1994 CFL season
Encyclopedia
The 1994 Canadian Football League
season is considered to be the 41st season in modern-day Canadian football
, although it is officially the 37th Canadian Football League season.
admitted three more United States-based teams with the Las Vegas Posse
, the Shreveport Pirates
and the Baltimore Colts
– making it 12 teams in total, six in each division. However, the Colts name was revoked from the Baltimore
franchise due to a successful trademark infringement
lawsuit, filed by the Indianapolis Colts
, and played the entire season as the "Baltimore CFLers". The new teams would start play in 1994, with Las Vegas
joining the Sacramento Gold Miners
in the West Division and with Baltimore and Shreveport joining the East Division.
In February, Bruce Firestone
purchased the Ottawa Rough Riders
from the Glieberman family. In May, the JLL Broadcast Group purchased the Toronto Argonauts
.
BC Place Stadium
played host to the Grey Cup
game on Sunday, November 27, making Vancouver
the host city for the twelfth time-more than any other Western Canadian city
. In the Grey Cup game, the hometown BC Lions
were against the Baltimore CFLers, becoming the first ever Grey Cup game between a Canadian team and an American team. The Lions ended up defeating the Baltimore team by a score of 26–23, on Lui Passaglia
's game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game.
Records: In a July 14, 1994 matchup of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
and Edmonton Eskimos
, Matt Dunigan
passed for a remarkable 713 yards, setting a CFL record.http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=51
Allen Pitts
set the record for receiving yards in one season with 2,036 yards.
are the 1994 Grey Cup
champions, defeating the Baltimore CFLers 26–23, in front of their home crowd at Vancouver
's BC Place Stadium
. It was the first football championship game between Canadian and American teams. The CFLers' Karl Anthony
(DB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player and Lions' Lui Passaglia
(K/P) was the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
season is considered to be the 41st season in modern-day Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, although it is officially the 37th Canadian Football League season.
CFL News in 1994
The CFLCanadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
admitted three more United States-based teams with the Las Vegas Posse
Las Vegas Posse
The Las Vegas Posse was a Canadian Football League team that played the 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. The Posse was one of the least successful CFL teams, both on the field and off.-On the field:...
, the Shreveport Pirates
Shreveport Pirates
The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995....
and the Baltimore Colts
Baltimore Stallions
The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team...
– making it 12 teams in total, six in each division. However, the Colts name was revoked from the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
franchise due to a successful trademark infringement
Trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attaching to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees...
lawsuit, filed by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, and played the entire season as the "Baltimore CFLers". The new teams would start play in 1994, with Las Vegas
Las Vegas Posse
The Las Vegas Posse was a Canadian Football League team that played the 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. The Posse was one of the least successful CFL teams, both on the field and off.-On the field:...
joining the Sacramento Gold Miners
Sacramento Gold Miners
The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football...
in the West Division and with Baltimore and Shreveport joining the East Division.
In February, Bruce Firestone
Bruce Firestone
Bruce Firestone of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is a real estate developer, former sports team owner and university professor. He is the founder of the modern-day Ottawa Senators NHL professional ice hockey club and former part-owner of the Ottawa Rough Riders CFL football club.-Business career:Dr...
purchased the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
from the Glieberman family. In May, the JLL Broadcast Group purchased the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
.
BC Place Stadium
BC Place Stadium
BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer . Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the...
played host to the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
game on Sunday, November 27, making Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
the host city for the twelfth time-more than any other Western Canadian city
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. In the Grey Cup game, the hometown BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
were against the Baltimore CFLers, becoming the first ever Grey Cup game between a Canadian team and an American team. The Lions ended up defeating the Baltimore team by a score of 26–23, on Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia is a former professional Canadian football player. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for a record-breaking 25 years and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history...
's game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game.
Records: In a July 14, 1994 matchup of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
and Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
, Matt Dunigan
Matt Dunigan
Matt Dunigan is a former quarterback, coach, and executive in the Canadian Football League who is currently a CFL sportscaster for Canadian sports television channel TSN...
passed for a remarkable 713 yards, setting a CFL record.http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=page&id=51
Allen Pitts
Allen Pitts
Allen Pitts was a receiver for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1990 to 2000. He attended Cal-State Fullerton and played his entire professional career as a receiver for the Calgary Stampeders...
set the record for receiving yards in one season with 2,036 yards.
Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points
|
|
- Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs.
Grey Cup playoffs
The BC LionsBC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
are the 1994 Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
champions, defeating the Baltimore CFLers 26–23, in front of their home crowd at Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's BC Place Stadium
BC Place Stadium
BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer . Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the...
. It was the first football championship game between Canadian and American teams. The CFLers' Karl Anthony
Karl Anthony
Karl Anthony is a former all-star and award winning Canadian Football League defensive back and Grey Cup champion.Anthony played his college football at Southwest Missouri State University and first played professionally for 3 years with the Calgary Stampeders, where he was an all-star in 1993...
(DB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player and Lions' Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia is a former professional Canadian football player. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for a record-breaking 25 years and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history...
(K/P) was the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
Playoff bracket
1994 CFL Awards
- CFL's Most Outstanding Player AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Player AwardThe Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
– Doug FlutieDoug FlutieDouglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
(QB), Calgary Stampeders - CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Canadian AwardThe Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually rewarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. This is the second-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted. The two nominees...
– Gerald WilcoxGerald WilcoxGerald Wilcox is a former slotback who played nine seasons in the Canadian Football League for three different teams...
(SB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers - CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player AwardThe Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award is annually rewarded to the best defensive player in the Canadian Football League. This is the third-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted...
– Willie PlessWillie PlessWillie Pless is a retired Canadian football linebacker in the Canadian Football League. He played for the Toronto Argonauts, BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, and Saskatchewan Roughriders, winning the 1993 Grey Cup with the Eskimos...
(LB), Edmonton Eskimos - CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman AwardThe Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually rewarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. This is the fourth-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted...
– Shar PourdaneshShar PourdaneshShahriar Pourdanesh is a former American football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Oakland Raiders from 1996 to 2001 when in 2001 a severe knee injury cut his career short.He previously played with the Baltimore...
(OT), Baltimore CFLers - CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Rookie AwardThe Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually rewarded to the player deemed to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. This is the fifth-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it...
– Matt GoodwinMatt Goodwin (Canadian football)Matt Goodwin is a former award winning Canadian Football League linebacker and Grey Cup champion.Goodwin played his college football at Iowa State and played professionally for 2 years with the Baltimore Stallions...
(DB), Baltimore CFLers - CFLPA's Most Outstanding Community Service AwardTom Pate Memorial AwardEvery year the Canadian Football League Players' Association presents the Tom Pate Award. It is not a "Jock Award," but rather an award given to players who display qualities that distinguish them from their peers....
– O. J. BriganceO. J. BriganceO. J. Brigance is a former championship football player in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League.-Football career:...
(LB), Baltimore CFLers - CFL's Coach of the YearAnnis Stukus TrophyThe Annis Stukus Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, which is presented annually by the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni Association to the Coach of the Year, as determined by the members of the Football Reporters of Canada...
– Don MatthewsDon MatthewsDon Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", is a former head coach of several teams in the Canadian Football League and is the second winningest head coach in CFL history with 231 wins...
, Baltimore CFLers