Newsgroups: news.answers,rec.sport.football.canadian Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!lerc.nasa.gov!purdue!yuma!lamar!mmb From: mmb@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Michael Burger) Subject: Canadian Football (CFL/CIAU) Frequently Asked Questions Summary: Information about all aspects of Canadian football Message-ID: <1994Feb28.141159.16357@yuma> Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Date: 28 Feb 94 14:11:59 GMT Nntp-Posting-Host: lamar.acns.colostate.edu Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Keywords: canadian football league ciau cfl frequently asked questions Lines: 474 Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu news.answers:15751 rec.sport.football.canadian:2065 Archive-name: canadian-football Canadian Football League FAQ Last Updated: March 1, 1994 Updated periodically Table of Contents 0. New Info 1. What is the CFL? 2. Team Information 3. Rules differences between the CFL and NFL 4. Off-Season News 5. Schedule/TV Information 6. Questions/Answers 7. 1993 Season Review 8. Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) ___________________________________________________________________________ Section 0 - New Info ___________________________________________________________________________ --Some off-season team information added. --Information for new franchises added. --Information on CIAU added. ___________________________________________________________________________ Section 1 - What is the CFL? ___________________________________________________________________________ The Canadian Football League (CFL) in its present form is a professional football league consisting of twelve teams: Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, British Columbia Lions, Sacramento Gold Miners, Las Vegas Posse, Baltimore Colts and Shreveport Pirates. The member teams of the CFL all pre-date the existence of the league except for the United States based teams. Most of the member teams are outgrowths of old amateur rugby teams. Only two teams (Saskatchewan in 1910 and B.C. in 1941) were not in existence in the 19th century. Most of these teams played in their own provincial rugby leagues well in to the 20th century. Before World War II, most of these teams were playing a cross between rugby and football. The forward pass was not adopted until 1931 (35 years after the U.S.), scrimmage play was not adopted until 1921. In fact, it took until 1956 for a touchdown to be scored 6 points. The Grey Cup, the trophy given to the playoff winner of the CFL, also predates the CFL. In 1909, Lord Earl Grey, the Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to designate the champion of the Canadian Rugby Union. Any team, as long as they were a member of the Union, could compete for the cup. Amateur teams stopped competing in 1936. The first season of 9-team play (as it lasted for 32 years) was in 1954, when the British Columbia Lions joined the Western Division. In 1961, the CFL first had an interlocking schedule, where the two divisions played games with each other. Until 1974, the two divisions actually played a different amount of games, the Western played 16, the Eastern played 14. Up until 1985, each team played 16. Starting in 1986, each team played 18 games. The Montreal Alouettes folded shortly before the start of the 1987 season, forcing the league to eight teams. In 1992, the league announced a plan to first go to twelve, then eventually sixteen teams, including U.S. teams. However, these plans were then reduced to ten, with the two teams being the Sacramento Gold Miners and a team in San Antonio. So far, only Sacramento, Las Vegas, Baltimore and Shreveport have been officially added to the league. ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 2 - Teams of the CFL ______________________________________________________________________________ Baltimore Colts: Memorial Stadium (Capacity 54,600, Outdoor, Grass) Address Unknown Phone Number: 410-321-1983 Colors: Blue, White, Silver, Black Radio Outlet Unknown Grey Cups: None British Columbia Lions: BC Place (Capacity 59,478, Indoor, Turf) 10605 135th St., Surrey, BC V3T 4C8 Voice: 604-583-7747; Fax: 604-583-7882; Tickets: 604-280-4400 or 604-589-ROAR Colors: Red and Black Radio Outlet: 950 CKNW Grey Cups Won: 1964, 1985 Calgary Stampeders: McMahon Stadium (38,200, Outdoor, Turf) 1817 Crowchild Trail N.W., Calgary, AB T2M 4R6 Admin: 403-289-0205; Fax: 403-289-7850; Ticket: 403-289-0258; Fax: 403-289-6828 Colors: Red and White Radio Outlet: 770 CQHR Grey Cups Won: 1948, 1971, 1992 Edmonton Eskimos: Commonwealth Stadium (60,081, Outdoor, Grass) 9023 111 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5B 0C3 Admin: 403-448-1525; Ticket: 403-448-ESKS; Fax: 403-429-3452 Colors: Green and Yellow Radio Outlet: 930 CJCA Grey Cups: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993 Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Ivor Wynne Stadium (29,161, Outdoor, Turf) 75 Balsam Ave North, Hamilton ON, L8L 8C1 Stadium: 905-547-2418, Ticket: 905-527-1508; Fax: 905-549-6610 Colors: Black and Gold Radio Outlet: 900 CHML Grey Cups: 1953, 1957, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1972, 1986 Las Vegas Posse: Silver Bowl (32,000, Outdoor, Turf) Address Unknown Phone Number Unknown Colors Unknown Radio Outlet Unknown Grey Cups: None Ottawa Rough Riders: Frank Clair Stadium (30,927, Outdoor, Turf) Coliseum Building, Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, ON K1S 3W7 Admin: 613-563-4551; Ticket: 613-563-1212; Fax: 613-563-0391 Colors: Black and Red Radio Outlet: 580 CFRA Grey Cups: 1940, 1951, 1960, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1976 Sacramento Gold Miners: Hornet Field (22,500, Outdoor, Grass) Hornet Field, Sacramento, CA 95816 Admin: 916-354-1000; Ticket: 916-456-5925; Fax: 916-456-1306 Colors: Aqua and Gold Radio Outlet: 1530 KFBK Grey Cups: None Saskatchewan Roughriders: Taylor Field (27,637, Outdoor, Turf) 2940 10th Avenue, P.O. Box 1277, Regina, SK S4P 3B8 Main: 306-569-2323; Ticket: 306-525-2181; Store: 306-522-8989; Fax: 306-522-7075 Colors: Green and White Radio Outlet: 980 CKRM Grey Cups: 1966, 1989, 1993 Shreveport Pirates: Independence Bowl (50,560, Outdoor, Grass) Address Unknown Phone Number Unknown Colors Unknown Radio Outlet Unknown Grey Cups: None Toronto Argonauts: Skydome (53,595, Indoor/Outdoor, Turf) Exhibition Stadium, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3 Office: 416-595-9600; Ticket: 416-595-1131; Fax: 416-597-2711, 416-595-0797 (t) Colors: Dark Blue, Light Blue Radio Outlet: 1010 CFRB Grey Cups: 1914, 1921, 1933, 1937, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1983, 1991 Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Winnipeg Stadium (32,648, Outdoor, Turf) 1465 Maroons Road, Winnipeg, MB R3G 0L6 Admin: 204-784-2583; Ticket: 204-780-7328; Shop: 204-784-2589; Fax: 204-783-5222 Colors: Blue and White Radio Outlet: 680 CJOB Grey Cups: 1939, 1941, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1984, 1988, 1990 HOME OFFICE ADDRESS: Canadian Football League Canadian Football League Building, 5th Floor, 110 Eglinton Avenue West Toronto, Ontario M4R 1A3 Office 416-322-9650; Fax: 416-322-9651 The Montreal Alouettes won the Grey Cup in 1949, 1970, 1974, 1977 ______________________________________________________________________________ Section 3 - Rules of the CFL ______________________________________________________________________________ Since the CFL has taken a different evolutionary course than the NFL, the rules are somewhat different. For example, football in the U.S. was three downs for a while, but then changed to four. The CFL, contrary to popular belief, do not use the three down system to increase passing. It has always been three downs. Field of Play: There are 110 yards to the field instead of 100. The 55 is referred to as the center-line. The field is also 65 yards wide instead of 53 1/3. Goal posts are placed on the goal line, with the end zones 20 yards deep. (Don't laugh, they used to be 25.) Scrimmage Play: As mentioned before, there are only three downs to achieve first down instead of four. There are twelve players on the field instead of eleven: five linemen, quarterback, wingback, slotback, two running backs, a flanker and a wide receiver. The defense usually plays with an extra defensive back, either a 4-3-5 or a 3-4-5. The backfield is allowed unlimited motion before the snap, causing some an entirely different formation before the set and after the set. Kicking Game: The goal posts are placed on the goal line instead of the backfield. Therefore, field goals are almost always attempted within the 50 instead of the 40. Field goal misses must be fielded, since an unreturned field goal may be picked up by the kicker or any player lined up behind the kicker for a first down and for a touchdown if recovered in the end zone. Any field goal return that does not leave the end zone results in a single point for the kicking team. If a kick results in a single point, the ball is placed on the 35. On a field goal attempt only, the ball may be placed in play beyond the 35 if the unsuccessful field goal was attempted beyond the 35. If the field goal is successful, the returning team has the option of placing the ball on the 35 or having the field goal team kicking off. Kick offs take place from the 35. The same rules apply to punting, where the punt must be returned. Both kicks must allow a five yard buffer zone for the returner to receive the ball, otherwise either a five yard penalty would be assessed if the ball bounced backward or a fifteen yard penalty if the ball bounced forward. Placekickers may use a 2-cm tee for field goal and conversion attempts. Conversions after Touchdown: Ball is placed on the five-yard line. One point is scored for a successful kick, two points for a run or a completed pass into the end zone. Defending team can return blocked kicks, fumbles or interceptions into the opposite end zone for two points. Roster Composition: Rosters are made up 37 players: 20 Canadian players, 14 imports and 3 quarterbacks. The 14th import must be a "designated import", who may only play if another import playing either offense or defense is out of the game. The U.S. based teams are not restricted to having 20 Canadian players due to U.S. labor laws. There is a salary cap of $2.5 million (Canadian), with the top paid player exempt. Overtime: If a game is tied at the end of regulation, a ten minute non-sudden death playoff is played. The period is broken into two halves. Miscellaneous: --The penalty flag is red. --There is only one time out per half instead of three. _____________________________________________________________________________ Section 4 - Off-Season News _____________________________________________________________________________ --The Las Vegas franchise awarded to Nick Milleti was named the Posse. --The Baltimore franchise was awarded to Jim Speros and was named the Colts. --The Shreveport franchise was awarded to the Glieberman family (former owners of the Ottawa Rough Riders) and was named the Pirates. The Ottawa franchise is now owned by Bruce Firestone. --Orlando's franchise has been delayed due to money problems. _____________________________________________________________________________ Section 5 - Schedule for 1994 _____________________________________________________________________________ The schedule has not been announced. Canadian TV coverage: CBC and TSN U.S. TV coverage: one game a week will be broadcast on ESPN-2. This game will be a simulcast of a CBC or TSN game. ESPN-1 will be broadcasting the Grey Cup. ____________________________________________________________________________ Section 6 - Miscellaneous Questions and Answers ____________________________________________________________________________ Q. Why has the CFL, unlike almost any other pro sport, declined in the 80's? A. Before Cable TV exploded in Canada in the 80's, American TV was very hard to get unless you lived directly on the border, essentially only Southern Ontario, Victoria, and the Maritimes had regular exposure to the National Football League. Since cable has brought the big-three U.S. networks to Canada, the decline in the CFL is noted. The highest season for attendance was in 1978, when 2,914,387 fans saw 94 games. Attendance for the last few years has hovered around 2.2 million for 84 games. TV contracts, which peaked at $11 million a year in the mid-80's, now go for about $7 million. A second theory involves the NHL. In the heyday 1970's, only three CFL cities (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal) had NHL franchises. Now every Canadian CFL city has a NHL franchise except for Regina and Hamilton. Thirdly, the decline of the CFL in the Hamilton/Toronto area may be due to the immense popularity of the Blue Jays. Q. Why are there two Roughriders/Rough Riders? A. Both the Saskatchewan Roughriders (one word) and Ottawa Rough Riders (two words) at one time belonged to separate leagues. When the two leagues formed the CFL, both teams decided to keep their names. In 1992, the Ottawa franchise considered a name change to the Ottawa Beavers, but kept the Rough Rider name. The Roughriders were named after horseback riders and the Rough Riders after people who rode logs down a river. Q. How good was Warren Moon for Edmonton? A. Warren started from 1980-83 for Edmonton, whereby the Eskimos won the Grey Cup every year but 1983. Since he only played six years, he does not have many records, but did throw 144 touchdowns in his six years and held the single-season yard passing mark in 1983 when he went 380 for 664 for 5,648 yards. Doug Flutie now owns the single season record at 6,619 yards (albeit it took 18 games for Flutie and only 16 for Moon.) Warren Moon finished his career with 1,369 completions from 2,382 attempts for 21,228 yards, 144 touchdowns vs. 77 interceptions. Q. Who were some of the great players of the CFL? A. Ron Lancaster owns many all-time records for passing. Over his 19 year career, he was 3,384 completions in 6,233 attempts for 50,535 yards and 333 touchdowns. George Reed rushed for 16,116 yards on 3,243 carries and 134 touchdowns in a 13 year career. Brian Kelly caught 575 passes for 11,169 yards and 97 touchdowns. Lui Passaglia owns most kicking records. Q. What are some of the more esoteric records? A. In 1990, the Argos scored 689 points in 18 games. In 1991, Saskatchewan gave up 710 points. Toronto defeated B.C., 68-43 on Sept. 1, 1990 for the single game scoring high. Dave Ridgway hit a 60 yard field goal in 1987, while Zenon Andrusyshyn had a 108 yard punt in 1977. Q. Are there any publications about the CFL? A. --Canadian Football League Facts and Figures. Published annually by the CFL. Usually available in June. --Year-end stat report. Published by the CFL. --Weekly press releases. Published by the CFL. ____________________________________________________________________________ Section 7 - 1993 Review ____________________________________________________________________________ 1993 CFL regular season standings and playoffs Western Division W L Home Road F A Calgary Stampeders 15 3 9-0 6-3 646 418 Edmonton Eskimos 12 6 7-2 5-4 507 372 Saskatchewan Roughriders 11 7 7-2 4-5 511 495 British Columbia Lions 10 8 5-4 5-4 574 583 Sacramento Gold Miners 6 12 5-4 1-8 498 509 Eastern Division Winnipeg Blue Bombers 14 4 8-1 6-3 646 421 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 6 12 4-5 2-7 316 567 Ottawa Rough Riders 4 14 2-7 2-7 387 517 Toronto Argonauts 3 15 3-6 0-9 390 593 Date Day Visitor Home Nov 14 Sun Ottawa 10 Hamilton 21 Nov 14 Sun Saskatchewan 13 Edmonton 51 Nov 14 Sun B.C. 9 Calgary 17 Nov 21 Sun Hamilton 19 Winnipeg 20 Nov 21 Sun Edmonton 29 Calgary 15 81st Grey Cup at Calgary Nov 28 Sun Edmonton 33 Winnipeg 23 1993 CFL award winners Winner Finalist Outstanding player QB Doug Flutie, Cal QB Matt Dunigan, Win Outstanding Canadian SB Dave Sapunjis, Cal SB Gerald Wilcox, Win Out. defensive player DT Jearld Baylis, Sas LB Elfrid Payton, Win Outstanding lineman T Chris Walby, Win T Bruce Covernton, Cal Outstanding rookie LB Mike O'Shea, Ham WR Brian Wiggins, Cal 1993 CFL all-star team IM: import player Player TM NO IM HT WT University/College POS Birth Flutie, Doug CA 20 X 5.10 175 Boston College QB 23 Oct 62 Millington, Sean BC 25 6.02 225 Simon Fraser FB 1 Feb 68 Richardson, Michael WN 31 X 6.00 195 Louisiana Tech RB 13 Oct 69 Elgaard, Ray SK 81 6.03 225 Utah SB 29 Aug 59 Sapunjis, Dave CA 25 6.01 185 Western Ontario SB 7 Sep 67 Williams, David WN 2 X 6.04 195 Illinois WR 10 Jun 64 Harris, Rod SA 81 X 5.11 200 Texas A & M WR 14 Nov 66 Connop, Rod ED 67 6.06 265 Wilfrid Laurier C 4 Jun 59 Smith, Rob BC 58 6.04 270 Utah State G 3 Oct 58 Black, David WN 51 6.03 280 Wilfrid Laurier G 13 Apr 62 Covernton, Bruce CA 60 6.05 300 Weber State T 12 Aug 66 Walby, Chris WN 63 6.07 305 Dickinson State T 23 Oct 56 Cameron, Bob WN 6 6.00 185 Acadia P 18 Jul 55 Ridgway, Dave SK 36 6.01 190 Toledo K 24 Apr 59 Baylis, Jearld SK 98 X 6.00 265 Southern Mississippi DT 12 Aug 62 Hasselbach, Harald CA 95 6.05 260 Washington DT 22 Sep 67 Johnson, Will CA 81 X 6.05 245 Northeast Louisiana DE 4 Dec 64 Cofield, Tim HA 55 X 6.02 245 Elizabeth City State DE 8 May 63 Payton, Elfrid WN 56 X 6.02 235 Grambling State LB 22 Sep 67 Pless, Willie ED 39 X 5.11 210 Kansas LB 21 Feb 64 Motton, John HA 42 X 6.01 235 Akron LB 20 Jun 67 Anthony, Karl CA 19 X 5.09 175 SW Missouri State CB 14 Mar 67 Wilburn, Barry SK 3 X 6.03 200 Mississippi CB 9 Dec 63 Wilson, Don ED 20 X 6.02 195 North Carolina State DB 28 Jul 61 Sampson, Darryl WN 30 6.02 175 York DB 21 Sep 63 Suitor, Glen SK 27 6.00 190 Simon Fraser S 24 Nov 62 Special teams: Williams, Henry ED 2 X 5.06 185 East Carolina WR 31 May 62 _____________________________________________________________________________ Section 8 - Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) _____________________________________________________________________________ 1993 CIAU playoffs Atlantic Bowl at Halifax Nov 13 Sat Calgary 37 St. Mary's 23 Churchill Bowl at Toronto Nov 13 Sat Toronto 26 Concordia 16 Vanier Cup at Toronto Nov 20 Sat Toronto 37 Calgary 34 The 1993 winner of the Hec Crighton Award as most outstanding player in CIAU football is fullback Tim Tindale of Western Ontario. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II Simon Fraser Clansmen Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) Canada West Universities Athletic Association Alberta Golden Bears British Columbia Thunderbirds Calgary Dinosaurs Manitoba Bisons Saskatchewan Huskies Ontario University Athletic Association Guelph Gryphons McMaster Marauders Toronto Varsity Blues Waterloo Warriors Western Ontario Mustangs Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Windsor Lancers York Yeomen Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference Bishop's Gaiters Carleton Ravens Concordia Stingers McGill Redmen Ottawa Gee Gees Queen's Golden Gaels Atlantic Universities Athletic Association Acadia Axemen Mount Allison Mounties St. Francis Xavier X-Men St. Mary's Huskies This document has been compiled by Michael Burger with help from Glenn Chin, Oliver Tse and Dean McNeill. Proper citation must be used when quoting this document. This document, believe it or not, was compiled by a CFL-crazy American who just has a tad too-much free time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- O Mike Burger Over 150 goals scored ###### _| mmb@lamar.colostate.edu Over 650 students taught ###### / | Univ. of Michigan - 1990 Over 190 credits taken ###### ._/ / \ Colo. State Univ. - 1993 Over 3.6 MB disk space used