Category: Calgary

Calgary Tigers First Winners of the Hugo Ross Trophy

On October 21, 1911, representatives from the Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba rugby football unions met at the King’s Hotel in Regina to form the Western Canada Rugby Football Union. The new league was considered to be the largest in the world in terms of geography, one that would eventually feature clubs from the entire territory “north of the 49th parallel from Lake Superior to the Pacific Coast” (Calgary Herald, 25 October 1911).

Article in the Winnipeg Tribune (23 October 1911) about the new WCRFU and Hugo Ross trophy.

Hugo Ross, a Winnipeg-based real estate agent, served as the WCRFU’s honorary president. He donated a trophy bearing his name in time for the 1911 playoffs between the three provincial champions. The Hugo Ross trophy was branded as the amateur rugby championship of western Canada.

Representatives of the WCRFU devised a playoff system for 1911 where the Saskatchewan champion would travel to Manitoba to play the champion of that union. Alberta would host the winner of that game the following week.

Rules for the new Hugo Ross trophy championship of the WCRFU

The Regina Rugby Club were set to play the Winnipeg Rowing Club in the Hugo Ross cup semi-final at River Park in Winnipeg on November 11th. However, the game was cancelled due to the extreme cold. Winnipeg controversially claimed victory by way of default and earned their berth in WCRFU championship.

Coverage of the Tigers’ win in the Calgary Albertan (20 November 1911).

Coverage of the Tigers’ win in the Calgary Herald (20 November 1911).

On Saturday November 18th, Winnipeg travelled to Calgary to play the hometown Tigers. The Calgary Albertan described the contest as the “fastest and hardest fought game ever played in Western Canada.” The Tigers came from behind in the fourth quarter to win the game by a score of 13 to 6, becoming the first winners of the Hugo Ross trophy.

The Hugo Ross Trophy (photo: Canadian Football Research Society)

The following year, Hugo Ross died in the Titanic disaster. But his trophy continued to be the symbol of western Canadian football dominance up until 1948 when it was replaced by the N.J. Taylor Trophy as the championship of the Western Interprovincial Football Union.

Sources:
The Calgary Albertan, 20 November 1911
The Calgary Herald, 20 November 1911
The Edmonton Journal, 14 November 1911
The Winnipeg Tribune, 23 October 1911
The Winnipeg Tribune, 6 November 1911
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April 9, 2026
Flutie Freezes as Edmonton Defeats Calgary in Frigid, Snowy 1993 Western Final

Canadian football in November can be cold – especially when played on the Prairies. Bone-chilling temperatures, coupled with blowing snow, made the 1993 Western Final at McMahon Stadium between the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos one of those games where the weather might have played a bigger role in the game than the players on the field.

Coverage of the 1993 Western Final in the Calgary Herald (22 November 1993)

Led by marquee quarterback Doug Flutie, the Stampeders entered the game with a league best 15-3 regular season record. They were the defending Grey Cup champions and were, without a doubt, the class of the CFL in 1993. While the underdog, Edmonton was still a strong team, having finished second in the West Division with a 12-6 record.

The city of Calgary and much of Alberta was under a winter storm warning. Game time temperatures hovered below minus 20 degrees Celsius with a windchill making it feel even colder. The cold along with the wind and snow created blizzard-like conditions. Not exactly an ideal day for football.

Coverage of the 1993 Western Final in the Calgary Herald (22 November 1993)

Calgary scored first thanks to a punt return touchdown by Pee Wee Smith. A field goal by Mark McLoughlin put the Stampeders up 10-0 after the first quarter. Calgary continued to lead 13-8 at the half. The third quarter was delayed thanks to the accumulation of snow. But when the teams returned to the field, Edmonton got on a roll.

Edmonton quarterback Damon Allen made only 8 completions on 19 passing attempts in the game. But four of those completions were touchdowns. Edmonton scored 28 points in the second half compared to Calgary’s meagre 2 (a safety late in the game). As the temperature continued to fall, Flutie’s hands literally froze, affecting his ability to throw the football. Fans in the stands and television viewers across the country were in disbelief that the CFL’s best quarterback seemed to be completely neutralized by the cold weather.

Freezing Flutie (Calgary Herald)

When the final whistle was blown, Edmonton had secured a 29-15 victory and advanced to the Grey Cup that was being played at McMahon Stadium the following week. A dedicated crowd of over 20,000 braved the elements but left disappointed that their team wasn’t going to repeat as champions. The hope of the hometown team playing in the Grey Cup was over.

Stampeders owner Larry Ryckman’s reaction (Calgary Herald)

In the aftermath of the loss, Stampeders owner Larry Ryckman was not a happy camper. He insisted the CFL move up the season to avoid such wintery games in the future. Either that or build a domed stadium in Calgary. The Western Final on November 21, 1993, was one of the coldest – if not the coldest – football games played in Canada. He might’ve had a good point.

Source(s):
The Calgary Herald, 22 November 1993
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November 5, 2025
Portland Hosts Fast Break CFL Football, Precursor to CFL USA Expansion

In 1992, the Canadian Football League was looking to grow. Larry Smith was appointed the CFL’s new commissioner with a mandate to expand the CFL. Of course, Montreal and Halifax were high on Smith’s list of potential sites. But so, too, were several cities south of the border. One of these cities was Portland, Oregon.

Located in the northwestern United States, Portland was a mid-sized city with a suitable stadium and a credible ownership group with the needed capital to both pay for and operate an expansion franchise. It was close enough to the border so that something “Canadian” didn’t sound too foreign. Heck, it was almost as if it could be a natural rival for the BC Lions. Paul Allen, the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team, was the man hoping to bring the CFL to Oregon.

To test the Portland market, the CFL played an exhibition game on Thursday, June 25, 1992 at Civic Stadium. The game was a rematch of the 1991 Grey Cup between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders. The Argos had Raghib “the Rocket” Ismail as their marquee player. Calgary had the recently acquired future Hall of Famer Doug Flutie as their new quarterback. The stage was set for a great exhibition of Canadian football for the American fans featuring the CFL’s two biggest stars.

In the lead up to the exhibition game, the Portland media seemed quite eager to welcome the CFL to town. Ads ran in the Oregonian newspaper promoting “fast-break,” “high flying” and “wide open” CFL football. Unsurprisingly, the Rocket was heavily promoted. Even the Trail Blazers’ Jerome Kersey was featured in advertising for the game.

A decent crowd of 15,362 fans turned out on a hot Thursday night to watch the game. All in all, reviews were positive despite a rather lacklustre game. Calgary won 20-1. Yes, Americans got to see a Canadian rouge scored. In the end, though, no CFL expansion team came to Portland. Instead, Sacramento was awarded the CFL’s first U.S.-based expansion team. After a few years the CFL’s foray into the United States was over. Despite lots of talk and speculation, the CFL-in-Portland story was limited to a single exhibition game only.

100 yard long fields are included in the Johnston Rules announced by CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston recently. The 1992 exhibition game in Portland was the last time the CFL played on a field that was 100 yards in length. The standard CFL field didn’t fit at Portland Civic Stadium without heavy modifications, so the game was played on an American length football field that included ten-yard end zones. Have a look at the screen shots below to get a taste of what Canadian football on 100 yards will (sort of) look like in the future.

You can watch the Toronto-Calgary exhibition game in Portland on the CFL Classics YouTube channel. The game was televised nationally on TSN.

Sources:
The Oregonian, 2 May 1992
The Oregonian, 26 June 1992
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October 1, 2025
Calgary Companies Celebrate the Opening of McMahon Stadium

Last week’s post was about the construction of Calgary’s McMahon Stadium in just 103 days. The stadium replaced Mewata Stadium as the new home of the Calgary Stampeders.

The first game played at McMahon Stadium featured the Stampeders hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on August 15, 1960. On the day of the game, many Calgary-based companies took out ads in the Calgary Albertan and Calgary Herald newspapers to celebrate the opening of the new stadium. A lot of these firms were directly involved in the stadium’s construction.

Below is an assortment of the advertisements. Do you see any companies you recognize?

September 3, 2025
Calgary’s McMahon Stadium Built in 103 Days

McMahon Stadium turned 65 this month. It is one of just a few of the “old” CFL stadiums still in use. Most CFL teams are playing in either relatively new or refurbished facilities. But back in 1960, the new McMahon Stadium was hailed as one of the finest football stadiums in the country.

Talk of building a new home for the Calgary Stampeders had been around for years. After some false starts and delays things finally got moving on March 15, 1960 when Stampeders President George McMahon unveiled plans for a new stadium to be constructed on land reserved for a future university campus.

Construction began the following month. Most of the concrete and other materials used was pre-fabricated offsite, and with a crew of up to 200 a day working the site, it meant construction could be expedited. Plus, the weather cooperated greatly so there were no delays on that front. With solid project management, an efficient labour team, and a little bit of luck, the stadium was completed in just 103 days.

Article in the Calgary Albertan about George and Frank McMahon

The total cost of McMahon Stadium came in at just over a million dollars. About a third of that was covered by George McMahon and his brother Frank. The McMahons were oil businessmen who were among the biggest boosters for the city of Calgary. They were respected and connected. It’s doubtful the stadium would’ve gotten built without their support. Not only did they put their own money into the project, but they were also the ones who arranged for its financing.

The initial capacity of McMahon Stadium was about 20,000. But it was built with expansion in mind. Over the years more seats and corporate amenities were added. At the time it was opened it was suggested that capacity could one day reach as high as 70,000.
The Stampeders opened McMahon Stadium on August 15, 1960 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Unfortunately for Stampeders fans, the home side came up short losing 38-23.

Article in the Calgary Herald comparing McMahon Stadium to other CFL stadiums.

McMahon Stadium hosted the 1975 Grey Cup, the first to be played in Calgary on November 23rd of that year. Since then, the Grey Cup has been played there four more times and will once again host the championship in 2026.

Arguably the biggest event held at McMahon Stadium was the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Red Dutton loses the bet to George McMahon (Calgary Herald).

Burns and Dutton was the main contractor hired to construct McMahon Stadium. The firm was led by Mervin “Red” Dutton, who was a former president of the Stampeders. He bet George McMahon $1500 that the stadium wouldn’t be able to be completed in time for the Stampeders’ home opener. Well, his crew and subcontractors’ hard work cost him $1500. The stadium was completed on time. He lost the bet and ended up paying McMahon the $1500 in one-dollar bills.

I sometimes wonder why the McMahon Stadium model can’t be replicated when it comes to construction and financing. Today’s stadiums easily cost north of $200 million (and that’s on the cheap side) and take years to build. But there’s something to be said about the so-called McMahon way. Just get building it. Get the barebones up and going and add the capacity and amenities over time. It may not be ideal, but at least you’ll have a stadium to play in. I’m talking to you, Halifax – or anywhere else for that matter.

When McMahon Stadium opened, numerous companies (many of whom participated in its construction) ran ads in the Calgary newspapers praising the new facility. I’ll feature some of these in a subsequent post.

Sources:

The Calgary Albertan (August 15, 1960)

The Calgary Herald (August 10 and 16, 1960)
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August 26, 2025