Montreal Alouettes

Montreal Alouettes
Les Alouettes de Montréal

Founded	1946 East Division
Colours	Red, white, blue[2][3]
Nickname(s)	Als, Larks
Mascot(s)	Touché
Grey Cup wins	8 (1949, 1970, 1974, 1977, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2023)
Website	en.montrealalouettes.com (in English) montrealalouettes.com (in French)
Current uniform
2023 Montreal Alouettes season

The Montreal Alouettes (

The original Alouettes team (1946–1981) won four Grey Cups and were particularly dominant in the 1970s. After their collapse in 1982, they were immediately reconstituted under new ownership as the Montreal Concordes. After playing for four years as the Concordes, they revived the Alouettes name for the 1986 season. A second folding in 1987 led to a nine-year hiatus of CFL football in the city.

The current Alouettes franchise was established in 1996 by the owners of the Baltimore Stallions. The Stallions were disbanded at the same time as the Alouettes' re-establishment after having been the most successful of the CFL's American expansion franchises, culminating in a Grey Cup championship in 1995. Many players from the Stallions' 1995 roster signed with the Alouettes and formed the core of the team's 1996 roster.

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. 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 latest incarnation of the Alouettes were arguably the best CFL team of the 2000s; they took home three Grey Cups in that decade bringing the franchise total to seven.

Canadian football has a long history in Montreal, dating to the 1850s. The Alouettes were first formed in 1946 by Canadian Football Hall of Famer

They won their first Grey Cup championship in 1949, beating Calgary 28–15 led by quarterback Frank Filchock and running back Virgil Wagner.

The 1950s were a productive decade for the Als, with quarterback Sam Etcheverry throwing passes to John "Red" O'Quinn, "Prince" Hal Patterson, and with Pat Abbruzzi carrying the ball, Montreal fielded the most dangerous offence in all Canadian football. From 1954 to 1956, they reached the Grey Cup in three consecutive seasons, but questionable defensive units led the Alouettes to defeat versus the Edmonton Eskimos each time.

The team was purchased in 1954 by Ted Workman.^[9] Like all teams playing in the WIFU and IRFU, the Alouettes joined the newly-formed Canadian Football League in 1958. While the team continued to enjoy success for the rest of the 1950s, that all changed at the end of the 1960 season. To be more specific, the team was shaken by an announcement on November 10 – namely the trade of Hal Patterson and Sam Etcheverry to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for Bernie Faloney and Don Paquette. Workman had concluded the deal without consulting with general manager Perry Moss. The deal quickly fell apart because Etcheverry had just signed a new contract with a no-trade clause; as a result, Etcheverry was now a free agent. The deal was reworked and Patterson was traded for Paquette. Sam Etcheverry went on to play in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2 years (1961 and 1962) followed by the San Francisco 49ers in 1963. Faloney remained in Hamilton, and teamed with Patterson to form one of the most deadly quarterback-receiver combinations in CFL history.

This episode remains one of the most lopsided trades ever made in the Alouettes history, and it ushered in a dark decade for the team. During that time, they failed to register a single winning season. From 1968 to 1976 the team played in the

The Als finally bottomed out in 1969, finishing 2–12. After that season, Workman sold the team to the highly capable Sam Berger, a former part-owner of the Ottawa Rough Riders. Berger made immediate changes to the team. On December 9, the team announced that Red O'Quinn and Sam Etcheverry were returning to the organization, this time as the team's new general manager and head coach, respectively. The team also unveiled new uniforms—their home jerseys were now predominantly green, with red and white trim. The white helmets with the red "wings" used during the 1960s also disappeared, replaced by a white helmet with a stylized green and red bird's head that formed a lower-case "a." As one might expect from a team that had won only two games in 1969, many new players were brought in.

The changes paid immediate dividends. Although the team finished third in the East, they defeated the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the playoffs. The 1970 season culminated when the Alouettes won the 58th Grey Cup, played on November 28 at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium before a crowd of 32,669. Led by quarterback Sonny Wade (who was named the game's most valuable player, and who would soon become a fan favourite in Montreal—not unlike the status his coach had enjoyed in the 1950s), halfback Moses Denson, receivers Gary Lefebvre and Tom Pullen, along with kicker George Springate, the team defeated the Calgary Stampeders 23–10 for the city's first Grey Cup since 1949, also against the Stamps.

That 1970 victory would herald the beginning of arguably the greatest decade in franchise history. During Berger's tenure as owner, the team played for six Grey Cups and won three (meeting both Alberta teams all of those times, and the Edmonton Eskimos in five of those six games). In 1974, the team changed their colours to match the other Montreal pro sports teams- red, white and blue. They finally moved out of the Autostade and into Olympic Stadium midway through the 1976 season and attendance shot up. In 1977, the Als had a very successful year both on the field and at the box office, winning the Grey Cup at their home field before a Grey Cup-record 68,318 fans (a CFL record that still stands as of 2023). They also averaged 59,595 fans per game at the "Big O" during the regular season, a league record that also still stands.

However, the success ended with Berger's retirement in 1981. He sold the team to

This would be the last game that the original Alouettes franchise would play. Skalbania was reported late in 1981 to be selling to oil magnate Pat Bowlen, who would later buy the NFL's Denver Broncos in 1984. Later in 1981, NFL coach George Allen obtained an option to purchase 51% of the club, and was named Alouettes' president. While holding both the option and the post, Allen was surprised by Skalbania arranging a sale of the same controlling stake to Harry Ornest, who would later own the St. Louis Blues and the Toronto Argonauts. 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. In early April 1982, Allen looked set to take control of the Alouettes. However, Allen left the club in late April after Skalbania was unable to resolve 1981 debts. With the franchise in collapse, Berger tried to force Skalbania to relinquish the team to him as payment for debt. Skalbania returned from a business trip to Hong Kong in late April and was able to regain control of the team. However, Skalbania's highly leveraged business interests collapsed a month later. Unable to meet his obligations, he was forced to return the team to the league on May 13.

Montreal Concordes (1982–1985)

The CFL had anticipated the collapse of the Alouettes, and was well prepared when Skalbania returned the franchise to the league. Among potential suitors for the troubled franchise was Montreal businessman Charles Bronfman, founder and owner of the Alouettes' co-tenants at the Big O, the Montreal Expos. Bronfman had made it clear to league officials that he would not deal with Skalbania, but would be willing to establish a replacement franchise on short notice if the Alouettes ceased operations. On May 14, 1982, a day after the original Alouettes franchise folded, the CFL granted the Montreal franchise rights to Bronfman. However, Skalbania continued to assert ownership of the Montreal Alouettes name, logos and related intellectual property even though he had given up the franchise.

Rather than risk a lawsuit from the notoriously litigious Skalbania, and unwilling to negotiate with him, Bronfman chose to operate his team under another aviation-inspired name, the Concordes. The new name was not only a reference to the then-revolutionary Concorde supersonic passenger jet, but appeared to be an appeal to both anglophones and francophones, Concorde was an Anglo-French joint venture. Unfortunately, the new name angered management at one of Montreal's most prominent corporations, aviation manufacturer Bombardier. After being a prominent sponsor of the Alouettes, Bombardier refused to have anything to do with a football team named for an aircraft built by one of its competitors, the French-based Aérospatiale.

The Concordes inherited the franchise history and records of the 1946–1981 Alouettes. Bronfman retained most of the Alouettes' coaching staff, including recently hired head coach

A nine-game losing streak to end the season doomed the 1982 Concordes to a 2–14 record – the worst record in franchise history (percentage points below the 1969 Als). The Concordes featured quarterback

The team gradually rebounded on the field over the next three years. The Concordes won five games in 1983. While still well below .500, the East Division was so weak that year (only the eventual Grey Cup champion Argos finished with a winning record) that the Concordes were still in playoff contention on the season's final weekend. The Concordes' final game of the season was at Olympic Stadium against the Tiger-Cats. 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. These fans left heartbroken after Hamilton kicker Bernie Ruoff made a last minute field goal to tie the game 21–21. Since overtime would not be introduced in the CFL regular season until 1986, the Tiger-Cats won the final Eastern playoff berth on account of a better head-to-head record (having beaten the Concordes earlier in the year).

The team returned to the playoffs in 1984, again doing so in a weak East Division; only the defending champion Argos finished with a winning record. In 1985, they advanced all the way to the East Final. Their East Semifinal win over Ottawa that year was both their only home playoff game and only playoff win under the Concordes banner; 1984 and 1985 were the only playoff appearances for a Montreal football team from 1982 to 1986. However, as in 1984, they made the playoffs in an extremely weak East Division; the Concordes and Ti-Cats both finished with identical 8–8 records, with the Ti-Cats getting the division title by virtue of sweeping the season series. No other team in the division even managed a .500 record.

However, attendance did not keep pace with the team's performance. The Concordes' 1983 season finale against Hamilton was the only game to attract a crowd surpassing even 30,000 under Bronfman's ownership. Moreover, the 1985 East Semifinal was a disaster at the box office due in part to poor weather conditions and haphazard facility preparations. Only 11,372 fans attended what would turn out to be the team's last home game played under the Concordes name.

Re-branding and demise (1986–1987)

After quietly coming to terms with Skalbania, in 1986 the team attempted to embrace its predecessor's history and regenerate flagging fan interest by rebranding itself the "new" Montreal Alouettes. This would not prove to be successful, on or off the field. On the field, the team posted a 4–14 record, missing the playoffs in spite of once again finishing third in the East on account of the new "cross-over rule" the CFL had implemented for the 1986 season. Off the field, financial losses mounted and the team's attendance tumbled to 10,127 a game, including only 9,045 at their final home game (a contest against the BC Lions drew only 5200 fans, the smallest crowd at any CFL game since 1951).

Just before the 1987 season, Carling O'Keefe tore up its deal to serve as the CFL's presenting television sponsor. The collapse of the CFL's television deal proved a death blow for the Alouettes. The franchise had lost at least $15 million under Bronfman's ownership. While Bronfman was far better-financed than Skalbania, he was unwilling to spend millions of dollars underwriting his professional sports holdings indefinitely. Bronfman's overall situation was not helped by the then-emerging news that his other professional sports team, the Expos, were at the centre of a massive collusion scandal that was rocking Major League Baseball. Eventually, Bronfman decided to focus on baseball and made it clear he would not field a football team for the 1987 CFL season unless the Alouettes sold thousands of additional season tickets. Neither the necessary season ticket sales nor a viable ownership group willing to take the franchise off Bronfman's hands materialized.

With the collapse of the league's television deal leaving several other franchises in serious distress, the league was not in a position to take over operating the team. Re-location was not an option either. Although several Canadian cities had expressed interest in acquiring a CFL team (with London, Ontario being briefly considered), even notwithstanding the logistical challenges of moving a team on short notice no prospective city had a stadium that was suitable even for temporary use. At the time, the CFL was lukewarm to the possibility of expanding or re-locating to U.S. markets (the CFL's U.S. expansion experiment did not come until six years later).

The new Alouettes folded on June 24, 1987, just a day before the

The Baltimore Football Club was granted an expansion franchise for 1994 by the Canadian Football League during their American expansion of the early-mid 1990s. After the NFL's Indianapolis Colts (who had moved from Baltimore in 1983) blocked attempts to name the new team the Baltimore CFL Colts, owner Jim Speros eventually settled on Stallions as a nickname. The Stallions were by far the most successful of the CFL's American teams, garnering strong fan support in the Baltimore area and appearing in the Grey Cup in both its seasons, losing in 1994 and winning in 1995. To date, they are the only American-based team to play for and win the Grey Cup. Only a week before the Stallions won the Grey Cup, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to relocate his NFL club to Baltimore. Support for the Stallions dried up almost overnight. With no reasonable prospect of successfully competing with an NFL team, and unwilling to have his club effectively reduced to "minor-league" status in Baltimore, Speros decided to move the Stallions elsewhere.^[10]

At one point, Speros was very close to moving the team to

In the end, under prodding from league commissioner and former Alouettes running back Larry Smith, Speros began talks with Montreal. Smith had been looking for a way to return the CFL to Canada's second-largest market and, at the same time, find a way out of the failing American expansion (which Smith had also presided over). He believed that the defending Grey Cup champions would be a better vehicle for reviving football in Montreal than what would have effectively been an expansion team.^[10][11]

At a league meeting on February 2, 1996; Speros formally requested permission to move the Stallions to Montreal. The request was granted, officially ending the CFL's American experiment.^[12] However, talks had been so far advanced that at least one Baltimore outlet reported that the Stallions were moving to Montreal in January.^[11] According to at least one Canadian outlet, at the same time Speros had already begun deciding whether to retain the Stallions moniker or "revive" the Alouettes.^[13] He ultimately chose the latter course, reconstituting his organisation as the third incarnation of the Alouettes. While Speros was able to reclaim the history of the 1946–86 Alouettes/Concordes franchise, he was not allowed to retain the history of the Stallions. As a result, according to official CFL records, Speros is now reckoned as having surrendered the Stallions franchise before "reactivating" the Alouettes franchise. The Alouettes are now retconned as having suspended operations from 1987 to 1995, while the Stallions are officially one of only three modern-era Grey Cup champions to fold (after the Rough Riders and the original Alouettes). The Alouettes, however, do briefly mention the Stallions on their history page.

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. However, as with all the other U.S.-based CFL teams, the Stallions had been exempt from CFL rules that mandated a certain quota of Canadian "non-import" players on team rosters. For this reason, an expansion draft was held to help stock the Alouettes with the required number of Canadian players. Popp hired former Stallions assistant coach Bob Price to be the new head coach of the revived Alouettes. With the help of much of the core of the Stallions, the Alouettes were able to overcome a slow start to finish with their first winning record since 1979. They defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East semifinal before being defeated by the Argos 43–7 in the East Final.

In 1997, Speros sold the team to developer and investor

Rebirth of the Montreal Alouettes (1996–1997)

The revived Alouettes franchise played their first two seasons at Olympic Stadium, but attendance in the cavernous domed stadium was very poor at first. The future of the franchise was very much in doubt until a twist of fate revitalized the floundering club. When a scheduled November 1997

Anthony Calvillo era (1998–2013)

This section possibly contains Mike Pringle led the team to a second-place finish, but they suffered a last-second loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final. The Alouettes finally broke through in 1999, under new head coach Charlie Taaffe , winning their first division title since 1979. However, for the fourth consecutive season they lost the East Final match in a close game against the Tiger-Cats, 27–26. Tracy Ham retired after the 1999 season, and Anthony Calvillo took over as the full-time starting quarterback, he led the team to their first Grey Cup final since 1979, losing to BC in a close game, as they came within a missed two point convert of sending the game into overtime. After the season Charlie Taaffe resigned to become the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins. The next season started under new coach Rod Rust at 9–2, but after Calvillo separated his shoulder, the team started struggling and after losing all their remaining games, GM Jim Popp fired Rust, led them into the playoffs, where they lost to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Semi-Final. During the off-season, the Alouettes signed Edmonton Eskimos, 25–16. The Alouettes had the best record in the CFL during the 2004 season at 14–4 and looked liked a sure bet to play for the Grey Cup, but in the East Final, Anthony Calvillo got hurt, and was replaced by backup Ted White , and the Toronto Argonauts rallied to defeat the Alouettes, 26–18. During the 2004–2005 off-season, all time CFL career rushing yards leader Mike Pringle signed a one-day contract, so he could retire as a member of the Montreal Alouettes. The team participated in the first Grey Cup overtime game in almost 50 years. The Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Alouettes, 38–35. During the 2006 season Matthews left his position as head coach near the end of the season because of health reasons, and Jim Popp took over for the rest of the season, leading the team to the Grey Cup, where they lost 25–14 to the B.C Lions. Popp stayed on to coach the team during the 2008 Grey Cup, the Alouettes wanted to be there, so they hired an experienced NFL assistant coach in Marc Trestman, and head coach Trestman helped lead them to an 11–7 record and a berth in the Grey Cup against the visiting Calgary Stampeders led by Henry Burris . The Stampeders defeated the hometown Montreal Alouettes, 22–14, in front of over 66,000 fans. The 2009 season was a record breaking season for the Montreal Alouettes, as they set a team record for wins in a regular season, were a CFL best 15–3, and their defence was amazing, as they allowed only 324 points, second least in an 18-game season. Marc Trestman won the coach of the year. The Alouettes earned a 28–27 comeback victory in the 2009 Grey Cup, thanks to the great play of Anthony Calvillo, Ben Cahoon, and Jamel Richardson. The Alouettes trailed the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 27–11, with 8 minutes to play in the game, when they started their comeback. It all came down to the foot of field goal kicker Damon Duval, who after missing a 43-yard field on the last play, got a second chance, when the Roughriders were called for having too many players on the field (The 13th Man), which was a ten-yard penalty, so kicking from the 33 yard line, Duval nailed it through the uprights, giving Montreal an improbable Grey Cup victory, after trailing the entire game. The game turned into a Grey Cup classic, thanks to the great play of the Alouettes veterans, and broke a streak of 4 straight losses in Grey Cups. The 2010 season was another good season for Montreal, as they went 12–6 and became the first team since the 1997 Toronto Argonauts to repeat as Grey Cup Champions. They played against the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the second straight year, and won the game, 21–18, repeating as champs. The 2011 season was another record breaking year for Anthony Calvillo, as he broke numerous records, all against the Argonauts. During their first meeting Calvillo broke the CFL all time touchdown passes record of 394 TD passes on a pass to Eric Deslauriers, Damon Allen was at the game at Molson Stadium and personally congratulated him on breaking his record. He tied Allen's record in Regina the week before with the only touchdown pass ever caught by Tim Maypray. During the teams' second meeting, he broke the completions record with a completion to Brandon London. 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. The play was stopped as his family joined him along with Mark Cohan for a special on field presentation and video tribute. NFL greats Warren Moon and Dan Marino, ESPN's Chris Berman , and Damon Allen each sent video messages congratulating him on breaking the record. Calvillo was presented with a special plaque, with the number 72382, the new pro football all-time yardage mark. The team lost an overtime thriller in the East Semi-Final at the Olympic Stadium 52–44 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The 2012 season was another good year for the Alouettes, but after an 11–7 season they lost the East final to the Toronto Argonauts after Brian Bratton dropped a game-tying touchdown pass from Calvillo with a minute left in the game, giving Toronto a 27–20 win. Before the 2013 season coach Marc Trestman left the Alouettes for the NFL, becoming the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Jim Popp went looking for a new coach, but he chose an inexperienced coach in Dan Hawkins who had no pro experience. After trying to change the playbook, and upsetting a lot of the players, especially Anthony Calvillo, and a dismal 2–3 record, Jim Popp fired Hawkins, and coached the team for the rest of the year. Calvillo was not having a great year, when he suffered a season-ending concussion in Saskatchewan on a hit by Ricky Foley. Jim Popp went looking for a quarterback for the future, and it looked like he found it, in Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. Both Tanner Marsh and Josh Neiswander led the Alouettes to comeback wins during the year, but when Troy Smith took over, he looked more poised and comfortable than the others. The team had an 8–10 record, and still made the playoffs for an 18th straight year. Troy Smith might have led them to a surprising playoff run, if the referees had called pass interference on a possible game winning pass to Duron Carter in the last minute of play, of the East Semi-Final against the Tiger-Cats. Anthony Calvillo announced his retirement on January 21, after a 20-year career, including the last 16 with the Alouettes. Post-Anthony Calvillo era (2014–2018) On February 24, 2014, the Alouettes named former Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders coach Tom Higgins as the 21st head coach in franchise history. Higgins coached the Eskimos against the Alouettes in both the 90th and 91st Grey Cup games. The Alouettes finished with a .500 record, qualifying for the playoffs. After dismantling the BC Lions in a crossover match the Alouettes were beaten by the Tiger-Cats 40–24. On May 22, 2015, Michael Sam signed a two-year contract with the Alouettes.[15][16] The signing made him the first openly gay player in the CFL's history.[16] However, Michael Sam left after one game.[17] On August 21, 2015, owner Robert Wettenhall announced he had relieved Tom Higgins of his head coaching responsibilities and that general manager Jim Popp would take over the duties of head coach.[18] 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. By that time the quarterback shuffle had taken its toll on the team and they finished the year with a 6–12 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since both 1986 and their 1996 re-activation, their last year before folding on the eve of the 1987 season. The following season on September 19, 2016, Popp was relieved of his coaching duties, while remaining as the team's general manager. Jacques Chapdelaine was named interim head coach, becoming the first Quebec-born head coach in Alouettes' history.[19] He was named the permanent coach on December 13, 2016. Kavis Reed took over duties as the team's new general manager.[20] 2016 was also another dismal year for the team, finishing with another losing record of 7–11. After a 3–8 start to the 2017 season, Chapdelaine was fired on September 13, 2017.[21] The Alouettes ended the season with their worst record since reactivation, 3–15. On December 20, 2017, former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman was named the team's new head coach.[22] Under Sherman the team suffered its fourth consecutive losing season, finishing the year with 5 wins and 13 losses. In the five seasons following Anthony Calvillo's retirement, the team won 30 games and lost 60. Spiegel and Stern ownership, rebranding (2019–2023) On February 1, 2019, the team unveiled a new logo and updated uniforms, designed by GRDN Studio, replacing the previous "angry bird" logo used since the team's reestablishment in 1996 with a stylized "M", designed to resemble a bird and plane, and introducing a new "MontreALS" tagline, playing upon the team's nickname. The team also partnered with Vice Media on aspects of accompanying marketing and content.[23][24][25][26][27] On May 31, 2019, Wetenhall surrendered his ownership of the Alouettes to the league, after having attempted to pursue a sale. The CFL would operate the team on its behalf while it searched for a new owner.[28] Several prospective suitors for the team included Clifford Starke, a 35-year-old entrepreneur in medical cannabis who is friends with former Alouette player and CFL commissioner Larry Smith, who had been negotiating for a majority stake.[29] Also interested was former Alouettes running back Eric Lapointe, whose 2017 bid had been rejected but had maintained interest in buying the team (though he withdrew in April 2019),[30] and Vincenzo Guzzo, CEO of Quebec's Cinémas Guzzo cinema chain.[31] As of early June of that year, CFL sources indicated it would not accept Starke's bid, while Guzzo's was said to be on hold.[32] Guzzo later stated that he was displeased with the state of the Alouettes organization as a business and that, had he not been a Montreal resident, he would have never considered buying the team.[33] 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.[34] Jones guided the Alouettes to a 10–8 record, good for a second-place finish in the East Division, and the team's first playoff berth since 2014. The Alouettes improved play during that season was also attributable to the performance of their quarterback Vernon Adams who passed for almost 4,000 yards. Although the team lost in the East Semi-Final to the crossover Edmonton Eskimos 37–29, the team removed the interim tag from Jones' head coach title, and he was signed to a three-year extension on November 26, 2019. On January 6, 2020, after almost a year of being owned by the league, the Alouettes found new ownership in Crawford Steel's Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law[35] Gary Stern, whose holding company S and S Sportsco would oversee the team.[36] Spiegel died on July 28, 2021, before being able to see the team he bought play a game (the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic); in effect, the team was controlled by his estate.[37] On August 29, 2022 Gary Stern announced that he was stepping away from day-to-day operations with the club and resigning from his role with the Canadian Football League's board of governors, effective immediately.[38] Pierre Karl Péladeau ownership era (2023–present) On February 14, 2023, the ownership of the Alouettes was transferred back to the CFL.[39] Mario Cecchini was appointed as the interim President while the league sought to finalize a sale to new ownership.[40] On March 10, 2023, the CFL announced that Pierre Karl Péladeau had purchased the team.[41] On March 28, 2023, Pierre Karl Péladeau announced they had hired Mark Weightman as president and CEO of the team.[42] The 2023 season saw the Alouettes go 11–7, finishing second in the east division, and upsetting the heavily favoured Toronto Argonauts to win the East Division Final, and then win the Grey Cup in a 28-24 upset against the heavily favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[43] Current roster Montreal Alouettes roster view talk edit Quarterbacks  3 Davis Alexander  5 Caleb Evans  7 Cody Fajardo -- James Morgan Receivers 80 Keshunn Abram 79 Jose Barbon 79 Kameron Brown -- Malachi Carter -- Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman 83 Régis Cibasu 14 Quartney Davis 87 Shedler Fervius -- Tevin Jones 11 Kaion Julien-Grant 89 James Letcher Jr. WR/KR -- Tyjon Lindsey  6 Tyson Philpot 85 Tyler Snead 17 Cole Spieker -- Jalen Wayne 84 Reggie White Jr. 30 Chandler Worthy WR/KR Running Backs 20 Jeshrun Antwi 25 Walter Fletcher -- Charles McClelland -- Stevie Scott III 31 Sean Thomas Erlington -- Mike Weber Jr. -- Marcus Williams Jr. Fullbacks 39 David Dallaire 38 Jason Mason Offensive Linemen -- Ja'Chai Baker 62 Nick Callender 65 Joshua Donovan 53 Philippe Gagnon 67 Jesse Gibbon 52 Theo Grant 54 Justin Lawrence 68 Pier-Olivier Lestage 51 Kristian Matte 61 Jamar McGloster Defensive Linemen -- Jayson Ademilola -- Justin Ademilola 91 Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund -- Kivon Bennett -- Jerron Cage 23 Avery Ellis 98 Brock Gowanlock -- Jacorey Johns 94 Mustafa Johnson  0 Shawn Lemon -- Ifeanyi Maijeh -- Antonio Moultrie 97 T. D. Moultry 93 Marcus Valdez -- Derek Wiggan -- Dylan Wynn Linebackers -- C. J. Avery 26 Tyrice Beverette 49 Frédéric Chagnon 34 Alexandre Gagné 46 Chris Moore 44 Bryce Notree 42 Tyrell Richards  1 Darnell Sankey Defensive Backs -- Myles Brooks 32 Tysen-Otis Copeland -- Bryce Cosby -- Timarcus Davis 24 Marc-Antoine Dequoy 48 Kabion Ento -- Ferlando Jordan 39 Maxym Lavallée 47 Dishon McNary 12 Najee Murray -- Smoke Monday 29 J. R. Reed 33 Kordell Rodgers 22 Dionte Ruffin -- Linden Stephens 35 Reggie Stubblefield 37 Wesley Sutton -- Nigel Warrior 21 Raheem Wilson Special Teams 50 Louis-Philippe Bourassa LS 15 David Côté K 72 Jose Maltos K 36 Joseph Zema P Suspended -- Jermaine Wynn Jr. WR Italics indicate American player • Bold indicates Global player • 89 Roster, 1 Suspended Roster updated 2024-02-21 • Depth chart • Transactions • More CFL rosters Current coaching staff Montreal Alouettes staff view talk edit Front Office Owner – Pierre Karl Péladeau President & CEO – Mark Weightman General Manager – Danny Maciocia Assistant General Manager – Pier-Yves Lavergne Assistant to the General Manager and Player Personnel – Marcel Desjardins Senior Director of Football Operations – Éric Deslauriers Senior Personnel Executive – Jean-Marc Edmé Director of Player Personnel – Byron Archambault Manager of Football Operations – Allyson Sobol Head Video Coordinator – Rico Morotti Head Coach Head Coach – Jason Maas Assistant Head Coach – Byron Archambault Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks – Anthony Calvillo Offensive Line – Luc Brodeur-Jourdain Receivers & Pass Game Coordinator – Michael Lionello Running Backs – Dave Jackson Assistant Offensive Line – David Brown   Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator & Defensive Backs – Noel Thorpe Linebackers – Greg Quick Defensive Line – Corvey Irvin Assistant Defensive Backs – Chandler Jones Special Teams Coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Byron Archambault Staff Equipment Manager – Dominic Manno Equipment Manager – David Deschamps Head Athletic Therapist – Tristan Castonguay Assistant Athletic Therapist - Dillon Warren → Coaching Staff → More CFL staffs Television and radio The Alouettes' English radio network is fronted by Bell Media's CKGM,[44] while Cogeco's CHMP is the French-language flagship. Games are also heard on Sirius XM Canada and their French service Influence Franco (XM 174) and Attitude Franco (Sirius 164).[45] The Alouettes' main television coverage is fronted by TSN and French sister network RDS. Players of note Retired numbers Montreal Alouettes retired numbers[46] No. Player Position Tenure Championships 13 Anthony Calvillo QB 1998–2013 2002, 2009, 2010 27 Mike Pringle RB 1996–2002 2002 28 George Dixon RB 1959–1965 – 56 Herb Trawick DL 1946–1957 1949 63 Pierre Desjardins G/T 1966–1971 1970 74 Peter Dalla Riva TE/SB 1968–1981 1970, 1974, 1977 75 Hal Patterson WR/DB 1954–1960 – 77 Junior Ah You DE 1972–1981 1974, 1977 78 Virgil Wagner HB 1946–1954 1949 86 Ben Cahoon SB 1998–2010 2002, 2009, 2010 92 Sam Etcheverry QB 1952–1960 – [47][48] [49] Canadian Football Hall of Fame Montreal Alouettes Canadian Football Hall of Famers[50] No. Name Position Tenure Class No. Name Position Tenure Class 92 Sam Etcheverry QB 1952–1960 1969 8 Tracy Ham QB 1996–1999 2010 75 Hal Patterson WR/DB 1954–1960 1971 57 Elfrid Payton DE 1996–1999 2010 28 George Dixon RB 1959–1965 1974 – Don Matthews Head coach 2002–2006 2011 – Lew Hayman Head coach/General manager 1946–1954 1975 65 Miles Gorrell OL 1982–1985 2011 56 Herb Trawick DL 1946–1957 1975 39 Wally Buono LB 1973–1982 2014 78 Virgil Wagner HB 1946–1954 1980 86 Ben Cahoon SB 1998–2010 2014 36 Red O'Quinn End 1952–1959 1981 53 Uzooma Okeke T 1997–2006 2014 50 Tony Pajaczkowski G/DE 1966–1967 1988 – Bob Wetenhall Owner 1997–2018 2014 72 Marv Luster DB/WR 1961–1964, 1973–1974 1990 13 Anthony Calvillo QB 1998–2013 2017 77 Junior Ah You DE 1972–1981 1993 48 Tom Hugo C/LB 1953–1959 2018 – Sam Berger Owner 1969–1981 1993 31 Barron Miles DB 1998–2004 2018 74 Peter Dalla Riva TE/SB 1968–1981 1993 57 Scott Flory OL 1999–2013 2018 22 Gene Gaines DB 1961, 1970–1976 1994 – Marv Levy Head coach 1973–1977 2021 65 Bruce Coulter QB/DB 1948–1957 1997 8 Nik Lewis SB 2015–2017 2021 25 Terry Evanshen WR 1965, 1970–1973 1997 11 Chip Cox DB 2006–2018 2022 18 Dickie Harris DB 1972–1980 1999 – Dave Ritchie Head coach 1997–1998 2022 – Cal Murphy Offensive coordinator 1977 2004 7 John Bowman DE 2006–2020 2023 67 Dan Yochum T 1972–1980 2004 59 Josh Bourke OL 2007–2015 2023 65 Ed George T 1970–1974 2005 66 Lloyd Fairbanks OL 1983–1986 2023 59 Pierre Vercheval G 1998–2001 2007 – Jacques Dussault Assistant coach 1982–1986, 1997–1999 2023 27 Mike Pringle RB 1996–2002 2008 – Larry Smith President 1997–2001, 2004–2010 2023 64 Glen Weir DT 1972–1984 2009 Head coaches Lew Hayman (1946–1951) Peahead Walker (1952–1959) Perry Moss (1960–1962) Jim Trimble (1963–1965) Darrell Mudra (1966) Kay Dalton (1967–1969) Sam Etcheverry (1970–1972) Marv Levy (1973–1977) Joe Scannella (1978–1981) Jim Eddy (1981) Joe Galat (1982–1985) Gary Durchik (1985–1986) Joe Faragalli (1987 – was named head coach but the Alouettes folded before their 1987 regular season started) Bob Price (1996) Dave Ritchie (1997–1998) Charlie Taaffe (1999–2000) Rod Rust (2001) Jim Popp (2001, 2006–2007, 2013, 2015–2016) Don Matthews (2002–2006) Marc Trestman (2008–2012) Dan Hawkins (2013) Tom Higgins (2014–2015) Jacques Chapdelaine (2016–2017) Kavis Reed (2017) Mike Sherman (2018) Khari Jones (2019–2022) Danny Maciocia (2022) Jason Maas (2023–present) General managers Lew Hayman (1946–1954) Vic Obeck (1955–1956) Gorman Kennedy (1957–1959) Perry Moss (1960–1962) Jim Trimble (1963–1964) Ted Workman (1965–1967) Tony Golab (1968–1969) Red O'Quinn (1970–1971) J. I. Albrecht (1972–1973) Bob Geary (1974–1981) Sam Etcheverry (1982–1983) Joe Galat (1983–1986) Norm Kimball (1986) Jim Popp (1996–2016) Kavis Reed (2016–2019) Danny Maciocia (2020–present) Mascots Centre Marcel Dionne in April 2002. Touché is the mascot for the Montreal Alouettes. The team introduced a second mascot in 1999 named Blitz, but Blitz was discontinued at the start of the 2013 season.[51] See also Montreal Alouettes all time records and statistics Canadian Football Hall of Fame Montreal Machine List of Montreal Alouettes seasons References ^ "GMC Teams Up With The Montreal Alouettes". GMC. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ DESGAGNÉ, ÉMILIE (September 1, 2019). "HOW TO BE A GREAT ALOUETTES FAN". MontrealAlouettes.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved February 21, 2021. We strongly suggest you wear the team's colours (red, white & blue). ^ "Alouettes de Montréal — Design & Experience". Behance.net. Adobe Systems Incorporated. February 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019. ^ "By the Numbers: Grey Cup Glory". Canadian Football League. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ "A statement from the CFL about the Montreal Alouettes". CFL.ca. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14. ^ "Media mogul and former Parti Québécois leader new owner of CFL's Montreal Alouettes | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-03-10. ^ "Eric Cradock". CFLapedia. Retrieved 4 January 2014. ^ "1946: BIRTH AND ORIGIN OF THE NAME "ALOUETTES"". Montreal Alouettes. Retrieved 18 August 2018. ^ "Ted Workman gives up co-ownership of Als". Ottawa Citizen. CP. 13 November 1967. Retrieved 11 August 2010. ^ a b c "Baltimore's Forgotten Champions: An Oral History". Capital News Service Maryland. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ a b Ralph, Dan (26 January 1996). "Speros reportedly close to pulling Stallions". Associated Press. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ "CFL's American experiment ends as Stallions move north to Montreal". Associated Press. 3 February 1996. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ "The CFL meets its destiny this week". Sports Business Daily. 31 January 1996. Retrieved 26 January 2014. ^ Staff, 3Down (June 2019). "Alouettes sold to the CFL". 3DownNation.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) ^ "D-lineman Michael Sam signs with Alouettes". CFL.ca. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015. ^ a b Campbell, Morgan (May 22, 2015). "Michael Sam joins Alouettes, first openly gay CFL player". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 22, 2015. ^ "Alouettes statement". montrealalouettes.com. 14 August 2015. ^ "Jim Popp to assume head coaching responsabilities(sic)". montrealalouettes.com. 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. ^ "Als' Popp relinquishes coaching duties; Chapdelaine named interim head coach". CFL.ca. 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2019-02-06. ^ "New era begins in Montreal as Als announce revamped leadership team". CFL.ca. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2019-02-06. ^ "Reed dismisses Chapdelaine, Thorpe; takes over as Als' HC". CFL.ca. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2019-02-06. ^ "Alouettes name Mike Sherman new head coach – CFL.ca". Cfl.ca. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018. ^ "THE MONTREAL ALOUETTES UNVEIL THEIR NEW IDENTITY: MONTREALS". MontrealAlouettes.com. CFL Enterprises, LP. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019. ^ CFL.ca Staff (February 1, 2019). "ALOUETTES UNVEIL NEW LOGO, UNIFORMS". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved February 21, 2021. ^ "VICE dives into the heart of football culture with The Montreal Alouettes". MontrealAlouettes.com. CFL Enterprises LP. June 22, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2020. ^ "Rick Zamperin: Montreal Alouettes hope new look will inspire dwindling fanbase". 900 CHML. Retrieved 2020-05-17. ^ "It's a Bird… It's a Plane…". Under Consideration. Retrieved 2020-05-17. ^ "CFL purchases Alouettes from Bob Wetenhall". Canadian Press. 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2020-05-17. ^ Cowan, Stu (April 12, 2019). "Clifford Starke very serious about his plans to buy the Alouettes". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019. ^ Ralph, Dan (March 19, 2019). "Former Alouette Eric Lapointe still interested in bid for Montreal CFL team". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. Retrieved April 17, 2019. ^ "Vente des Alouettes : Vincent Guzzo met son offre sur la glace". Ici Radio-Canada (in French). May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019. ^ "CFL source says Montreal businessman out of the running to purchase Alouettes". Global News. ^ "Stu Cowan: Vincenzo Guzzo sheds light on Alouettes sale circus". Montreal Gazette. June 4, 2019. ^ "Khari Jones becomes interim Head Coach of the Montreal Alouettes". June 8, 2019. ^ Naylor, Dave (April 30, 2005). "Alouettes sale a test of CFL's revamped business model". tsn.ca. TSN. Retrieved November 7, 2022. ^ "Montreal Alouettes new owners announced". cfl.ca. Canadian Football League. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020. ^ "Sidney Spiegel, co-owner of CFL's Montreal Alouettes, dies". Washington Post. July 30, 2021. ^ Naylor, Dave (2022-08-29). "Stern stepping away from Alouettes – TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2022-08-29. ^ "A statement from the CFL about the Montreal Alouettes". CFL.ca. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14. ^ Naylor, Dave (2023-02-14). "CFL takes over Montreal Alouettes ownership". TSN. Retrieved 2023-02-14. ^ "Pierre Karl Péladeau acquires the Montreal Alouettes". CFL.ca. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-10. ^ "Mark Weightman named President and CEO". Montreal Alouettes. 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28. ^ Ralph, Dan (19 November 2023). "Montreal Alouettes beat Blue Bombers to win 110th Grey Cup". CP24. Retrieved 22 November 2023. ^ "TSN Radio 690 Becomes the New Home of the Alouettes with Multi-Year Broadcast Rights Agreements". Montreal Alouettes. 11 April 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ [1] Archived 2015-12-04 at the Wayback Machine ^ "Retired Jerseys". MontrealAlouettes.com. Montreal Alouettes. Retrieved January 2, 2017. ^ "Retired Jerseys". Montreal Alouettes. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ "London Calling: Receiver delivers in Als win". The Canadian Press. Canadian Football League. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014. ^ "Crompton leads Alouettes past Roughriders as Calvillo's number retired". TSN. The Canadian Press. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014. ^ "Alouettes in the Hall of Fame". en.montrealalouettes.com. Montreal Alouettes. Retrieved January 2, 2017. ^ "Alouettes revert to ground attack in 32–27 squeaker over Eskimos". 26 July 2013. External links Official website (in English) Official website (in French) Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Montreal_Alouettes&oldid=1219546966"