Edmonton Elks
Founded | 1949 |
---|---|
Based in | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
Home field | The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium |
Head coach | Chris Jones |
General manager | Chris Jones |
Owner(s) | EE Football Team, Inc.[1] ("Community" (shareholder) owned) |
League | Canadian Football League |
Division | West Division |
Colours | Green, gold, white[2][3] |
Nickname(s) |
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Mascot(s) | Punter and Spike |
Grey Cup wins | 14 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)
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Website | goelks |
Current uniform | |
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The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium. The Elks were founded in 1949 as the Edmonton Eskimos and have won the Grey Cup championship fourteen times (including a three-peat between 1954 and 1956 and an unmatched five consecutive wins between 1978 and 1982), most recently in 2015. The team has a rivalry with the Calgary Stampeders and is one of the three community-owned teams in the CFL. The team discontinued using the "Eskimos" name in 2020, with the new name "Elks" being formally announced on June 1, 2021.[4][5]
Ownership
The Edmonton Elks are one of three "community owned" teams in the CFL (owned by local shareholders).
Edmonton Elks Football Team, Inc., is governed by a ten-member board of directors.[6] The board consists of a chairman, treasurer, secretary, and seven directors. As of 2017[update], the board of directors included chairman Brad Sparrow, treasurer Janice Agrios, secretary Murray Scambler, directors Douglas Cox, Rob Heron, Ian Murray, Harold Roozen, Marshall Sadd, Lindsay Dodd and Tom Richards. The club's president and CEO was Chris Presson until he was fired on November 22, 2021.[7][8]
History
Football in Edmonton 1895–1939
The Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club, unaffiliated with the current team, was an early Canadian football-rugby union team based in Edmonton. The team played its first organized games with the formation of the Alberta Rugby Football League in 1895. In 1908 the name Esquimaux was adopted.[9] In 1910 the club was officially named the Edmonton Eskimos and was briefly called the Edmonton Elks during 1922. (The city was represented by the Edmonton Civics in 1914 and the Edmonton Canucks in 1919.) After appearing in and losing the 9th Grey Cup and 10th Grey Cup games (being the first western teams to play for the Cup) the team folded in 1925, but returned for two seasons beginning 1928, and then folded again. It was succeeded by the Edmonton Boosters, who played for three more seasons, and the Edmonton Hi-Grads in 1936 (a team of high school graduate all stars.) Elite-level football returned to Edmonton in 1938 with a team once again called the Eskimos, this time in the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). This team ceased operating after only two seasons because of the Second World War.
Team history
The current incarnation of the team began in the 1949 WIFU season as the Edmonton Eskimos under head coach Annis Stukus, for whom the CFL's annual coach of the year award is named. The team played home games at Clarke Stadium and quickly saw success under quarterback Jackie Parker and running back Johnny Bright, winning the Grey Cup three years in a row from 1954 to 1956. The team did not win the Grey Cup again until 1975, the longest drought in team history. The team moved to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978.
The team won five consecutive Grey Cups (1978–82), led by superstar quarterbacks Warren Moon and Tom Wilkinson and head coach Hugh Campbell. After a brief absence, Campbell returned to the team in 1986 and worked for Edmonton in an administrative capacity until his retirement in 2006. This five-year dynasty, followed by the dominance of the city's NHL team the Edmonton Oilers, led the city to be nicknamed the "City of Champions" in the 1980s. Edmonton made it to nine Grey Cups in a ten-year span from 1973 to 1982.
In the 1980s and 90s the team's marquee player was Gizmo Williams who still holds many CFL records in punt and kickoff returns and was a key part in Grey Cup victories in 1987 and 1993 under head coach Ron Lancaster. During this period the team was also known for its stellar defensive line, with future Canadian Football Hall of Famers like Danny Kepley and Danny Bass winning Defensive Player of the Year Awards and Willie Pless winning the trophy a record five times.
After winning the Grey Cup in both 2003 and 2005, under quarterback Ricky Ray, who is Edmonton's all-time leader in passing yards, the team missed the playoffs the following year, for the first time in 34 years, a North American professional sport record. This led to a ten-year Grey Cup drought. After a gap of ten years, Edmonton won the Grey Cup again in 2015, under the leadership of quarterback Mike Reilly, their most recent championship.
The term Eskimo is considered by Professor Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair an offensive term placed on Inuit.[10] In 2020 after pressure from some, the team officially dropped all use of the word "Eskimo" from the team, temporarily rebranding as the "Edmonton Football Team" or, secondarily, the "EE Football Team", confirming their plan was to rebrand with a nickname starting with "E" to continue the use of at least some of their branding, most notably the interlocked double-E logo. On June 1, 2021, it was formally announced that the new Edmonton team name would be the Edmonton Elks, a name used by the Edmonton football club of 1922.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/10/CFL_EDM_Jersey_Combinations.png/300px-CFL_EDM_Jersey_Combinations.png)
Franchise great Warren Moon, who led Edmonton to a record five straight Grey Cups between 1978 and 1982 stated, "The name Eskimos, to me, just means pride and it means winning with that organization". However, he stated that he was ultimately supportive of the move because some people might be offended by the name.[11]
The team colours, green and gold, have remained essentially the same over the years with only minor modifications to the uniform or logo until 2021, when the EE logo was designated as a secondary logo,[12] and introduced a new logo of a stylized image of an elk and the Elks helmet logo was changed to antlers. After keeping the elk-antler helmet for the 2021 season, the team reintroduced the EE logo to their helmets in the 2022 offseason, acknowledging fan favourability towards the logo.[13][14]
Team records and achievements
The Elks have won the Grey Cup more than any other team except the Toronto Argonauts, including more championships than any other since the CFL was formed in the 1950s. This places the Elks second overall to the Toronto Argonauts, who have won 17 Grey Cups (seven since the CFL was formed in 1954). The team also made playoffs for 37 consecutive years from 1927 to 2005, a North American professional sport record. Since re-entering the WIFU in 1949, Edmonton is the only team to have two dynasties of three or more successive Grey Cups: 1954–1956 and 1978–1982.
The Elks have also led the CFL in attendance for many years. As of August 2016, Edmonton had the highest average attendance in the league 27 times since moving to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978.[15]
Team alumni have figured prominently in Alberta political life: past players include two former provincial premiers (Peter Lougheed and Donald Getty), a former mayor of Edmonton (Bill Smith), and a lieutenant-governor (Norman Kwong).
Wall of Honour
The Edmonton Elks have a policy of honouring the players who have best represented the team on the field. The player's name, number and seasons played with the Edmonton Elks are displayed on the edge of the concrete separating the field level from the lower bowl of The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium. The Elks keep the numbers in circulation rather than retire them from use.
Numbers so honoured as of 2022[update]:
- 1 Warren Moon (2001)
- 2 Henry "Gizmo" Williams (2002)
- 11
Sean Fleming (2011)
- 12 Tom Wilkinson (1982)
- 13 Larry Highbaugh (1996)
- 14
Oscar Kruger (1992)
- 15 Ricky Ray (2019)
- 22 Tom Scott (1993)
- 24 Johnny Bright (1983)
- 24 Ed Jones (2022)
- 25 Jim Germany (2022)
- 26
Dave Cutler (1986)
- 27
Don Getty (1992)
- 29 Joe Hollimon (2022)
- 30 Danny Bass (1992)
- 39 Willie Pless (2004)
- 42 Danny Kepley (1987)
- 47
Larry Wruck (2011)
- 51 Frank "Guts" Anderson † (1985)
- 53
Frank Morris (1984)
- 55 Ron Estay (2010)
- 60
Chris Morris (2008)
- 62
Bill Stevenson † (2014)
- 63
Hector Pothier (2014)
- 65
Dave Fennell (1984)
- 66 Roger Nelson (1987)
- 66 John LaGrone (1988)
- 67
Rod Connop (2005)
- 70 Brian Kelly (1989)
- 76 George McGowan (1985)
- 77
Tommy Joe Coffey (1988)
- 91 Jackie Parker (1983)
- 94 Rollie Miles (1983)
- 95
Norman Kwong (1984)
† Honoured posthumously
Current roster
Current coaching staff
Front Office
Head Coach
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coach
Strength and Conditioning
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Head coaches
Annis Stukus (1949–1952)
- Frank Filchock (1952)
- Darrell Royal (1953)
- Pop Ivy (1954–1957)
- Sam Lyle (1958)
- Eagle Keys (1959–1963)
- Neill Armstrong (1964–1969)
- Ray Jauch (1970–1977)
- Hugh Campbell (1977–1982)
- Pete Kettela (1983)
- Jackie Parker (1983–1987)
- Joe Faragalli (1987–1990)
- Ron Lancaster (1991–1997)
- Kay Stephenson (1998)
- Don Matthews (1999–2000)
- Tom Higgins (2001–2004)
Danny Maciocia (2005–2008)
- Richie Hall (2009–2010)
- Kavis Reed (2011–2013)
- Chris Jones (2014–2015)
- Jason Maas (2016–2019)
- Scott Milanovich (2020)
Jaime Elizondo (2021)
- Chris Jones (2022–present)
General managers
- Al Anderson (1949–1956)
- Keith Rolfe (1957–1960)
- Joe Ryan (1960–1965)
- Vic Schwenk (1966)
- Norm Kimball (1966–1985)
- Hugh Campbell (1986–1996)
- Tom Higgins (1997–2004)
- Paul Jones (2005–2007)
- Danny Maciocia (2008–2010)
- Eric Tillman (2010–2012)
- Ed Hervey (2013–2016)
- Brock Sunderland (2017–2021)
- Chris Jones (2022–present)
CFL awards and trophies
- 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2003
- Dave Fennell (DT): 1978, 1982
- Tom Wilkinson (QB): 1978
- Warren Moon (QB): 1980, 1982
- Dale Potter (LB): 1980
- Damon Allen (QB): 1987, 1993
- Stewart Hill (DE): 1987
- Jason Tucker (WR): 2003
- Ricky Ray (QB): 2005
- Mike Reilly (QB): 2015
- Garry Lefebvre (DB): 1973
- Dave Cutler (K): 1975
- Angelo Santucci (RB): 1978
- Dale Potter (LB): 1980
- Neil Lumsden (RB): 1981
- Dave Fennell (DT): 1982
- Milson Jones (RB): 1987
- Sean Fleming (P/K): 1993
- Mike Maurer (FB): 2005
- Shamawd Chambers (WR): 2015
- Billy Vessels (RB): 1953
- Jackie Parker (QB/RB): 1957, 1958, 1960
- Johnny Bright (RB): 1959
- George McGowan (WR): 1973
- Tom Wilkinson (QB): 1974
- Warren Moon (QB): 1983
- Tracy Ham (QB): 1989
- Mike Reilly (QB): 2017
Most Outstanding Canadian Award
- Norman Kwong (RB): 1955, 1956
- Dave Fennell (DT): 1979
- Blake Marshall (FB): 1991
- Leroy Blugh (DE): 1996
- Kamau Peterson (WR): 2008
- Jerome Messam (RB): 2011
Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award
- Danny Kepley (LB): 1977, 1980, 1981
- Dave Fennell (DT): 1978
- James Parker (LB): 1982
- Danny Bass (LB): 1989
- Willie Pless (LB): 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
- Elfrid Payton (DE): 2002
- J. C. Sherritt (LB): 2012
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award
- Charlie Turner (OT): 1975
- Michael Wilson (OT): 1979, 1980
- Rod Connop (C): 1989
Most Outstanding Lineman Award[a]
- Roger Nelson (OT): 1959
- John LaGrone (DT): 1969
- Brian Kelly (WR): 1979
- Shalon Baker (WR): 1995
- Dexter McCoil (LB): 2014
- Derel Walker (WR): 2015
- David Boone (DE): 1982
- Hector Pothier (OT): 1988
- Rick Walters (SB): 2001
- Adarius Bowman (WR): 2017
- Ryan King (LS): 2018
a Defunct
Mascots
Punter (an anthropomorphic football) and Spike (an elk) are the mascots for the Edmonton Elks. They were introduced in 2004 and 2021, respectively.[16] Nanook, a polar bear, was introduced in 1997, but was retired and replaced with Spike in 2021, coinciding with the rebranding.
See also
- Edmonton Elks all-time records and statistics
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame
- Canadian football
- Comparison of Canadian and American football
- List of Canadian Football League seasons
- List of fan-owned sports teams
References
- ^ "Edmonton CFL franchise changes its team name to Elks". AP News. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Edmonton Eskimos Club Profile & History" (PDF). 2021 CFL Guide & Record Book. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "About Us". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "New name. Same game. We are the Edmonton Elks". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises, LP. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "EDMONTON OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES TEAM NAME AS ELKS". CFL.ca (Press release). CFL Enterprises, LP. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
{{cite press release}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "BOARD OF DIRECTORS". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Archived from the original on 2021-06-18. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "CHRIS PRESSON NAMED ESKIMOS PRESIDENT AND CEO". GoElks.com (Press release). CFL Enterprises LP. August 7, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
{{cite press release}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Elks announce sweeping organizational changes". Canadian Football League. November 22, 2021.
- ^ Edmonton Journal, October 15, 2012
The Edmonton Rugby Football Club was reorganized as the Esquimaux on Oct. 16, 1908 at a meeting in the Windsor Hotel on Jasper Avenue and 101st Street.
The team had been nicknamed “Esquimaux” by a Calgary sportswriter as early as 1897 - ^ "Expert says 'meat-eater' name Eskimo an offensive term placed on Inuit". Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ^ "Edmonton's CFL team changes name to Elks after dropping Eskimos".
- ^ @EdmontonElks (1 June 2021). "The Double E's are here to stay, in a new way. With a new treatment, they represent our history. #ElksCharge" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Our Team. Our City. Elks launch new look for 2022 season". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises, LP. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "New Look: Elks reveal new uniforms for 2022". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises, LP. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Jones, Terry (2016-08-24). "Eskimos are still league leaders in attendance numbers, but half the seats at Commonwealth are empty". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
- ^ "Mascots". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Watch Football Story, a 1953 National Film Board of Canada documentary about the Edmonton Eskimos