Can i get the full history on the stampeeders?

Question

i dont want wikipedia though cause it might be edited

thanks

Answer 1

HISTORY OF THE CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Football history in Calgary dates back to 1909 with the emergence of the Calgary Tigers in the newly formed Alberta Rugby Union. The Tigers were a dominant force in provincial football for four years as they captured the Western Canadian crown in 1911.

During the years 1915 to 1919, the Tigers gave way to a new team in Calgary, the Canucks. Due to World War I, an official league was never formed. Not until 1923 did another team take to the gridiron in Calgary. At this time, the ‘Fiftieth Battalion’ was formed, named for the military battalion that provided organization support. In 1924, the 50th won the Alberta title but was defeated by Winnipeg in the West Championship.

Again, football in Calgary took a four-year hiatus until the Tigers resurfaced in 1928, and made history that year with the first-ever forward pass in Canadian football.

From 1931 to 1934, the football club in Calgary took on the title of the Altomahs, playing at a 2,000-seat capacity stadium grandstand called Mewata Stadium. The Altomahs gave way to the Calgary Bronks in 1935, and became part of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). The Bronks took the league championship in 1938. Senior football in Calgary ended in 1940 when World War II began.

The birth of the Calgary Stampeders as we know them today took place on September 29, 1945. The first ever game was played October 22 against the Regina Roughriders. The Stampeders won the game 12-0 in front of 4,000 fans at Mewata Stadium.

On November 27, 1948, Calgary won its first ever Grey Cup as the Stampeders chalked up a 12-7 victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders in Toronto. That year, the Stampeders boasted a perfect 12-0 record and Calgarians christened a week-long celebration which has now evolved into the annual Grey Cup Week festivities. In 1949, the Stampeders reached the Grey Cup final game but lost to Montreal.

In 1960, McMahon Stadium was constructed in record time, transforming Calgary football facilities from the worst in the CFL to the best.

The Stampeders did not reach the Grey Cup again until 1968, when they faced Ottawa, losing 24-21. The Stampeders fell prey again to Montreal at the Grey Cup game in 1970, but 1971 would see a change in their luck. A return visit in 1971 saw the Stampeders emerge victorious with their second Grey Cup victory over the Toronto Argonauts 14-11, on the infamous Leon McQuay fumble.

During the Jack Gotta reign from 1977 to 1983, the Stampeders reached the West Championship twice, in 1978 and 1979, only to lose out to eventual Grey Cup champion Edmonton on both occasions.

The year 1986 was an historic year for the Stampeders as a great miracle in the history of Calgary sports occurred. The Stampeders’ franchise was on the verge of folding due to severe financial debt, when an ‘S.O.S.’ (Save Our Stamps) drive was undertaken by the city and the fans. Through fundraising drives and endless ticket campaigns, 22,400 season tickets were sold to save CFL football in Calgary.

The team responded to the new enthusiasm by finishing with an 11-7 record and a playoff berth for the first time since 1982. The team fell short in the semifinal against the Eskimos but won the hearts of many Calgarians with a gritty effort.

The remainder of the 1980s saw many ups and downs for the Stampeders as they fought to better themselves in the league after a number of dismal years. In 1989, the club rebounded to finish in second spot in the West Division with a 10-8 record under the guidance of head coach Lary Kuharich.

The 1990s was the best decade in the history of the Stampeders. Wally Buono took over as the 20th head coach in team history in January, 1990, leading the team to a first place finish his first season.

In 1991, the club took a drastic change from being a community-owned team to becoming privately owned by successful local businessman Larry Ryckman. He stepped up in October, 1991 and purchased a team that was again on the verge of financial extinction. The Stampeders finished second that year and made it to the West Championship where Pee Wee Smith caught a memorable 66-yard catch late in the game against Edmonton to catapult the Stampeders into the Grey Cup. The club lost to Toronto, but had gained a great deal of needed momentum after a number of disappointing seasons.

With the addition of Doug Flutie at quarterback in 1992, the Stampeders won their first Grey Cup title in over 20 years. Flutie was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season, and would go on to win the award another four times.

The Stampeders won a team record 15 wins in 1993 and 1994, but failed to make the Grey Cup final in both seasons. They would match this feat again in 1995, this time advancing to the Grey Cup final, before losing to the Baltimore Stallions 37-20.

After being shut out of the Grey Cup the next two seasons, the Stampeders returned to the grand stage in 1998. Mark McLoughlin kicked a 35-yard field goal with no time remaining in regulation to give the Stampeders a 26-24 victory over Hamilton for their fourth championship in franchise history.

A Grey Cup rematch was played the following year, with Hamilton coming out on top 32-21. In total the Stampeders appeared in the Grey Cup five times in the 1990s, winning twice.

Following a one-year hiatus, the Stampeders returned to the Grey Cup despite an 8-10 regular season record, their first losing season in over a dozen years. Against heavily-favoured Winnipeg, the Stampeders won 27-19 to claim their fifth Grey Cup title in their history.

It would be Calgary’s last trip to the post-season until 2005, when the Stampeders posted an 11-7 mark under new head coach Tom Higgins. Calgary fell to arch-rival Edmonton in the Scotiabank West Semifinal 33-26.