Ron Lancaster
Encyclopedia
Ronald "Ron" Lancaster (October 14, 1938 – September 18, 2008) 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
. At the time of his death, he was the Senior Director of Football Operations of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
. He is enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
(1982), the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
(1985) and the Wittenberg University
Athletic Hall of Honour (1985).
but moved to nearby Clairton, Pennsylvania
as a young boy. At the time of his death, his mother still resided in Clairton.
and again showed talent, but no NFL scouts showed any interest; however, a scout for the Ottawa Rough Riders
of the Canadian Football League
liked his on-field leadership, and Lancaster was signed by Ottawa.
During his rookie season with Ottawa in 1960, while he shared the quarterbacking duties with another future Hall of Famer, Russ Jackson
, Ottawa won the Grey Cup
. He spent two more years with Ottawa, but after a losing season in 1962 (6–7–1), Lancaster was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
. (He would have a losing record only one other time in his career, in his last season as a player.)
It was with Saskatchewan that "The Little General" found his stride. In 16 seasons with Saskatchewan (1963–1978), he led the team into the playoffs 14 consecutive times, and made it to the CFL
's Western Football Conference
final 12 times. During that period, Saskatchewan represented the West in the Grey Cup
five times (1966, 1967, 1969, 1972, and 1976); however the Roughriders won the big game only once, in 1966, when they defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders 29–14.
Over Lancaster's 16 seasons with the Roughriders, they won 170 games with him at quarterback, and had only one losing record, 4–11–1 in 1978, which was Lancaster's final season as a quarterback.
He was the first quarterback in CFL history to reach 50,000 career passing yards, was a finalist for the Schenley Award as most outstanding player in 1966, 1970 and 1976, (winning in 1970 and 1976), was an All-Canadian in 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976 and a Western all-star in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976.
He was so dominant as a quarterback, that on the day that he died, which was 30 years after he retired from playing, he was still ranked in the top 3 in career stats in a number of categories:
In November 2006, the Canadian sports network TSN
listed Lancaster in 7th place on their Top 50 players
of the CFL's modern era.
Lancaster became Saskatchewan's head coach immediately after his 1978 playing season but found "the glorious fifties and sixties were over, and he was the first Roughrider coach in sixteen years who did not have Ron Lancaster at quarterback." The Green Riders finished 2–14 in consecutive seasons and Lancaster would not coach again for 11 years.
After serving as a colour commentator for The CFL on CBC
for several years, he returned to the coaching ranks when he was named 12th head coach in Edmonton Eskimos
history on February 4, 1991. He coached the Eskimos from 1991–1997, amassing an 83–42 regular season record and a Grey Cup win in 1993. He passed Hugh Campbell
for first place on the Eskimos' list for coaching wins October 27, 1996.
Lancaster became the 17th head coach in Hamilton Tiger-Cat history on November 26, 1997. He coached the Tiger-Cats from 1998–2003. He took the team to the Grey Cup twice (1998, 1999) winning it in 1999. On July 10, 2006 Ron Lancaster was re-hired as the teams head coach on an interim basis after the firing of coach Greg Marshall
.
Lancaster’s 142 career regular-season wins, place him fifth on the CFL’s career regular season wins list.
He was survived by his wife, Bev and his three children Lana, Ron, and Bob, and four grandchildren.
At the 2008 CFL season
Awards ceremony on November 20, 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Commissioner's Award for outstanding contribution to the CFL by Commissioner Mark Cohon
.
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....
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
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
. At the time of his death, he was the Senior Director of Football Operations of 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...
. He is enshrined in 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...
(1982), the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
(1985) and the Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...
Athletic Hall of Honour (1985).
Early life
Lancaster was born in the Pittsburgh area industrial town of Fairchance, PennsylvaniaFairchance, Pennsylvania
Fairchance is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census. It is served by the Albert Gallatin Area School District.-Geography:Fairchance is located at ....
but moved to nearby Clairton, Pennsylvania
Clairton, Pennsylvania
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,796 at the 2010 census. Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city...
as a young boy. At the time of his death, his mother still resided in Clairton.
Playing career
Lancaster was a talented quarterback by the time he graduated from Clairton High School, but due to his small 5' 5" (165 cm) stature, he was ignored by most college scouts. He attended tiny Wittenberg UniversityWittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...
and again showed talent, but no NFL scouts showed any interest; however, a scout for 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...
of the Canadian Football League
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....
liked his on-field leadership, and Lancaster was signed by Ottawa.
During his rookie season with Ottawa in 1960, while he shared the quarterbacking duties with another future Hall of Famer, Russ Jackson
Russ Jackson
Russell Stanley "Russ" Jackson, OC is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. Jackson spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League...
, Ottawa won 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...
. He spent two more years with Ottawa, but after a losing season in 1962 (6–7–1), Lancaster was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
. (He would have a losing record only one other time in his career, in his last season as a player.)
It was with Saskatchewan that "The Little General" found his stride. In 16 seasons with Saskatchewan (1963–1978), he led the team into the playoffs 14 consecutive times, and made it to the 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....
's Western Football Conference
Western Football Conference
Western Football Conference may refer to:* Canadian Football League West Division, one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League* Western Football Conference , a now-defunct NCAA Division II college football conference...
final 12 times. During that period, Saskatchewan represented the West in 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...
five times (1966, 1967, 1969, 1972, and 1976); however the Roughriders won the big game only once, in 1966, when they defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders 29–14.
Over Lancaster's 16 seasons with the Roughriders, they won 170 games with him at quarterback, and had only one losing record, 4–11–1 in 1978, which was Lancaster's final season as a quarterback.
He was the first quarterback in CFL history to reach 50,000 career passing yards, was a finalist for the Schenley Award as most outstanding player in 1966, 1970 and 1976, (winning in 1970 and 1976), was an All-Canadian in 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976 and a Western all-star in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976.
He was so dominant as a quarterback, that on the day that he died, which was 30 years after he retired from playing, he was still ranked in the top 3 in career stats in a number of categories:
- second in touchdown passes (333, surpassed only by Damon AllenDamon AllenDamon 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...
) [Eight months after Lancaster's death, 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...
moved past Lancaster into second place.] - third in pass completions (3,384)
- third in pass attempts (6,233)
- third in yards passing (50,535)
In November 2006, the Canadian sports network TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
listed Lancaster in 7th place on their Top 50 players
TSN Top 50 CFL Players
The TSN Top 50 CFL Players was a list of the greatest fifty Canadian Football League players, as selected by a panel of sixty former CFL players, then-current and former coaches, executives, and media members in 2006. The panel was assembled by sports television network TSN in partnership with the...
of the CFL's modern era.
Career statistics
| Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Att | Comp | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | |||
| 1960 1960 CFL season The 1960 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 7th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 3rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1960:... |
OTT 1960 Ottawa Rough Riders season The 1960 Ottawa Rough Riders finished in 2nd place in the East division with a 9–5 record and won the Grey Cup.-Preseason:-Standings:-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Grey Cup:-Passing:-Awards and honours:... |
201 | 101 | 50.2 | 1,843 | 16 | 18 | 71.4 | 19 | 134 | 7.1 | 40 | 0 | |||
| 1961 1961 CFL season The 1961 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 8th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 4th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1961:... |
OTT | 100 | 49 | 49.0 | 966 | 9 | 8 | 79.8 | 17 | 122 | 7.2 | 23 | 1 | |||
| 1962 1962 CFL season The 1962 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 9th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 5th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1962:The Canadian Football Hall of Fame was established in Hamilton.... |
OTT | 98 | 48 | 49.0 | 1,016 | 9 | 12 | 65.7 | 10 | 76 | 7.6 | 22 | 0 | |||
| 1963 1963 CFL season The 1963 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 10th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 6th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1963:... |
SSK | 226 | 106 | 46.9 | 1,727 | 11 | 19 | 54.2 | 34 | 139 | 4.1 | 15 | 2 | |||
| 1964 1964 CFL season The 1964 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 11th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 7th Canadian Football League season.-Final regular season standings:... |
SSK | 263 | 144 | 54.8 | 2,256 | 16 | 13 | 83.1 | 26 | 152 | 5.8 | 28 | 3 | |||
| 1965 1965 CFL season The 1965 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 12th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 8th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1965:... |
SSK | 305 | 160 | 52.5 | 2,586 | 17 | 26 | 64.2 | 33 | 84 | 2.5 | 20 | 3 | |||
| 1966 1966 CFL season The 1966 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 13th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 9th Canadian Football League season .-CFL news in 1966:... |
SSK 1966 Saskatchewan Roughriders season The 1966 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 57th in franchise history. Following a first place finish in the regular season, the Roughriders won their first Grey Cup over the Ottawa Rough Riders... |
303 | 182 | 60.1 | 2,976 | 28 | 20 | 96.4 | 29 | 91 | 3.1 | 24 | 1 | |||
| 1967 1967 CFL season The 1967 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 14th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 10th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1967:... |
SSK | 330 | 169 | 51.2 | 2,809 | 16 | 24 | 66.1 | 29 | 131 | 4.5 | 25 | 2 | |||
| 1968 1968 CFL season The 1968 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 15th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 11th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1968:J.G... |
SSK | 358 | 181 | 50.6 | 2,969 | 12 | 17 | 70.2 | 25 | 197 | 7.9 | 24 | 2 | |||
| 1969 1969 CFL season The 1969 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 16th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it was officially the 12th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1969:... |
SSK | 354 | 188 | 53.1 | 3,104 | 25 | 28 | 73.5 | 22 | 115 | 5.2 | 48 | 3 | |||
| 1970 1970 CFL season The 1970 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 17th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 13th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1970:... |
SSK | 330 | 175 | 53.0 | 2,779 | 16 | 22 | 69.7 | 21 | 71 | 3.4 | 20 | 2 | |||
| 1971 1971 CFL season The 1971 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the eighteenth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it was officially the fourteenth Canadian Football League season.-CFL News for 1971:... |
SSK | 375 | 192 | 51.2 | 2,759 | 16 | 23 | 64.1 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 1972 1972 CFL season The 1972 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 19th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 15th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1972:... |
SSK | 357 | 208 | 58.3 | 2,942 | 23 | 20 | 83.1 | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 15 | 0 | |||
| 1973 1973 CFL season The 1973 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 20th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 16th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1973:... |
SSK | 464 | 263 | 56.7 | 3,767 | 22 | 27 | 74.7 | 8 | 17 | 2.1 | 13 | 1 | |||
| 1974 1974 CFL season The 1974 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 21st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 17th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1974:... |
SSK | 395 | 222 | 56.2 | 2,873 | 20 | 20 | 75.0 | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 12 | 1 | |||
| 1975 1975 CFL season The 1975 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 22nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 18th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1975:... |
SSK | 441 | 239 | 54.2 | 3,545 | 23 | 27 | 72.6 | 14 | 11 | 0.8 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 1976 1976 CFL season The 1976 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 23rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 19th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1976:... |
SSK | 494 | 297 | 60.1 | 3,869 | 25 | 25 | 80.6 | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1977 1977 CFL season The 1977 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 24th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 20th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1977:... |
SSK | 449 | 255 | 56.8 | 3,072 | 14 | 20 | 69.8 | 14 | 48 | 3.4 | 9 | 3 | |||
| 1978 1978 CFL season The 1978 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 25th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 21st Canadian Football League season.-Final regular season standings:... |
SSK | 390 | 205 | 52.6 | 2,677 | 15 | 27 | 58.5 | 10 | 8 | 0.8 | 2 | 3 | |||
| OTT 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... totals |
399 | 198 | 49.6 | 3,825 | 34 | 38 | 72.1 | 46 | 332 | 7.2 | 40 | 1 | ||||
| SSK Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor... totals |
5,834 | 3,186 | 54.6 | 46,710 | 299 | 358 | 72.4 | 290 | 1,096 | 3.8 | 48 | 28 | ||||
| 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.... totals |
6,233 | 3,384 | 54.3 | 50,535 | 333 | 396 | 72.4 | 336 | 1,428 | 4.3 | 48 | 29 | ||||
Coaching career
Lancaster was a player-coach in the 1977 and 1978 seasons, serving as Saskatchewan's offensive co-ordinator.Lancaster became Saskatchewan's head coach immediately after his 1978 playing season but found "the glorious fifties and sixties were over, and he was the first Roughrider coach in sixteen years who did not have Ron Lancaster at quarterback." The Green Riders finished 2–14 in consecutive seasons and Lancaster would not coach again for 11 years.
After serving as a colour commentator for The CFL on CBC
CFL on CBC
CFL on CBC was a presentation of Canadian Football League football aired on the CBC Television Network. CBC held broadcast rights for the CFL from 1952 to 2007...
for several years, he returned to the coaching ranks when he was named 12th head coach in 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...
history on February 4, 1991. He coached the Eskimos from 1991–1997, amassing an 83–42 regular season record and a Grey Cup win in 1993. He passed Hugh Campbell
Hugh Campbell
Hugh Campbell is a former American football and Canadian football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different professional gridiron football leagues: the Canadian Football League, the United States Football League and the National Football League. Campbell retired...
for first place on the Eskimos' list for coaching wins October 27, 1996.
Lancaster became the 17th head coach in Hamilton Tiger-Cat history on November 26, 1997. He coached the Tiger-Cats from 1998–2003. He took the team to the Grey Cup twice (1998, 1999) winning it in 1999. On July 10, 2006 Ron Lancaster was re-hired as the teams head coach on an interim basis after the firing of coach Greg Marshall
Greg Marshall
Greg Marshall is a former Canadian football running back and current head coach for the University of Western Ontario's football team, the Western Mustangs. Marshall was the head coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League from to...
.
Lancaster’s 142 career regular-season wins, place him fifth on the CFL’s career regular season wins list.
CFL coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | 1979 1979 CFL season The 1979 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 26th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 22nd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1979:... | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 5th in West Conference | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSK | 1980 1980 CFL season The 1980 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 27th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 23rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1980:... |
2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 5th in West Conference | – | – | Missed Playoffs | |
| SSK Total | 4 | 28 | 0 | .125 | 0 West Division Championships |
- | - | 0 Grey Cups | ||
| EDM | 1991 1991 CFL season The 1991 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 38th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 34th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1991:... |
12 | 6 | 0 | .667 | 1st in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM | 1992 1992 CFL season -1992 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Doug Flutie , Calgary Stampeders*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Ray Elgaard , Saskatchewan Roughriders*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Willie Pless , Edmonton Eskimos... |
10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2nd in West Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM 1993 Edmonton Eskimos season The 1993 Edmonton Eskimos finished in 2nd place in the West Division with a 12–6–0 record and won the 81st Grey Cup.- CFL Draft:-Schedule:- Season Standings:-Season schedule:Total attendance: 274,836... |
1993 1993 CFL season The 1993 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 40th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 36th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1993:... |
12 | 6 | 0 | .667 | 2nd in West Division | 3 | 0 | Won Grey Cup 81st Grey Cup The 81st Grey Cup was the 1993 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta... |
|
| EDM | 1994 1994 CFL season 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.-CFL News in 1994:... |
13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | 2nd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| EDM 1995 Edmonton Eskimos season The 1995 Edmonton Eskimos finished in 2nd place in the North Division with a 13–5–0 record. They appeared in the North Final.- CFL Draft:-Schedule:- Season Standings:-Season schedule:Total attendance: 283,274... |
1995 1995 CFL season The 1995 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 42nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 38th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1995:... |
13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | 2nd in North Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM | 1996 1996 CFL season The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1996:... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 2nd in West Division | 2 | 1 | Lost in Grey Cup 84th Grey Cup The 84th Grey Cup, also known as The Snow Bowl, was the 1996 Grey Cup Canadian Football League championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario... |
|
| EDM | 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:... |
12 | 6 | 0 | .667 | 1st in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM Total | 83 | 43 | 0 | .659 | 2 West Division Championships |
7 | 6 | 1 Grey Cup | ||
| HAM 1998 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 1998 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 1st place in the East division with a 12–5–1 record. They appeared in the Grey Cup where they lost to the Stampeders.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Schedule:-Postseason:-Grey Cup:... |
1998 1998 CFL season -1998 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Mike Pringle , Montreal Alouettes*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Mike Morreale , Hamilton Tiger-Cats*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Joe Montford , Hamilton Tiger-Cats... |
12 | 5 | 1 | .694 | 1st in East Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Grey Cup 86th Grey Cup The 86th Grey Cup was held in 1998 in Winnipeg. The Calgary Stampeders won the game over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a score of 26-24.-Game summary:... |
|
| HAM 1999 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 1999 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 2nd place in the East division with a 11–7–0 record and won the Grey Cup in a rematch of last year's championship game against the Calgary Stampeders.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Schedule:... |
1999 1999 CFL season -1999 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Danny McManus , Hamilton Tiger-Cats*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Mike O'Shea , Toronto Argonauts*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Calvin Tiggle , Hamilton Tiger-Cats... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 2nd in East Division | 3 | 0 | Won Grey Cup 87th Grey Cup The 87th Grey Cup was held in 1999 in Vancouver. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats won the game 32-21 over the Calgary Stampeders in a rematch of the previous year's 86th Grey Cup.-Game summary:... |
|
| HAM 2000 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 2000 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 2nd place in the East division with a 9–9–0–2 record in the first CFL season that awarded points to overtime losses. The Tiger-Cats failed to defend their Grey Cup title when they lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Semi-Final.- CFL... |
2000 2000 CFL season -2000 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Dave Dickenson , Calgary Stampeders*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Sean Millington , BC Lions*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Joe Montford , Hamilton Tiger-Cats... |
9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in East Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| HAM 2001 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 2001 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 2nd place in the East division with a 11–7–0 record but lost to the powerhouse Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Final.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings :-Schedule:-Postseason:... |
2001 2001 CFL season The 2001 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 48th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 44th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 2001:... |
11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 2nd in East Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| HAM 2002 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 2002 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 3rd place in the East division with a 7–11–0 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Despite having a 6–3 record at home, the Ti-Cats were 1–8 in away games, claiming that win in their last away game of the season.- CFL... |
2002 2002 CFL season The 2002 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 49th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 45th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 2002:... |
7 | 11 | 0 | .389 | 3rd in East Division | – | – | Missed Playoffs | |
| HAM 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 4th place in the East Division with a 1–17–0 record and failed to make the playoffs.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:-Season standings:-Season schedule:-References:... |
2003 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:... |
1 | 17 | 0 | .056 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Missed Playoffs | |
| HAM 2006 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 2006 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 4th place in the East Division with a 4–14–0 record and missed the playoffs.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:-Season schedule:- Passing:-Rushing:-Receiving:-References:... |
2006 2006 CFL season -2006 Rogers CFL Awards:* CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Geroy Simon , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions... |
4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4th in East Division | – | – | Missed Playoffs | |
| HAM Total | 55 | 66 | 1 | .455 | 1 East Division Championship |
4 | 3 | 1 Grey Cup | ||
| Total | 142 | 137 | 1 | .509 | 2 West Division Championships 1 East Division Championship |
11 | 9 | 2 Grey Cups | ||
Broadcasting career
CBC Television invited Lancaster to become a colour commentator on CFL broadcasts in 1980. He was part of a trio that included Don Wittman doing the play-by-play and former Argonaut head coach Leo Cahill doing colour commentary along with Lancaster. He was with the CBC from 1980–1991 and was a member of the CBC team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea as the play-by-play broadcaster for basketball.Illness and death
In 2004, Lancaster was diagnosed with bladder cancer, but appeared to have beaten it after treatment. In 2008, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and immediately started treatment. Lancaster was positive in his outlook, stating "Five years ago, I survived a battle with cancer, and now we have another battle on our hands. The goal is to get this taken care of and move forward just like I did five years ago. We will approach this the same way as then and I thank you all in advance for your kindness as I am on my path to recovery." Lancaster died of a heart attack 6 weeks later on September 18, 2008.He was survived by his wife, Bev and his three children Lana, Ron, and Bob, and four grandchildren.
At the 2008 CFL season
2008 CFL season
The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 51st season for the league. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL...
Awards ceremony on November 20, 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Commissioner's Award for outstanding contribution to the CFL by Commissioner Mark Cohon
Mark Cohon
Mark Steven Cohon is the Canadian Football League's 12th Commissioner. The son of McDonald's of Canada founder George Cohon, he was appointed in 2007 succeeding Tom Wright....
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