2004 CFL season
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Canadian Football League
season is considered to be the 51st season in modern-day Canadian football
, although it is officially the 47th Canadian Football League season.
, announced that Vancouver
would host the 93rd Grey Cup
for 2005. Furthermore, CFL Commissioner Tom E. Wright also announced in late October, that Winnipeg
would be the host of the 94th Grey Cup
for 2006.
Wayne Smith
of Appalachian State University
was drafted first overall in the 2004 CFL College Draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. Former player, broadcaster and football administrator, Mike Wadsworth
died in April. In September, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
inducted Larry Highbaugh
, Cal Murphy
, Lui Passaglia
, Dan Yochum
and Ben Zambiasi
during the Induction Weekend ceremonies in Hamilton
.
CFL
partner, Sun Microsystems
added and launched real-time, in-game statistics entry with live play-by-play and scoring on cfl.ca. On June 2, the CFL announced a partnership with FSN
and launched a player-based and team-based game for the 2004 season. In addition, the CFL also launched its first ever online kids section called — the Dare CFL KidsZone.
The CFL started a new international broadcasting agreement with Trajectory Sports & Media Group, to deliver Canadian Football to more than 50 million households in 176 countries for the 2004 season. U.S.
television coverage of the 92nd Grey Cup
resulted in the largest international broadcast distribution of a Grey Cup
game — when it was made available to more than 55 million television households. In addition, Rogers Sportsnet
announced the start of "CFL Crunch", which is a 30-minute news segment concerning the league on June 24.
On October 18, the Toronto Argonauts
announced their agreement with York University
, to construct a new 25,000-seat stadium on the university's Keele campus.
League attendance increased by 8% over the 2003 season
, when more than 2.2 million fans were coming in to CFL stadiums. The B.C. Lions home attendance figures increased by 13% over the 2003 season, by averaging about 26,697 fans per game at BC Place Stadium
. The Montreal Alouettes
continued their strong attendance figures by recording its fifth straight year of having sell out crowds at both, Percival Molson Memorial Stadium and Olympic Stadium
. The CFL set a new playoff attendance record with a total of 181,717 postseason crowds attending playoff games in Toronto
, Edmonton
, Montreal
, Vancouver and Ottawa
. The Grey Cup game in Ottawa had a sell-out crowd of 51,242 at Frank Clair Stadium.
The attendance increases were likely caused at least in part by the lack of NHL hockey in the wake of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.
Records: Before he retired, Edmonton running back, Mike Pringle, established two new records in 2004. The first record was accomplished on July 12, when Pringle established a new CFL career record for yards from scrimmage with 20,254 yards in the Eskimos 25–9 win over the B.C. Lions. The second record was accomplished on September 19 against the same B.C. Lions, when Pringle became the all-time leading rusher in CFL history with 16,425 yards.
In addition, three CFL quarterbacks established new records as well. Edmonton's Jason Maas
, entered the CFL record books by setting a new mark for most consecutive pass completions in a regular season game with 22 on July 30. On August 13, B.C.'s Casey Printers
, sets a new CFL record for the highest pass completion percentage in a regular season game by completing 90.9% of his passes. Furthermore, Hamilton's Danny McManus
, joined the company of Damon Allen
and Ron Lancaster
by surpassing the milestone of passing for 50,000 or more career yards on October 21.
The Toronto Argonauts won their 15th Grey Cup by defeating the B.C. Lions 27–19 on November 21.
are the 2004 Grey Cup
Champions, defeating the BC Lions
27–19, at Ottawa
's Frank Clair Stadium
. It was the first Grey Cup for Toronto since the 85th Grey Cup
in 1997
.
The Argonauts' Damon Allen
(QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player and the Lions' Jason Clermont
(SB) 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 51st 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 47th Canadian Football League season.
CFL News in 2004
Neil Payne retired from his position as Director of Officiating in February and was replaced by George Black. Former Eskimos Head Coach, Tom Higgins was named as the 2003 Coach of the Year. CFL Commissioner Tom E. WrightTom Wright (CFL)
Thomas E.S. Wright is the Director of Operations, UFC Canada and the former Commissioner of the Canadian Football League . He was appointed the 11th commissioner of the CFL on November 2, 2002. Prior to his role with the CFL, Wright was the President of Adidas Canada and President and CEO of...
, announced that 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,...
would host the 93rd Grey Cup
93rd Grey Cup
The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38-35 overtime...
for 2005. Furthermore, CFL Commissioner Tom E. Wright also announced in late October, that Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
would be the host of the 94th Grey Cup
94th Grey Cup
The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275.The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season...
for 2006.
Wayne Smith
Wayne A. Smith (Canadian football)
Wayne Anthony Smith is a Canadian Football League offensive lineman who plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He has also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.-External links:*...
of Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
was drafted first overall in the 2004 CFL College Draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
. Former player, broadcaster and football administrator, Mike Wadsworth
Mike Wadsworth
Mike Wadsworth was an all-star Canadian Football League defensive lineman.Wadsworth, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, played high school football at De La Salle High School in Toronto before attending the University of Notre Dame...
died in April. In September, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
inducted Larry Highbaugh
Larry Highbaugh
Larry Highbaugh is a former defensive back for the British Columbia Lions from 1971-1972 and the Edmonton Eskimos from 1972-1983 of the Canadian Football League...
, Cal Murphy
Cal Murphy
Cal Murphy is a Scout for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Murphy gained notoriety in the Canadian Football League as a coach and/or General Manager for nine Grey Cup Championship teams, earning a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.-Early life:Murphy, one of seven...
, 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...
, Dan Yochum
Dan Yochum
Dan Yochum is a former offensive lineman for the Montreal Alouettes from 1972–1980 and the Edmonton Eskimos in 1980 of the Canadian Football League...
and Ben Zambiasi
Ben Zambiasi
Benjamin Ray Zambiasi was a linebacker for the University of Georgia and in the Canadian Football League.Zambiasi was born in Valdosta, Georgia, and played for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1974 to 1977. While at Georgia Zambiasi led the Bulldogs with 467 career tackles tackling 173 in 1977...
during the Induction Weekend ceremonies in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.
CFL
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....
partner, Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
added and launched real-time, in-game statistics entry with live play-by-play and scoring on cfl.ca. On June 2, the CFL announced a partnership with FSN
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
and launched a player-based and team-based game for the 2004 season. In addition, the CFL also launched its first ever online kids section called — the Dare CFL KidsZone.
The CFL started a new international broadcasting agreement with Trajectory Sports & Media Group, to deliver Canadian Football to more than 50 million households in 176 countries for the 2004 season. U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television coverage of the 92nd Grey Cup
92nd Grey Cup
The 92nd Grey Cup game took place on November 21, 2004, at Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. The game decided the championship of the 2004 Canadian Football League season...
resulted in the largest international broadcast distribution of a 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 — when it was made available to more than 55 million television households. In addition, Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
announced the start of "CFL Crunch", which is a 30-minute news segment concerning the league on June 24.
On October 18, 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...
announced their agreement with York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, to construct a new 25,000-seat stadium on the university's Keele campus.
League attendance increased by 8% over the 2003 season
2003 CFL season
The 2003 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 50th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 46th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 2003:...
, when more than 2.2 million fans were coming in to CFL stadiums. The B.C. Lions home attendance figures increased by 13% over the 2003 season, by averaging about 26,697 fans per game at 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...
. The Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
continued their strong attendance figures by recording its fifth straight year of having sell out crowds at both, Percival Molson Memorial Stadium and Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
. The CFL set a new playoff attendance record with a total of 181,717 postseason crowds attending playoff games in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Vancouver and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. The Grey Cup game in Ottawa had a sell-out crowd of 51,242 at Frank Clair Stadium.
The attendance increases were likely caused at least in part by the lack of NHL hockey in the wake of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.
Records: Before he retired, Edmonton running back, Mike Pringle, established two new records in 2004. The first record was accomplished on July 12, when Pringle established a new CFL career record for yards from scrimmage with 20,254 yards in the Eskimos 25–9 win over the B.C. Lions. The second record was accomplished on September 19 against the same B.C. Lions, when Pringle became the all-time leading rusher in CFL history with 16,425 yards.
In addition, three CFL quarterbacks established new records as well. Edmonton's Jason Maas
Jason Maas
Jason Maas is a former Canadian football quarterback. He is best known for his career in the Canadian Football League, which was largely spent with the Edmonton Eskimos...
, entered the CFL record books by setting a new mark for most consecutive pass completions in a regular season game with 22 on July 30. On August 13, B.C.'s Casey Printers
Casey Printers
Casey J. Printers was a professional American football and Canadian football player. He played college football at Texas Christian University from 1999 to 2001, leading his team to three straight bowl games, before transferring to Florida A&M for his senior year...
, sets a new CFL record for the highest pass completion percentage in a regular season game by completing 90.9% of his passes. Furthermore, Hamilton's Danny McManus
Danny McManus
Danny McManus , is a retired professional American football and Canadian football quarterback who passed for over 50,000 yards in seventeen seasons in the Canadian Football League...
, joined the company of Damon Allen
Damon Allen
Damon Allen is a former professional quarterback in the Canadian Football League, most recently with the Toronto Argonauts. He is currently second in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he was surpassed for first place by the Montréal...
and Ron Lancaster
Ron Lancaster
Ronald "Ron" Lancaster was one of the pre-eminent quarterbacks of the Canadian Football League during his playing career; after his retirement as a player, he was also coach and general manager in the same league, and a sports announcer for CBC Television...
by surpassing the milestone of passing for 50,000 or more career yards on October 21.
The Toronto Argonauts won their 15th Grey Cup by defeating the B.C. Lions 27–19 on November 21.
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.
- BC and Montreal both have first round byes.
Grey Cup playoffs
The Toronto ArgonautsToronto 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...
are the 2004 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 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...
27–19, at Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
's Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal.-Tenants:...
. It was the first Grey Cup for Toronto since the 85th Grey Cup
85th Grey Cup
The 85th Grey Cup was held in 1997 in Edmonton before 60,431 fans. The heavily favoured Toronto Argonauts won the game over the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a score of 47-23.-Game summary:...
in 1997
1997 CFL season
The 1997 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 44th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 40th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1997:...
.
The Argonauts' Damon Allen
Damon Allen
Damon Allen is a former professional quarterback in the Canadian Football League, most recently with the Toronto Argonauts. He is currently second in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he was surpassed for first place by the Montréal...
(QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player and the Lions' Jason Clermont
Jason Clermont
Jason Clermont is a professional Canadian football slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League . Clermont started his professional career with the BC Lions after being selected in the 2002 CFL Draft...
(SB) was the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
Playoff bracket
- -Team won in Overtime.
2004 Rogers 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...
– Casey PrintersCasey PrintersCasey J. Printers was a professional American football and Canadian football player. He played college football at Texas Christian University from 1999 to 2001, leading his team to three straight bowl games, before transferring to Florida A&M for his senior year...
(QB), BC Lions - 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...
– Jason ClermontJason ClermontJason Clermont is a professional Canadian football slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League . Clermont started his professional career with the BC Lions after being selected in the 2002 CFL Draft...
(SB), BC Lions - 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...
– Anwar StewartAnwar StewartAnwar Stewart, born February 9, 1976 in Panama City, Florida, is an award winning defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League.After playing his college football at the University of Kentucky, Stewart joined the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL for the 2001 season, playing only one game.From 2002...
(DE), Montreal Alouettes - 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...
– Gene MakowskyGene MakowskyGene Makowsky is an offensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and a politician. He was selected in the second round of the 1995 CFL Draft from the University of Saskatchewan...
(OT), Saskatchewan Roughriders - 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...
– Nikolas Lewis (WR), Calgary Stampeders - CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams AwardJohn Agro Special Teams AwardThe John Agro Special Teams Award is awarded to the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams player that is voted by his peers .-John Agro Special Teams Award winners:*2011 - Paul McCallum , BC Lions...
– Keith StokesKeith StokesKeith Stokes is a professional Canadian and American football wide receiver who currently plays for the Philadelphia Soul.-Junior college career:...
(WR), Winnipeg Blue Bombers - 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....
– Barron MilesBarron MilesBarron Miles is a retired professional Canadian football player for the Canadian Football League. He is now a Defensive and Player Personnel Assistant for the BC Lions...
(DB), Montreal Alouettes - Rogers Fans' Choice AwardRogers Fans' Choice AwardThe Rogers Fans' Choice Award is annually awarded to the player who received the most votes from fans as the Rogers Player of the Game, during the 4th quarter of CFL games on TSN, since 2003....
– Danny McManusDanny McManusDanny McManus , is a retired professional American football and Canadian football quarterback who passed for over 50,000 yards in seventeen seasons in the Canadian Football League...
(QB), Hamilton Tiger-Cats / Anthony CalvilloAnthony CalvilloAnthony Calvillo is a Canadian Football League quarterback, currently playing for the Montreal Alouettes. He is the all-time professional football passing yards leader and first in all-time CFL passing yards...
(QB), Montreal Alouettes - 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...
– Greg Marshall, Hamilton Tiger-Cats