The teams reworked the deal, trading Patterson for Paquette. These fans left heartbroken after Hamilton kicker Bernie Ruoff made a last minute field goal to tie the game 21-21. With Hamilton and Montreal tied at 5-10 for the division's third and final playoff spot, a respectable crowd of 41,157 converged to watch the Concordes play what was effectively a playoff game. Dandurand was the requisite local and francophone connection for the team to succeed. [8] Like all teams playing in the WIFU and IRFU, the Alouettes joined the newly-formed Canadian Football League in 1958. In 2005, the Als lost a thrilling double-overtime Grey Cup finale to Edmonton with a score of 38–35. The Montreal Alouettes got off to a good start, winning 25 games and losing 11 in their first two seasons, and reaching the East Division Finals both times. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and last won the Grey Cup championship in 2010.Their home field is Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the regular season … The flamboyant Skalbania decided to sign several prominent, high-priced NFL stars, including quarterback Vince Ferragamo, receivers James Scott and Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, running back David Overstreet and defensive lineman Keith Gary. In 1974, the team changed their colours to match the other Montreal pro sports teams- red, white and blue. In the teams' third meeting, Anthony Calvillo became pro football's all-time career passing yards leader, on a Jamel Richardson touchdown pass to end the third quarter. [9] In addition, a team in Houston would have been natural rivals for the San Antonio Texans, who were still planning to play the 1996 season had at least one other U.S. team survived. Management decided to relocate permanently to the smaller, quaint venue for the following season. Mtl. When a scheduled November 1997 U2 concert at Olympic Stadium conflicted with an unexpected home playoff game against the Lions (due to the CFL’s ‘cross-over’ playoff format), the team decided to move the game to Molson Stadium, where they had played from 1954 to 1967. The Alouettes’ rebuilding process began in 1997, and by 1999, the team was once again playing to sellout crowds at McGill Stadium. The CFL returned to Montreal in the late 1990s. The Alouettes played at the Delorimier Stadium from 1946 to 1953 and moved to Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (commonly referred to as Molson Stadium) in 1954. The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. He was replaced by general manager Popp. On February 1, 2019, the team unveiled a new logo and updated uniforms, designed by GRDN Studio, replacing the previous "angry bird" logo with a stylized "M", designed to resemble a bird and plane, and introducing a new "MontreALS" tagline, playing upon the team's nickname. The Concordes' 1983 season finale against Hamilton was the only game to attract a crowd surpassing even 30,000 under Bronfman's ownership. In an effort to bring the team's expenses under control, former NFL players signed by Skalbania's Alouettes were released from their contracts. The Alouettes won their second Grey Cup of the decade, and the fourth in Montreal history, with a 23-10 triumph over Calgary. Later in 1981, NFL coach George Allen obtained an option to purchase 51% of the club, and was named Alouettes' president. In 1946, three founding members — Eric Cradock, Léo Dandurand and Lew Hayman — established the Montreal Alouettes. While all of the Stallions players were released from their contracts, general manager Jim Popp, who followed the team from Baltimore, was able to re-sign many of them. Zurkowsky, H., Montreal Alouettes (2017). Moreover, Speros was characterized as somewhat of a charlatan, leaving unpaid bills and a list of creditors in his wake. Lions head coach and Concordes defensive line coach Dave Ritchie as his successor. In 1998, a last-second field goal in Hamilton proved to be the team’s undoing, while in 1999, despite playing the division final at home, the Als lost by one point to the Tiger-Cats. NFL greats Warren Moon and Dan Marino, ESPN's Chris Berman, and Damon Allen each sent video messages congratulating him on breaking the record. In 1968, the Alouettes moved from Molson Stadium to the Autostade, a temporary stadium built for Expo 67. Montreal defeated Calgary 23–10 at the Grey Cup game in Toronto — their first championship since 1949. © 2020 CFL ENTERPRISES LP. Duval had actually missed a first attempt, but Saskatchewan was penalized for having too many men on the field, allowing Duval a second field goal attempt. The Concordes' final game of the season was at Olympic Stadium against the Tiger-Cats. The Lions prevailed 28–26, but the game wasn’t without controversy. The City of Montreal hosted the 2001 Grey Cup, played in front of a sellout crowd of 65,255 at the Olympic Stadium. As the most dominant team of the decade, the Als reached the Grey Cup four times between their last win in 2002 and 2009, but lost each time. [14][15] The signing made him the first openly gay player in the CFL's history. © 2020 Montreal Alouettes. Ornest was reluctant to take control of the Alouettes as a result of the team’s high level of debt and extensive commitments to high-profile stars. Ornest was reluctant to take control of the Alouettes as a result of the team's high level of debt and extensive commitments to high-profile stars. The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec.Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. [30], On June 8 - two days after their last pre-season game, and just six days before their 2019 season opener, Khari Jones took over from Mike Sherman as interim head coach. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Canadian football has a long history in Montreal, dating to the 1850s. For record-keeping purposes, the CFL considers all clubs that have played in Montreal as one franchise dating to 1946, and considers the Alouettes to have suspended operations in 1987 before returning in 1996. Current team members are listed in bold. [17] The 2015 season was a difficult one for the Alouettes, due to injuries to starting QB Jonathan Crompton, the Alouettes went through five different quarterbacks including two rookies Rakeem Cato, and Brandon Bridge, before trading for veteran Kevin Glenn. Chapdelaine remained as head coach. Between 1974 and 1979, the Als played in five of six Grey Cup championships and won twice (1974 and 1977). The pair decided to name the team “Alouettes” after hearing a group of snowshoers singing the popular French song in a Montreal hotel lobby. However, as in 1984, they years, they made the playoffs in an extremely weak East Division; the Concordes and Ti-Cats finished with identical 8-8 records, with the Ti-Cats getting the division title by virtue of sweeping the season series. The game was played between a team of officers from the English troops garrisoned in Montreal and a team of civilians, mainly from McGill University at Montreal’s downtown cricket grounds. Montreal eviscerated Edmonton 41–6 at the Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium in front of 68,205 spectators — a remarkable total considering that there was a transit strike and a snowstorm in the hours leading up to the game. Etcheverry took up a management position while Sonny Wade, Terry Evanshen and Peter Dalla Riva all starred on the field. Chapdelaine became the first francophone head coach in franchise history. The Alouettes defeated the Lions and, although their journey to reach the Grey Cup a week later fell short, the organization had turned a corner in its quest to renew fan interest. Off the field, financial losses mounted and the team's attendance tumbled to 10,000 a game. Although the Alouettes' re-establishment in 1996 is often considered a relocation of the Stallions, neither the league nor the Alouettes recognize the Baltimore franchise, or its records, as part of the Alouettes' official team history. The Alouettes maintain a strong presence on social media. Levy’s arrival signalled a change in the team’s fortunes. Skalbania returned from a business trip to Hong Kong in late April and was able to regain control of the team. Indeed, for each of the team’s final three home games, attendance at Olympic Stadium was below 10,000. The hometown Montreal Alouettes defeated the Edmonton Eskimos by a score of 41-6. Navy (HMCS Donnaconna) 7, Hamilton Wildcats 6 @ Hamilton. Speros had reason to believe a CFL team there could repeat the success that had been enjoyed in Baltimore. Popp stayed on to coach the team during the 2007 season, and the team suffered its first losing season since coming back to Montreal in 1996, with an 8–10 record, hindered by the loss of starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who left the team near the end of the season to be with his wife who was sick. Ed George played with the Alouettes from 1970 to 1974 for 69 games. On 24 June 1987 — ironically, St. Jean Baptiste Day, a provincial holiday — the Als folded for a second time, 24 hours before they were scheduled to play their regular-season opening game in Toronto, after the team had conducted training camp and played two exhibition games. This would not prove to be successful, on or off the field. This category has only the following subcategory. In 2004, Montreal finished first in its division with a 14–4 record, and the team only had to defeat Toronto (10–7–1) at home in the final to advance to its third straight Grey Cup appearance.