This is the second of a series of posts that will explore the stories behind the names of the existing Canadian Football League teams. Check out the previous post on the BC Lions.
Conventional wisdom says that the Calgary Stampeders are named after the world famous Calgary Stampede rodeo. The Stampeders moniker has been used by numerous Calgary-based teams over the years in football, hockey, and baseball.
In the first half of the 20th century, Calgary’s senior football teams included the Tigers, Canucks, Fiftieth Battalion, Altomahs, and Bronks.
When the Second World War ended, senior football returned to Calgary after a five-year absence. The new club was founded on September 27, 1945 as a cooperative.
Calgary joined Regina and Winnipeg in a condensed 1945 WIFU season. On October 11, the Calgary Herald reported that the new team would be called the “Stampeders” instead of the Bronks, Calgary’s former WIFU entry.
One account indicates that the team was called the Stampeders to help advertise “Stampede Beer” produced by the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company (Source: A history of Football in Calgary, Canadian Football Research Society). As a new cooperative money was tight so any source of revenue would be welcomed.
The newly christened Calgary Stampeders played their first game on October 20, 1945 at Mewata Stadium against the visiting Regina Roughriders.
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