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  • Canada’s First National Commissioner of Football

    As the CFL formally introduces Stewart Johnston as its new Commissioner this week, Canadian Football History looks back at the very first CFL Commissioner: Gerald Sydney Halter. Sydney Halter was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He held various roles, including treasurer and president, in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers organization before being named the Commissioner…

  • The Legendary Toronto Argonauts

    They are one of the oldest professional sports teams in North America. For decades, they were the premier summer sporting attraction in Toronto. They are the legendary Toronto Argonauts – commonly known as the Argos. The Argos were founded by the Toronto-based Argonaut Rowing Club on October 4, 1873. Playing rugby football allowed the rowers…

  • Tigers, Wildcats Merge to Form the Tiger-Cats

    Depending on the criteria chosen and who you ask (relax, Argo fans!) the city of Hamilton boasts Canada’s oldest football club. The Hamilton Foot Ball Club was founded on November 3, 1869. Yes, they spelled football with two words back then. The team played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union from 1893 to 1906 before…

  • The Blue Bombers of Western Football

    The Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Boxing legend Joe Louis. Labatt Breweries. And the Toronto Blue Jays. Believe it or not there’s an interesting connection between these four entities spanning several decades. The Winnipeg Football Club was established in 1930. They were originally called the Winnipeg Rugby Football Club but dropped the “Rugby” from the team’s name…

  • The Rouge in American Football?

    Last week’s post centred around the debate about abolishing the rouge in Canadian football. This week let’s take a different approach to the single point and ask the following: What if the rouge were adopted into the American game? While there is certainly no ongoing debate over such a move, it actually has been discussed…