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  • “Lions” New Moniker of B.C.’s WIFU Team

    This is the first of a series of posts that will explore the stories behind the names of the existing Canadian Football League teams.

    In 1953, a group of Vancouver businessmen got the greenlight for an expansion team in the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). The new team would begin play the following year and play their home games at the new Empire Stadium. Annis Stukus of Toronto was hired to be the club’s first head coach.

    With all the pieces in place, it was time give the new club a team name. A name-the-team contest was held and generated over 15,000 entries. The leading contenders were Lions, Grizzlies, Totems, Loggers, Tyees, and Cougars.

    It ultimately came down to Lions and Grizzlies. The Grizzlies was the name of Vancouver’s earlier entry in the WIFU that played just one season before ceasing operations after the WIFU suspended play as a result of the Second World War.

    Art Mercer and the BC Lions name contest
    Source: The Province, 2 April 1953, page 12.

    Ultimately, a committee settled on the name Lions. Locally, “the Lions” is the name given to twin mountain peaks near Vancouver that are said to resemble mountain lions. So, it was a natural pick.

    The team adopted a mountain lion for its logo and orange and black uniforms, paying homage to another historic Vancouver team, the Meralomas. Annis Stukus wanted to ensure the football team represented the entire province and not just the city of Vancouver. Thus, the British Columbia Lions were born.

    Newspaper article about Lions being the new name of BC's football team
    Source: The Province, 2 April 1953, page 12.

  • The Maple Leaf Forever: An Evolution of the CFL Logo

    It’s been 60 years since Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed Canada’s national flag featuring the prominent red maple leaf. The maple leaf is arguably the most Canadian symbol of all and has been used to represent Canada since the 19th century.

    So, it’s not surprising that this quintessentially symbol of Canadiana has always been featured one way or another in the logo of the Canadian Football League.

    When the CFL was founded in the late 1950s, the fledging league’s logo was what one would expect from the period: an “official” looking crest-like emblem similar to what you would see on an old company letterhead.

    The original CFL logo

    In the 1970s, the league adopted a more modern logo – the classic red maple leaf with the CFL/LCF initials inside a football helmet. Perhaps the CFL took inspiration from the new flag in incorporating the maple leaf into a logo that would span the next three decades.

    Classic LCF helmet logo
    Classic CFL helmet logo

    At the turn of the millennium, the CFL adopted a new logo featuring a stylized slanted maple leaf meshed with a flying red football atop bolded CFL/LCF initials.

    CFL logo adopted in 2000s

    The current CFL logo has been in use since the 2016 season. The maple leaf is minimalized with the focus on an abstract image of a football featuring three hashmarks and the CFL/LCF initials being prominently displayed.

    Current LCF logo
    Current CFL logo

    As Canadians find themselves celebrating the anniversary of their national flag amidst a newfound sense of Canadian patriotism, you have to wonder what may be in store next for the CFL’s logo. Does the league stick with the relatively young status quo? Or, do new opportunities arise for the league to further embrace its Canadian identity and perhaps give more prominence to the maple leaf once again?

    (You can check out more CFL logos at SportsLogos.Net)

  • The Grey Cup of Hockey?

    Did you know that Governor General Earl Grey originally intended his Grey Cup trophy to be a national amateur hockey championship? The idea was for amateur hockey teams in various leagues across Canada to compete in a national playoff with the winner being awarded the Grey Cup. The Grey Cup was to be to be the amateur version of the Stanley Cup.

    Grey Cup for amateur hockey article in the Toronto Star
    Source: The Toronto Star, 14 January 1909, page 12

    However, in late 1908 Sir Montagu Allan – a prominent Montreal businessman – donated a trophy (the Allan Cup) that ultimately became the national amateur hockey championship.

    By summertime the Grey Cup was repositioned to be the amateur rugby football championship of the Dominion of Canada. Below is a Toronto Star article about Canada’s new rugby football trophy.

    Grey Cup for the rugby championships article in the Toronto Star
    Source: The Toronto Star, 1 June 1909, page 10

    The Allan Cup was first awarded on March 6, 1909 to the Ottawa Cliffsides. A week later Queen’s University challenged them to a game and win the trophy.

    The first Grey Cup was played on December 4, 1909 with the University of Toronto winning the championship.

  • The Grey Cup vs. The Super Bowl

    It’s Super Bowl week down in America. The National Football League, arguably one of the most successful sports leagues in the world, will crown their champion. So, how does the NFL’s Super Bowl stack up against Canada’s Grey Cup? Both championships are steeped in history. Let’s take a closer look at how the two big games compare.

    The Grey Cup championship trophy

    The Grey Cup is the Canadian Football League championship played annually between the East Division champion and the West Division champion.

    The Trophy: The Grey Cup trophy – donated by and named for Albert Henry George Grey (4th Earl Grey). Earl Grey served as the Governor General of Canada from 1904 to 1911.

    First Game: The first Grey Cup was played in 1909 in Toronto. The University of Toronto defeated Toronto Parkdale by a score of 26-6.

    Most Wins: Toronto Argonauts (19)

    Mosts Times Hosted: Toronto (48)

    Largest Crowd: 68,318 (1977 at Olympic Stadium, Montreal)

    Highest Scoring Game: 83 total points (1989, Saskatchewan 43 Hamilton 40)

    The Super Bowl is annual National Football League championship played between the NFC champion and the AFC champion.

    The Trophy: The Vince Lombardi trophy – named after former NFL head coach Vince Lombardi. Unlike the Grey Cup a new trophy is made and presented each year.

    First Game: The first Super Bowl was called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game. It was played in 1967 in Los Angeles between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay won the game 35-10.

    Most Wins: Pittsburgh Steelers (6) / New England Patriots (6)

    Mosts Times Hosted: Miami, Florida (11) *New Orleans will host its 11th Super Bowl this Sunday.

    Largest Crowd: 103,985 (1980 at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

    Highest Scoring Game: 75 total points (1995, San Francisco 49 San Diego 26)

  • Northmen condemned by health minister

    Tariffs, protectionism, and the Manifest destiny are all the talk this week following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Of course, Canada-United States relations is a centuries old subject that will likely always be a matter of discussion for Canadians.

    What the heck does this have to do with football? Well, any CFL fan over the age of forty will remember the league’s foray into the United States in the early 1990s. But, those a bit older will also recall the time when a new U.S.-based league was about to set up shop here in the Great White North.

    In 1973, the fledging World Football League was established, and the Toronto Northmen were going to be one of their flagship franchises. They were owned by John Bassett Jr., who just happened to be the son of Toronto Argonauts owner John Bassett Sr. Yes, there were plenty of accusations of conflict of interest.

    Here is an article that appeared in the Vancouver Sun where the Minister of Health at the time Marc Lalonde denounced the new WFL and the Northmen.

    Source: The Vancouver Sun, 22 February 1974, page 21.

    A foreign football league coming to Canada was perceived as a real threat to the CFL. And, maybe it was, but we will never truly know. In response, the federal government moved rather quickly. The Minister introduced the Canadian Football Act in Parliament. This act would have given a monopoly over professional football in Canada to the CFL.

    Toronto Northmen logo (SportsLogos.net)

    Seeing the writing on the wall, Bassett decided to move his Northmen to Memphis, Tennessee and rebrand them as the Southmen. The American gridiron invasion was halted.

    In the aftermath, the Canadian Football Act ultimately wasn’t passed into law. John Bassett Sr. sold the Argos. And, the World Football League played just two years before folding during its second season in 1975.