Montreal Alouettes

Quick Facts About the Montreal Alouettes

Date Founded: 1946; 1996

Venue: Percival Molson Memorial Stadium

Team Colours: Red, blue, silver and white

Grey Cup Victories: 8

Early History of Football in Montreal

While the Alouettes were originally founded in 1946, the city has a rich history with football at the senior level, dating back to 1872, when the Montreal Foot Ball Club became Canada’s first organized football team. They later merged with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) to become the MAAA Winged Wheelers. The Wheelers competed in the Big Four (Inter-provincial Rugby Football Union) until 1935. In 1931, they defeated the Regina Roughriders 22–0 to win the Grey Cup.

The Montreal Indians were formed out of the MAAA club following the 1935 season, when the Winged Wheelers lost all nine of their games. The team operated from 1936 to 1941, and again in 1945, under various ownerships. It was known by different nicknames over the years: Indians (1936–37), Cubs (1938), Royals (1939), Bulldogs (1940–44) and Hornets (1945).

Montreal Alouettes: 1946–59

In 1946, three founding members — Eric Cradock, Léo Dandurand and Lew Hayman — established the Montreal Alouettes. Hayman was the football mind and brought expertise gained from his time spent coaching the Toronto Argonauts. Dandurand was the requisite local and francophone connection for the team to succeed. Cradock, who claimed to have been a millionaire at 22 (he was 34 at the time) provided the much-needed infusion of capital. The partnership lasted until 1951, when Cradock sold his share and returned to his native Toronto. Three years later, the team was purchased by Ted Workman.

The Alouettes (or Als, as they are commonly known) won their first Grey Cup in 1949, defeating the Calgary Stampeders 28–15. It was the start of a productive decade for the young franchise. Led by legendary quarterback Sam Etcheverry, receivers Harold “Prince Hal” Patterson and John “Red” O’Quinn and running back Pat Abbruzzi, the Als fielded what was considered the league’s most dangerous offence at the time. Between 1954 and 1956, Montreal produced regular-season records of 11–3, 9–3 and 10–4, reaching the Grey Cup all three years. But the Als didn’t have the defence to match their attack, losing all three games to the Edmonton Eskimos (now Edmonton Elks). The Alouettes played at the Delorimier Stadium from 1946 to 1953 and moved to Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (commonly known as Molson Stadium) in 1954.

Montreal Alouettes: 1960–69

The team’s fortunes turned at the end of the 1960 season, when management made an ill-advised decision to trade Sam Etcheverry and Hal Patterson to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for quarterback Bernie Faloney and offensive/defensive lineman Don Paquette. The deal — perhaps the worst in franchise history — was made by team owner Ted Workman without consulting general manager Perry Moss.

Unbeknown to Workman, Etcheverry had recently signed a contract that included a no-trade clause — something that wasn’t common in that era — and made Etcheverry a free agent. The teams reworked the deal, trading Patterson for Paquette. Meanwhile, Etcheverry went to the National Football League (NFL), playing for St. Louis and San Francisco, while Faloney remained in Hamilton, where he and Patterson became one of the CFL’s most potent pass-catching combinations.

For the entire decade, the Als failed to produce one winning season, finishing no better than 7–7 in 1966. The team couldn’t find a competent quarterback and reached the playoffs only five times — none after 1966. Indeed, from 1967 to 1969, Montreal won only seven games and tied four of 42 games under head coach O. Kay Dalton.

In 1968, the Alouettes moved from Molson Stadium to the Autostade, a temporary stadium built for Expo 67. But the facility’s less-than-desirable location, at the foot of the Victoria Bridge, led to dismal attendance figures — including some crowds of less than 10,000 — that put a strain on the organization’s finances. Following a 2–10–2 record in 1969, Workman sold the team to businessman Samuel Berger, a former part owner of the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Montreal Alouettes: 1970–79

New owner Sam Berger made immediate changes and overhauled the team. One of his first moves was the return of Sam Etcheverry, this time as head coach. While the Als had a modest 7–6–1 record under Etcheverry in 1970 and finished third in their division, they upset Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinal before defeating Hamilton in the two-game, total-point division final. Montreal then defeated Calgary 23–10 at the Grey Cup game in Toronto to win their first championship since 1949.

But Etcheverry, who coached the team for two more seasons, couldn’t repeat the same success and was replaced by Marv Levy in 1973. Levy’s arrival signalled a change in the team’s fortunes. Between 1974 and 1979, the Als played in five of six Grey Cup championships and won twice (1974 and 1977). However, Edmonton again proved to be their arch-enemy, as they defeated Montreal on three occasions, including an agonizing 9–8 loss in 1975.

Attendance improved significantly in the 1970s. In September 1976, the Als vacated the Autostade and moved into Olympic Stadium in the city’s east end, averaging 61,130 spectators for their final four regular-season home games that year. But they ended the season in third place in the Eastern Conference, with a 7–8–1 record.

In 1977, the Als finished first in the Eastern Conference, with an 11–5 record, while averaging 59,525 spectators — a league record that still stands today. Montreal eviscerated Edmonton 41–6 at the Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium in front of 68,205 spectators — a remarkable total considering there was a transit strike and a snowstorm in the hours leading up to the game. It remains a Grey Cup attendance record to this day.

Struggles, A New Name, and Death of the Alouettes: 1980—87

In 1981, owner Sam Berger retired and sold the team to Vancouver businessman Nelson Skalbania. 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. But the team won only three of 16 games while averaging 28,482 spectators. This prompted Skalbania to quickly divest and seek anyone to take over the insolvent franchise.

At first, there were reports that Skalbania would sell the team to Canadian businessman Pat Bowlen, an Alberta oil magnate who would eventually purchase the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Then, former NFL coach George Allen obtained an option to purchase 51 per cent of the club. Allen was caught by surprise when Skalbania arranged the sale of the same controlling stake to Harry Ornest, an Edmonton-born sports entrepreneur who would eventually own the Toronto Argonauts and the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues. But Ornest was reluctant to get involved, given the team’s suffocating debt load, and Allen eventually left the club.

With the Als nearing financial collapse, Berger resurfaced and attempted, though unsuccessfully, to force Skalbania’s hand as payment for unresolved debt. Nonetheless, Skalbania declared bankruptcy and was forced to return the Als to CFL control in May 1982.

One day later, the franchise was purchased by Montreal businessman Charles Bronfman, who had founded Major League Baseball’s Montreal Expos in 1969. Bronfman renamed the team the Concordes, but the club continued to lose millions of dollars and proved to be non-competitive on the field. Over the course of four seasons, the team was no better than 8–8 and missed the playoffs twice.

Even in 1986, with the team known again as the Alouettes, Montreal won only four of 18 games, again missing the playoffs and averaging a paltry 10,127 spectators. Indeed, for each of the team’s final three home games, attendance at Olympic Stadium was below 10,000. The club had hit rock bottom. It was failing on and off the field, where it continued to lose millions of dollars on an annual basis.

There appeared to be some signs of life when the team was turned over to Norman Kimball, the architect of the powerful Edmonton franchise, where he served as general manager. Originally hired as chief operating officer, he was briefly president and owner of the Alouettes. But Kimball was parachuted into the fray, it turned out, only to be the heavy in this scenario. 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. It was the darkest day in franchise history. Montreal players were made available to all the other CFL teams in a dispersal draft. The league operated for the next nine years without a franchise east of Toronto.

A Team Resurrected: 1996–97

The story of professional football in Montreal might have ended there were it not for Larry Smith, a Montreal native who had played for the Als and became the CFL Commissioner in 1992.

With the CFL in financial peril a year later and with the approval of the board of governors, Smith began granting expansion franchises to US cities — Sacramento in 1993 and Las Vegas, Baltimore and Shreveport in 1994 — before eventually forming a South Division in 1995 comprising five American clubs.

Although the experiment eventually failed, it provided the CFL with a much-needed cash infusion. All five teams folded before the 1996 season. But the Baltimore Stallions — the most successful one and the only American team to win a Grey Cup in league history (in 1995) — decided to relocate to Montreal. It was Smith who convinced Jim Speros, one of the Stallions’ owners, to entertain the possibility. Speros formally requested permission to transfer the franchise to Montreal at a governors’ meeting on 2 February 1996. The request was approved and the Alouettes were incarnated for a third time, this time with Montreal getting the defending Grey Cup champions — an instant marketing tool that the team could use to its advantage.

While all Baltimore players were released from their contracts to become free agents, Jim Popp, general manager of the Stallions, followed the team north and convinced many of them to re-sign. The league also held an expansion draft that provided Montreal with the opportunity to select a number of non-import (Canadian-born) players.

Despite losing their opening three games, the new Alouettes rebounded to finish their first season with a 12–6 record. However, the team was still struggling to attract spectators. While Montreal averaged 20,887 spectators on its return to the CFL, many of these were free tickets. Moreover, Speros was characterized as somewhat of a charlatan, leaving unpaid bills and a list of creditors in his wake.

In 1997, New York investor Robert Wetenhall assumed ownership of the Als. Perhaps not coincidentally, Smith resigned as CFL Commissioner the same year and became team president and chief executive officer.

While the Alouettes continued to enjoy success on the field, the Grey Cup proved elusive. In both 1996 and 1997, Montreal lost the division final to Toronto. 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. This time, it was a late Hamilton trick play that quashed Montreal’s hopes.

While the Als were fielding competitive teams, nobody in Montreal appeared to be taking notice. Or, if they were, few decided to venture to Olympic Stadium. In 1997, despite finishing second in their division with a 13–5 record, the team attracted only 86,266 spectators to nine home games — an average of 9,585 per game.

Return to Molson Stadium

With the franchise’s future again in doubt, a twist of fate provided what would become a defining moment in the team’s revitalization. The Als were scheduled to host the BC Lions in a semifinal playoff game on 2 November 1997. However, Olympic Stadium was already booked for a U2 concert, and the Als had no choice but to return to Molson Stadium — the team’s home from 1954 to 1967.

Although it was still used by the McGill University Redmen football team, along with various other intercollegiate squads, the stadium was in a decrepit state. Many of the wooden benches were beginning to rot, and a tree had sprouted through one of the sections in the northeast corner. The organization provided a quick and makeshift facelift given the time constraints, and game day proved to be unseasonably mild. With the game being played outdoors in central location just north of downtown, interest soared and all 16,257 tickets were sold.

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. Management decided to relocate permanently to the smaller, quaint venue for the following season. The Als would enjoy a string of 105 consecutive sellouts at home games from 1999 to 2010, a streak that only ended with their opening game in 2011. This despite expansion projects that had increased capacity from 19,461 in 1999 to 25,012 in 2010.

Meanwhile, the organization fielded strong teams for the most part, as general manager Jim Popp had a succession plan for his aging stars. With quarterback Tracy Ham near the end of his career in 1998, Popp signed Anthony Calvillo as a free agent following his release by Hamilton. Montreal selected receiver Ben Cahoon in the first round of the CFL Draft that year and the Als already had Mike Pringle, who would retire years later as the league’s rushing leader (16,425 yards).

Montreal Alouettes: 2000–10

Between 2000 and 2010, the Alouettes reached the Grey Cup an incredible eight times and won three titles. The team reached the Grey Cup in 2000, but despite a 12–6 record, lost to a BC Lions team that had won only eight of 18 games. The Lions prevailed 28–26, but the game wasn’t without controversy. A two-point conversion attempt to Montreal’s Thomas Haskins near the end of the game proved unsuccessful, though it appeared that Haskins had been interfered with in the end zone.

Nonetheless, the decade would prove fruitful for Montreal. The Als hired the legendary Don Matthews to coach the team in 2002, and it paid immediate dividends. The club finished first in the division with a 13–5 record, advanced to the Grey Cup and won its first championship since 1977, defeating Edmonton at their home field, Commonwealth Stadium. The fact that Edmonton — the Als’ old rival — had fired Matthews a year earlier was the cherry on the sundae.

The following year, though, the Alouettes lost the Grey Cup to Edmonton by a score of 34–22. 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. But Anthony Calvillo suffered an injury during the game and was replaced by the inexperienced Ted White. The Argonauts won 26–18. In 2005, the Als lost a thrilling double-overtime Grey Cup finale to Edmonton with a score of 38–35.

Matthews resigned for health reasons late in the 2006 season and was replaced by general manager Popp. The Als reached the Grey Cup again but lost to the BC Lions 25–14. Popp returned as head coach in 2007, but the Als went 8–10 — their first losing season since the team returned to Montreal in 1996. Calvillo left the team late in the season to be with his ailing wife, who was battling cancer.

Calvillo returned the following season, which began a five-year run with Marc Trestman as the team’s head coach. Although Trestman, for years an assistant coach in the NFL, had no Canadian professional football experience and had never been a head coach, he immediately led them to the 2008 Grey Cup final at Olympic Stadium, although they lost to Calgary 22–14. This was followed by back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, making Montreal the first CFL team to lay claim to that honour since the Argonauts in 1996–97.

Montreal Alouettes: 2011–20

Following the 2012 season, Trestman left to become head coach of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. His departure contributed to a decline in Montreal’s fortunes, as did the retirement of quarterback Calvillo, who never played again after suffering a concussion in an August 2013 game in Regina. Calvillo retired as professional football’s career passing leader, having thrown for 79,816 yards. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Dan Hawkins, an American college coach, was hired to replace Trestman, only to be fired five games into the season with Montreal at 2–3. He was replaced by general manager Popp. The Als completed the season with an 8–10 record yet still made the playoffs for an 18th consecutive year.

Tom Higgins was hired as head coach in 2014. A six-game losing streak left the team at 1–7, but the Als rebounded with eight victories in their final 10 games, only to lose to Hamilton in the division final. That game also ended the team’s playoff streak at 19 consecutive years.

Higgins was fired the following season, with the Alouettes at 3–5. General manager Popp filled in as head coach again and Montreal finished last in the East Division with a record of 6–12. Nonetheless, Popp returned as head coach in 2016 to maintain “stability and harmony,” according to president Mark Weightman. There would be neither during the 2016 season. Popp was replaced as head coach on an interim basis by Jacques Chapdelaine in September, with the Als at 3–9. Chapdelaine became the first francophone head coach in franchise history. Although he guided Montreal to a 4–2 record down the stretch, the team failed to reach the playoffs once again.

Shortly after the 2016 season ended, Weightman announced that Popp — who had been general manager since 1996, when the team returned to the CFL — would be leaving the team. One month later, the Alouettes announced that Kavis Reed, Montreal’s special teams coordinator, had been hired as the new general manager and that president Weightman himself had been replaced by Patrick Boivin as president. Chapdelaine remained as head coach.

The team spent the next two seasons in disarray, finishing 3–15 in 2017 and 5–13 in 2018. Chapdelaine was fired halfway through the 2017 season and was temporarily replaced by Reed. Former Green Bay Packers head coach and general manager Mike Sherman took over as head coach for the 2018 season. The team made a splash that year by signing one of the league’s most coveted free agents, Hénoc Muamba, to a three-year deal worth $185,000 per season. The Als also acquired 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel from the Tiger-Cats, along with offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice, in a blockbuster deal that ultimately did little to move the needle. In February 2019, the Als released Manziel for violating “the agreement which made him eligible to play” in the CFL. He was subsequently banned from playing in the CFL.

Muamba — who was named a CFL All-Star in 2018, as well as the Alouettes’ player of the year, defensive player of the year and top Canadian — proved to be the team’s only bright spot. As the Montreal Gazette’s Jack Todd wrote in January 2019, “The team is awful. Team management has been inept at best. The fans are fed up. Once again, the Alouettes might be approaching a crossroads as a franchise, this time with Bob Wetenhall’s son, Andrew, directing the club.” Sure enough, that crossroads came on 31 May 2019, when the Wetenhall family sold the club to the CFL.

To revive fan interest in 2019, the Als introduced a new logo and uniforms, reduced the capacity of Molson Stadium by about 5,000 seats and lowered ticket prices. Muamba continued to be a force in 2019, when he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian and a CFL All-Star. However, the Als parted ways with Coach Sherman after their first two preseason games in June. He was replaced by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Khari Jones, who led the team to a 10–8 record and a second-place finish in the East. The team was knocked out of the playoffs with a 37–29 loss to Edmonton in the first round.

Montreal Alouettes: 2021–Present

In January 2020, the Alouettes were purchased by Ontario businessmen Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law, Gary Stern. However, with the 2020 season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 season postponed, the team didn’t play a single game before Spiegel died in July 2021. The Als entered the shortened, 14-game 2021 season with Jones returning as head coach and former Edmonton head coach and director of football operations Danny Maciocia as the new GM. The team finished third in the East with a 7–7 record and squeaked into the playoffs but again were eliminated in the first round.

The progress from the previous two seasons seemed lost after the beginning of the 2022 season, when Jones and defensive coordinator Barron Miles were fired after a 1–3 start to the year. After Maciocia stepped in as head coach and Noel Thorpe was hired to replace Miles, the Als righted the ship and finished the season 9–9, good for second place in the East. They defeated the Tiger-Cats 28–17 in the first round before falling to Toronto 34–27 in the East Final.

Before the start of the 2023 season, the Alouettes were again purchased by the CFL, who appointed former team president Mario Cecchini as interim president. Maciocia returned as GM while former quarterback and two-time Grey Cup champion Jason Maas was hired as head coach. Despite the instability behind the scenes, the Als went on to have their best season in more than 10 years, finishing 11–7 for the first time since 2012. After losing four games in a row from late August to early September, they finished the season on a five-game winning streak. Described by quarterback Cody Fajardo as “a band of misfit toys,” the Als carried that success into the post-season. Led by a stellar defense, they beat Hamilton 27–12 in the first round, upset the heavily favoured Argonauts 38–17 at BMO Field in Toronto and then came from behind to score the winning touchdown with 11 seconds left in the 110th Grey Cup to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28–24 to secure the team’s first championship in 13 years.

Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup

Year	Won	Lost	Host City
1949	Montreal Alouettes 28	Calgary Stampeders 15	Toronto
1954	Edmonton Eskimos 26	Montreal Alouettes 25	Toronto
1955	Edmonton Eskimos 34	Montreal Alouettes 19	Vancouver
1956	Edmonton Eskimos 50	Montreal Alouettes 27	Toronto
1970	Montreal Alouettes 23	Calgary Stampeders 10	Toronto
1974	Montreal Alouettes 20	Edmonton Eskimos 7	Vancouver
1975	Edmonton Eskimos 9	Montreal Alouettes 8	Calgary
1977	Montreal Alouettes 41	Edmonton Eskimos 6	Montreal
1978	Edmonton Eskimos 20	Montreal Alouettes 13	Toronto
1979	Edmonton Eskimos 17	Montreal Alouettes 9	Montreal
2000	BC Lions 28	Montreal Alouettes 26	Calgary
2002	Montreal Alouettes 25	Edmonton Eskimos 16	Edmonton
2003	Edmonton Eskimos 34	Montreal Alouettes 22	Regina
2005	Edmonton Eskimos 38	Montreal Alouettes 35	Vancouver
2006	BC Lions 25	Montreal Alouettes 14	Winnipeg
2008	Calgary Stampeders 22	Montreal Alouettes 14	Montreal
2009	Montreal Alouettes 28	Saskatchewan Roughriders 27	Calgary
2010	Montreal Alouettes 21	Saskatchewan Roughriders 18	Edmonton
2023	Montreal Alouettes 28	Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24	Hamilton

Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Name	Position	Year Inducted
Samuel Berger	owner/president	1993
Josh Bourke	offensive lineman	2023
John Bowman	defensive end	2023
Paul Brûlé	defensive back, fullback	2018
Wally Buono	coach (inducted as builder)	2014
Ben Cahoon	receiver	2014
Anthony Calvillo	quarterback	2017
Bruce Coulter	builder	1997
Chip Cox	linebacker	2022
George Dixon	running back	1974
Sam Etcheverry	quarterback	1969
Terry Evanshen	wide receiver	1984
Scott Flory	offensive lineman	2018
Gene Gaines	defensive back	1994
Ed George	offensive lineman	2005
Miles Gorrell	offensive lineman	2013
Tracy Ham	quarterback	2010
Dickie Harris	defensive back	1999
Lew Hayman	coach/general manager	1975
Tom Hugo	offensive lineman, linebacker	2018
Marv Levy	coach	2021
Nik Lewis	receiver	2021
Marv Luster	defensive back/offensive end	1990
Don Matthews	coach	2011
Barron Miles	defensive back	2018
Cal Murphy	assistant coach	2004
Uzooma Okeke	offensive tackle	2014
John “Red” O’Quinn	end	1981
Tony Pajaczkowski	guard/defensive end	1988
Harold “Prince Hal” Patterson	offensive end/defensive back	1971
Elfrid Payton	defensive end	2010
Mike Pringle	running back	2008
Dave Ritchie	coach	2022
Peter Dalla Riva	tight end/receiver	1993
Larry Smith	president, CFL Commissioner	2023
Herb Trawick	offensive lineman/guard	1975
Pierre Vercheval	offensive lineman	2007
Virgil Wagner	halfback	1980
Glen Weir	defensive tackle	2009
Bob Wetenhall	owner	2015
Dan Yochum	offensive lineman	2004
Junior Ah You	defensive end	1993