, held from the general public and the
other teams, the negotiation lists for all teams were made
publicly available on the CFL website in July 2025.[165][166]

Roster limits
In 2006, the active roster limit was increased from 40 to 42,
in 2014 it was again increased to 44, and in 2016 was
increased to 46.[24][167][168] An unlimited number of
players may be put on a team's disabled, injured and
suspended lists.

As of 2021, each team must abide by the

National/American/Global ratio rule, which requires teams to
have two quarterbacks, two Global players, and a maximum
of 20 American players (excluding quarterbacks) with a
minimum of 44 total active roster players and a maximum of
45.[167][157]: 69 Each team will also have one player of any
nationality on the reserve roster who receives the benefits of
being on the active roster, but may not play in a
game.[157]: 69

Through the 2018 season, quarterbacks, of which a team was

required to carry three on a roster, were not allowed to be
counted toward the national player requirement nor the
starter requirement, which put Canadian quarterbacks at a
disadvantage compared to other positions in being hired by a
CFL franchise.[167][169] This rule was changed in 2019
whereby teams had two roster spots for quarterbacks and a
third quarterback counted in the ratio.[156][170][155]
Additionally, a National quarterback would be considered one
of the club's National Starting Players as long as he remains
on the field at the quarterback position.[157]: 72

Teams are additionally allowed up to 10 national or

international players (with a minimum of one national if there
are less than seven players or two nationals if there are at
least seven players total) on their practice squad roster and
may expand it to 12 if the team carries the maximum allowed
two global practice squad players, though they are not
required to do so.[153][167][168] Every year, the practice
squad roster is temporarily increased in size to 15 following
the start of the National Football League's season to
accommodate for the influx of cut NFL players.[168] Unlike
players on the active roster, players on the practice squad
may be signed at any time to another team's active roster
without compensation to the player's original team.[168]

Labour representation
CFL players are represented by the Canadian Football League
Players' Association (CFLPA). Each team elects two players to
the CFLPA Board of Player Representatives, which meets once
per year. Every two years, it elects an executive Board of
Directors.[171]

Draft
Further information: CFL draft
Eligible Canadian nationals (usually from U Sports football
domestically or American college football) are drafted by
teams in the annual CFL draft. The draft usually takes place
in May and currently consists of eight rounds. The first two
rounds of the draft are usually shown live on TSN. The CFL
Combine (formerly known as the CFL Evaluation Camp),
similar to the NFL Combine,[172] precedes the draft. A junior
player in the locale of a team may be claimed as a territorial
exemption and sign with that team before beginning
collegiate play (one recent example is when the BC Lions
claimed Andrew Harris).[173] Teams maintain "negotiation
lists" of players they wish to sign as free agents, which give
them exclusive negotiation rights with that player if they wish
to sign in the CFL. Players can be added or removed from
these lists by the team at any time, and their signing rights
can be used in trades.

In addition to the regular draft there the supplemental draft

which provides teams an opportunity to select a player in the
draft in exchange for forfeiting a pick in the next year's
amateur draft. The selection order is done in reverse waiver
priority order.[174] Do be more in depth, the CFL
supplemental draft allows teams to acquire eligible players
who were not selected in the main CFL draft. Teams bid draft
picks for the upcoming season, and the team with the highest
bid wins the player and forfeits their corresponding draft
pick. This process is similar to a bidding war, ensuring teams
can add talent that might not have been available through the
regular draft.[175]

Commissioners
Commissioners
Sydney Halter 1958–1966
Keith Davey 1967
Ted Workman (interim) 1967
Allan McEachern 1967–1968
Jake Gaudaur 1968–1984
Douglas Mitchell 1984–1988
Bill Baker[note 1] 1989
J. Donald Crump[note 2] 1990–1991
Phil Kershaw (interim) 1992
Larry Smith 1992–1997
John Tory1997–2000
Michael Lysko 2000–2002
David Braley (interim) 2002
Tom Wright 2002–2007
Mark Cohon 2007–2015
Jim Lawson (interim) 2015
Jeffrey Orridge 2015–2017
Jim Lawson (interim) 2017
Randy Ambrosie 2017–2025
Stewart Johnston 2025–present
Notes

In 1989, the commissioner role was split into two positions.

Bill Baker held the title of President/Chief Operating Officer.
Roy McMurtry, Q.C. held the position of Chairman/Chief
Executive Officer. When Baker resigned, McMurtry continued
as Chairman and CEO until Crump's appointment but did not
serve as Acting Commissioner.
Between Donald Crump's resignation and Larry Smith's
appointment, Phil Kershaw held the role of chairman but was
not acting commissioner.
Potential future expansion
Potential CFL expansion markets are the Maritimes, Quebec
City, Saskatoon, Kitchener, London, and Windsor, all of which
have been lobbying for Canadian Football League franchises
in recent years.[176][177][178] During the 1970s and 1980s,
Harold Ballard attempted multiple times (albeit all
unsuccessfully) to secure a second CFL team for Toronto
(either by way of expansion or by relocating the Hamilton
Tiger-Cats), under the premise that Canada's largest city
could support two teams.[179]

Maritimes
Since the 1980s, the CFL has occasionally played exhibition
and, later, regular-season games at various cities in the
Maritimes, including Canada Games Stadium in Saint John,
New Brunswick; Huskies Stadium in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and
Moncton Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick. The league
conditionally approved an expansion franchise, the Atlantic
Schooners, for play in the 1984 season, but the team never
made it to play after plans for a stadium collapsed.

No city in the Maritimes has a permanent stadium that meets

CFL standards. As of 2010, the largest stadium in the
Maritimes is Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium, which has 8,300
permanent seats and is expandable to 20,000 with temporary
seats.[180][181] A pre-season game, dubbed Touchdown
Atlantic, was held in Halifax in the 2005 CFL season and
regular season games were played in Moncton under the
same branding in 2010, 2011, and 2013.[182] All 20,000 seats
for the 2010 Moncton game sold out in 32 hours;[183] the
2013 game did not sell out. Former Commissioner Mark
Cohon said that Moncton Stadium would require massive
renovations to host a CFL team permanently. The cost of the
required renovations would be the equivalent of building a
brand-new stadium.[181] In November 2015, the Halifax city
council voted 9–7 against purchasing land that would then be
used to build a 20,000-seat stadium. It was agreed that the
price tag for the land was too much, but the close vote
indicated municipal interest in building a near CFL sized
stadium in Halifax.[184]

Atlantic Schooners revival

See also: Schooners Sports and Entertainment
In November 2017, the CFL conducted further discussions
with a group in Halifax interested in securing a franchise for
the city;[185] the group made a "very credible" pitch to the
CFL head office.[186] According to TSN analyst Dave Naylor
the group named 'Maritime Football Ltd.' consists of Anthony
LeBlanc (former president and CEO of the NHL's Arizona
Coyotes), Bruce Bowser (president of AMJ Campbell Van
Lines) and Gary Drummond (former president of hockey
operations for the Coyotes).[186] In June 2018 the group met
with the Halifax Regional Council in private about plans to
bring a CFL team to Halifax, with the possibility of playing at
Université de Moncton while a stadium in Halifax is being
built.[187][188] Maritime Football Ltd. ownership group
selected a site in Shannon Park, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to
develop a new stadium.[189] The stadium was estimated to
cost between $170 to $190 million, seat 24,000 and have a
business model similar to the Ottawa Redblacks, who entered
the league in 2014.[190] On October 30, 2018, Halifax City
Council unanimously voted in favour of proceeding with a
business case analysis of a stadium in the Halifax
municipality.[191][192] Following this positive momentum,
Maritime Football Ltd. and CFL commissioner Randy
Ambrosie announced that the group would proceed with a
season ticket drive to further gauge interest, and also running
a team name contest in the hopes of making an
announcement on the team name just prior to the 106th Grey
Cup game.[193] The target year for the proposed team to
enter the league was 2021, with the team name including
"Atlantic" in its name, but no franchise was actually awarded
in this announcement.[194][195] Further to the previous
discussions with Moncton and New Brunswick politicians, it
was also suggested that the potential new franchise could
begin play in Moncton while the stadium in Halifax is
built.[195] On November 23, 2018, two days before the 106th
Grey Cup, Maritime Football Ltd., since renamed Schooners
Sports and Entertainment, and commissioner Ambrosie
announced the new team would be called the Atlantic
Schooners.[196] On March 15, 2023, TSN reporter Dave
Naylor revealed that Schooner Sports and Entertainment (SSE)
"is no longer involved in pursuing a team for Atlantic
Canada".[94]

Quebec City
There has been interest in adding a team in Quebec City. In
2003, an exhibition game was held at Telus Stadium between
the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Renegades where
Montreal won 54–23.[197] In 2008, the federal government
rejected a proposal that could have paved the way for a CFL
franchise in Quebec City, saying Ottawa is not in the business
of subsidizing professional sports.[198] The following year in
May 2009, Christina Saint Marche, a British businesswoman,
announced her interest in operating a team in Quebec
City—stating that there would be a natural rivalry with the
Montreal Alouettes.[199] During the 2010 Grey Cup state of
the league news conference, Cohon noted that the Alouettes
hold the rights for the entire province of Quebec and that any
expansion would have to be negotiated with them first.[200]
Another exhibition game was held at Telus Stadium on June
13, 2015, with Ottawa (whose TD Place Stadium was in use by
the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup) hosting Montreal.[201]

Saskatoon
Saskatoon last hosted top-level Canadian football in 1935
when the Regina Roughriders left the Saskatchewan Rugby
Football Union to form the WIFU. The Saskatoon Hilltops
(along with another Saskatchewan-based team, the Moose Jaw
Millers) eventually suspended operations due to World War II;
the Hilltops remained an amateur team when they returned
in 1947 (they have since played in the Canadian Junior
Football League). Saskatoon last won a provincial title in
1921. By the time they resumed play after the war, the
Roughriders had been the dominant team in the province for
two decades.

In early 2012, management at Credit Union Centre publicly

expressed its desire to bring a CFL team to Saskatoon.
However, the Regina-based Saskatchewan Roughriders have
long branded themselves as a province-wide team, and
claimed that the population of Saskatchewan is too small to
support two teams.[176] In any event, Saskatoon also lacks a
suitable outdoor stadium. Its largest, Griffiths Stadium, home
of the University of Saskatchewan's Huskies, seats only 6,171
spectators. The Gordie Howe Bowl, which has hosted CFL
exhibitions in the past, has even fewer seats (it seats 3,950
people). It is unlikely that the CFL will expand to Saskatoon in
the near future unless approval from the Roughriders and the
other ownership groups is obtained first.

Mexico
While not openly being considered for franchise expansion,
Mexico was suggested by Commissioner Randy Ambrosie as a
possible location for neutral site regular season games
(similar to the NFL's Mexico Series) as early as 2019, as well as
potentially partnering with the LFA for player development,
as part of the league's plan to expand globally.[42][43][44]
Ambrosie also later announced a special edition of the CFL
Combine to be held in 2019 in Mexico for Mexican players,
and in 2019, the league held a draft of LFA and Mexican
university players. In March 2019, Commissioner Randy
Ambrosie told the media that after the LFA combine, multiple
parties inquired about purchasing a franchise for Mexico.
Ambrosie reiterated that the league had no intention to
expand internationally at this time.[46]

See also
Sports portal
flag Canada portal
Canadian Football Act
Canadian Football League attendance
List of Canadian Football League mascots
List of Canadian Football League records
List of Canadian Football League seasons
List of Canadian Football League stadiums
List of Grey Cup champions
Major professional sports leagues in the United States and
Canada
Major professional sports teams in the United States and
Canada
Sports in Canada
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
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Further reading
O'Brien, Steve (2005). The Canadian Football League: The
Phoenix of Professional Sports Leagues. Lulu Press. ISBN
978-1-4116-5860-8.
Maher, Tod (2012). The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia:
Every Player, Coach and Game. Maher Sports Media. ISBN
978-0-9835136-3-6.
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