Category: Canadian Football League

  • 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 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)

    Most 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)

    Most 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.

  • The Very First CFL Schedule

    Happy New Year. As football fans across the country (im)patiently await the release of the 2025 CFL schedule, let’s go back in time to the very first CFL season schedule in 1958.

    In 1956, the eastern (IRFU) and western (WIFU) professional football leagues in Canada formed an umbrella organization called the Canadian Football Council. Two years later on January 19, 1958, the CFC was renamed the Canadian Football League.

    The inaugural CFL season kicked off on Thursday August 14, 1958 in Winnipeg with the Blue Bombers hosting the Edmonton Eskimos. Winnipeg won 29-21.

    For the first few CFL seasons eastern and western teams did not play one another. All regular season games were against teams in their respective conferences; interconference games didn’t occur until 1961. The only time the east played the west was in the Grey Cup.

    WIFU schedule makers in 1958
    Early CFL schedule makers putting together the 1958 WIFU schedule. (Source: The Regina Leader Post, 20 January 1958, page 19.)

    A quick glance tells the tale of a gruelling schedule in 1958. Eastern teams played 14 games while their western counterparts played 16. All games were played within a short 12-week schedule kicking off in August. This meant western teams often played two games within two or three days. Ouch.

    CFLdb Statistics, an excellent online resource that is equally fun and informative, provides the full 1958 Canadian Football League schedule here: https://stats.cfldb.ca/league/cfl/schedule/1958/. Check it out and see how your favourite team did that year.

    And now, back to waiting on the 2025 CFL schedule…

  • Roaring B.C. Lions Surprise Mighty Blue Bombers

    BC Lions first game action (Vancouver Sun)
    Source: The Vancouver Sun, 30 August 1954, page 14.

    On August 28, 1954, the British Columbia Lions made their debut in the Western Interprovincial Football Union narrowly losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 8-6 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver.

    Winnipeg halfback Tom Casey (#91) was a key player in the Bombers’ victory.

    The game attracted a crowd of 20,606.