Calgary Stampeders

CFL team
name = Calgary Stampeders
bgcolour = cc092f
fontcolour = white
helmet = CalgaryCFLHelmet.png
founded = 1935
location = Calgary, Alberta, Canada
field = McMahon Stadium
division = West Division
colours = Red, White, Black
color box|#cc092f color box|#FFFFFF color box|#000000
nickname = Stamps, Horsemen
coach = John Hufnagel
manager = John Hufnagel
owner = Tom Forzani, Ted Hellard, Doug Mitchell
championships = 1948, 1971, 1992 1998, 2001
mascot = Ralph the Dog
Quick Six the Touchdown Horse
website = [http://www.stampeders.com www.stampeders.com] The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium. They have won the league's Grey Cup championship five times, most recently in 2001.

Team facts

:Formerly known as: Bronks 1935 to 1944

:Helmet design: red background with a white, running horse

:Uniform colours: Red, Black and White.

:Stadiums: Mewata Stadium (1939-1959), McMahon Stadium (1960-present)

:Western regular season championship: 15 — 1937, 1938, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000

:Northern regular season championship: 1 — 1995

:Grey Cup final appearances: 11 — 1948 (won), 1949 (lost), 1968 (lost), 1970 (lost), 1971 (won), 1991 (lost), 1992 (won), 1995 (lost), 1998 (won), 1999 (lost), 2001 (won)

Grey Cup championships

: Main Rivals: Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders

:2007 Regular Season Record: 7 wins, 10 losses, 1 tie.

Franchise history

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

The Stampeders were officially born on September 29, 1945. In their very first game played on October 22 at Mewata Stadium they beat the Regina Roughriders 12-0 before 4,000 fans in attendance. It would be a taste of success to come that decade under the direction of head coach Les Lear and talented stars such as Woody Strode, Paul Rowe, Keith Spaith, Dave Berry, Normie Kwong and Ezzert "Sugarfoot" Anderson.

1948 would perhaps the greatest season for the Stamps to date, they became the first, and only CFL team as of 2007, to achieve a perfect season with a record of 12-0 that was capped with a Grey Cup victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders at Toronto's Varsity Stadium. It was also that same Grey Cup that Calgary fans brought pageantry to the game and made it into a national celebration, featuring pancake breakfasts on the steps of City Hall, starting the famous Grey Cup parade and even riding horses in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel.

They would return to the Grey Cup the following year (1949), with a sterling 13-1 record but lost to the Montreal Alouettes 28-15 in the title game. It would be 19 years until Calgary once again reached the Grey Cup again, losing 24-21 to Ottawa in the '68 final and not until 1971 when they would be crowned champions, defeating the Toronto Argonauts 14-11.

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

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

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

Players of note

Retired numbers

Canadian Football Hall of Famers

* Willie Burden
* Doug Flutie
* Dean Griffing
* Wayne Harris
* Herman Harrison
* John Helton
* Jerry Keeling
* Earl "The Earthquake" Lunsford
* Don Luzzi
* Tony Pajaczkowski
* Allen Pitts
* Rocco Romano
* Paul Rowe
* Harvey Wylie

Current roster

Notable former players

* Kelvin Anderson
* Danny Barrett
* Johnny Bright
* Fred Childress
* Lovell Coleman
* Marvin Coleman
* Vince Danielsen
* Eagle Day
* Terry Evanshen
* Joe Fleming
* Doug Flutie
* Jeff Garcia
* Darryl Hall
* Wayne Harris
* Larry Hartshorn
* Alondra Johnson
* Will Johnson
* Normie Kwong
* Peter Liske
* Dave Sapunjis
* Pee Wee Smith
* Junior Thurman
* Lou Zivkovich
* Travis Moore

Head Coaches

*Les Lear (1948-1952)
*Bob Snyder (1953)
*Larry Siemering (1954)
*Jack Hennemier (1955)
*Otis Douglas (1956-1960)
*Steve Owen (1960)
*Bobby Dobbs (1961-1964)
*Jerry Williams (1965-1968)
*Jim Duncan (1969-1973)
*Jim Wood (1974-1975)
*Jack Gotta (1976-1979)
*Ardell Wiegandt (1980)
*Jerry Williams (1981)
*Jack Gotta (1982-1983)
*Steve Buratto (1984)
*Bob Vespaziani (1985-1986)
*Lary Kuharich (1987-1989)
*Wally Buono (1990-2002)
*Jim Barker (2003)
*Matt Dunigan (2004)
*Tom Higgins (2005-2007)
*John Hufnagel (2008-Present)

General Managers

*Bob Robinett (1953-1955)
*Bob Masterson (1956)
*Jim Finks (1957-1964)
*Pat Mahoney (1964)
*Rogers Lehew (1965-1973)
*Gary Hobson (1974-1975)
*Jack Gotta (1976-1983)
*Steve Buratto (1984)
*Earl Lunsford (1985-1987)
*Norm Kwong (1988-1991)
*Wally Buono (1992-2002)
*Fred Fateri (2003)
*Mark McLoughlin (2003)
*Matt Dunigan (2004)
*Jim Barker (2005-2007)
*John Hufnagel (2008-Present)

See also

*List of fan-owned sports teams
*Canadian Football Hall of Fame
*Canadian football
*Comparison of Canadian and American football
*List of CFL seasons
*Perfect Season

External links

* [http://www.stampeders.com/ Calgary Stampeders Official Site]