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35-829: The QRFU was formed officially on January 16, 1883, 10 days after the Ontario Rugby Football Union . Teams from the QRFU would compete against member clubs of the ORFU for the Dominion Championship of the CRFU beginning the following season. The QRFU adopted the ORFU point-scoring system in 1884 with the formation of the Canadian Rugby Football Union . The Montreal Foot Ball Club claimed the first ever CRFU Championship 30–0 over

70-449: A "community owned" team (owned by local shareholders) since their inception in 1949 to midway through the 2024 season . Edmonton Elks Football Team, Inc., was governed by a ten-member board of directors. The board consisted of a chairman, treasurer, secretary, and seven directors. The club's president and CEO was Chris Presson until he was fired on November 22, 2021. As of 2024, Larry Thompson, longtime Elks fan and shareholder, bought

105-572: 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 (albeit with it not being enclosed in an oval) in the 2022 offseason, acknowledging fan favourability towards the logo. In 2021, the Elks worked with artist Izaiah Masuskapoe, an Indigenous student at West Edmonton’s St. Thomas More Catholic Junior High School, to create

140-425: 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. Saying, "If this is something that is insensitive to another group of people, that is something I can understand being a minority myself." This came around

175-865: A special logo to celebrate the Indigenous people in Edmonton, which later spread to all of Canada in 2024 as the CFL commemorated the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with logos of their own. This followed a similar effort by the BC Lions months before. With 14 Grey Cup wins, the franchise has won the Grey Cup more than any other team except the Toronto Argonauts , who have 18 wins. This includes more championships than any other team since

210-678: A sport dominated by the IRFU and the Western Interprovincial Football Union , which had both become fully professional. Indeed, by then it was the only fully amateur union still challenging for the Grey Cup. Even so, it retained enough prestige that it played the WIFU champion for a berth in the Grey Cup final. The IRFU was reluctant to accept the WIFU as a full equal, even after the Calgary Stampeders won

245-705: The Canadian Rugby Union (CRU), with a preference to use the snap-back system of play used in Ontario. When the CRU did not adopt the system, his motion was approved for the ORFU to adopt the CRU rules in 1906. In December 1906, The Gazette reported that a proposal originated from Ottawa for the ORFU and the Quebec Rugby Football Union to merge, which would allow for higher calibre of play and create rivalries. Hewitt helped organize

280-706: 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 and the most of any CFL club based in Western Canada. The team has a rivalry with the Calgary Stampeders . The team discontinued using the Eskimos name in 2020, with the new name Elks formally announced on June 1, 2021. The Edmonton Elks were

315-648: 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

350-496: The Toronto Football Club . Teams of the QRFU played 15 men to a side, and did not adopt a down system until 1904, when it agreed that a team must make five yards on its third scrimmage to keep possession of the ball. The QRFU valued a goal from the field (field goal) as six points, a try (touchdown), goals from a try, penalties and free kicks as four points; two points for safety touches; and one point for kicks to

385-475: The CFC became the modern Canadian Football League and formally took ownership of the Grey Cup, these earlier developments effectively heralded the start of the modern era of Canadian football. The ORFU ceased to operate as a true senior league after 1960, but continued play at the intermediate level. Eventually the word "senior" came to replace the word "intermediate." By 1974, the ORFU had ceased to exist. However,

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420-407: The CFL was formed in the 1950s. Edmonton holds the record for most consecutive Grey Cup appearances (6 from 1977–1982), and consecutive wins (5 from 1978–1982). The team is the only one to have won three or more consecutive Grey Cups twice (1954–1956 and 1978–1982). The team has the distinction of setting two opposite North American professional sports records: from a success standpoint, Edmonton made

455-504: The Elks include professional wrestler and WWE champion Roman Reigns , who played under his birthname Joe Anoa'i in 2008. 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 Commonwealth Stadium . The Elks keep most of

490-408: The ORFU protested, the professional unions threatened to resign from the CRU and create their own national championship. Realizing this would leave them merely competing for a trophy of far diminished stature, the ORFU subsequently withdrew from Grey Cup competition in exchange for a promise that they would be permitted to challenge for the trophy again if their calibre of play improved. In reality there

525-423: The WIFU. Although the Canadian Rugby Union constitution nominally prevented the professional unions from outright barring amateurs from challenging for the Grey Cup, they nevertheless came to a gentlemen's agreement to coordinate their schedules so that their respective championships would be awarded about a week before the Grey Cup, thus leaving no feasible date to contest an inter-union Grey Cup semifinal. When

560-627: The deadline, rouges and touch in goals. The QRFU ceased operations in the 1907 after losing their best teams to the IRFU . The league returned in 1937 for a single season and made another return during World War II. The league is not related to, nor shares any history, with the Quebec Rugby Federation , which administers rugby football in Quebec . Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union ( ORFU )

595-505: 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

630-658: The equal of the IRFU, and the Western union soon made it publicly known that a playoff with the ORFU was no longer desirable. Meanwhile, the IRFU had secured a contract with the National Broadcasting Company . Informed by NBC executives that the continued presence of amateur teams in Grey Cup competition was harmful to the image of Canadian football in the United States, the IRFU quickly reversed its stance and entered into informal discussions with

665-441: 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. In 2020 pressure mounted from team sponsors such as Belairdirect , Boston Pizza , and Sports Interaction, a First Nations–owned betting company, for

700-432: The gap during the suspension of play by the IRFU (Toronto Navy – H.M.C.S. York played out of Varsity Stadium , using the Toronto Argonauts ' equipment and uniforms.) The Toronto RCAF Hurricanes were the last amateur team to win the Grey Cup in 1942. Many from the ranks of the military teams in the ORFU became stars in the CFL after the war. With the return of peace, the ORFU found it increasingly difficult to compete in

735-473: The highest average attendance in the league 27 times since moving to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978. 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 ). Athletes of significance in other professional sports that played for

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770-616: The junior Ontario Rugby Football Union which was formed in 1890 lasted until the 1970 season. The Imperial Oil Trophy was awarded to the league's most valuable player . Edmonton Eskimos 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 Commonwealth Stadium . The Elks were founded in 1949 as

805-414: 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

840-610: The meeting which established the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) in 1907. For most of the first half of the 20th century, the ORFU was one of the stronger unions in Canada, and its champion was a frequent fixture in the Grey Cup even as the game became increasingly professionalized in the 1930s. During World War II , the Ontario-based military teams played in the ORFU, filling

875-401: The national title in 1948. While the IRFU would go on to win the next five Grey Cups after that, it generally triumphed in close contests against WIFU opposition who had consistently outclassed ORFU champions in successive Grey Cup semifinals. Following the unexpected triumph of the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1954 Grey Cup , it was increasingly apparent that the WIFU's quality of play had become

910-439: The playoffs for 34 consecutive years from 1972 to 2005. At the other end, the Elks hold the dubious record of most consecutive home losses, set when they passed 21 on July 29, 2023. This streak ended at 22, with the first home win under the Elks name coming August 27, 2023. This record was previously held by the 1953 St. Louis Browns . The Elks have also led the CFL in yearly attendance many times. As of August 2016, Edmonton had

945-786: The same time as the Washington Redskins of the National Football League rebranded as the Washington Commanders, and the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball rebranded as the Cleveland Guardians. 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, and introduced

980-474: 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,

1015-494: The team outright, becoming the first private owner in club history. 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. In 1910 the club was officially named

1050-405: The team to change their name. The term Eskimo is an offensive term historically placed on Inuit people. The team officially dropped all use of the word "Eskimo" from the team on July 21, 2020. In response, the team temporarily rebranded 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

1085-466: 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

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1120-521: The use of at least some of their branding, most notably the interlocked double-E logo. This move was supported by multiple Indigenous groups, including the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami , a group representing over 60,000 Inuit across Canada. On June 1, 2021, the team formally announced that the new Edmonton team name would be the Edmonton Elks, a name used by the Edmonton football club of 1922. Franchise great Warren Moon, who led Edmonton to

1155-585: Was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario . The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883 and in 1903 became the first major competition to adopt the Burnside rules , from which the modern Canadian football code would evolve. W. A. Hewitt was vice-president of the ORFU for the 1905 and 1906 seasons, and a representative of the Toronto Argonauts . He sought for ORFU to have uniform rules of play with

1190-692: 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 . The current incarnation of

1225-560: Was virtually no chance of this occurring since the only practical means of improving their quality of play would have been for the ORFU to become a professional union, an arrangement its clubs lacked the financial resources to sustain. The professional unions would go on to create the Canadian Football Council and effectively assummed control of organizing Grey Cup competition from the CRU. Although amateurs would not be formally locked out of Grey Cup play until 1958 when

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