1970's scrapbook                                                     

      ' a 1972 Alouettes huddle... Terry Evenshen,

 Moses Denson and Peter Dalla Riva catch a breath

                  and receive the play.'

-- team --

Toronto

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Montreal

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Hamilton

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Ottawa

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Winnipeg

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Saskatchewan

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British Columbia

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Edmonton

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Calgary

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U.S. Expansion

-- 1970 --

Ron Lancaster and Saskatchewan were a powerhouse dominating the league only to fall short to Calgary in a 3 game playoff aggregate. Ray Jauch led Edmonton to a 2nd place finish. Jerry Keeling was solid at QB for Calgary. Jim Young broke 1,000 yards receiving for BC while Winnipeg could point to a terrible offence for their 2-14 record. In Hamilton, Joe Zuger and a strong defence led the TigerCats to a 1st place finish. Leo Cahill began to re-shape the Argonauts. Sonny Wade (pictured) played well when it counted for the Alouettes to capture the Grey Cup with Sam Etcheverry as head coach over Calgary and Ottawa struggled with life after Russ Jackson finishing in last place.

-- 1971 --

A wave of U.S. college talent arrived into the league primarily Toronto as highly touted Joe Theismann (pictured) along with Leon McQuay led a star studded Argonaut squad to a 1st place finish. Only a wet field in Vancouver ruined the dream season and gave the Grey Cup to Calgary. Angelo Mosca led Hamilton’s league best defence to a 2nd place in the East. Ottawa battled for a 3rd place finish while Sonny Wade’s 27 interceptions did not help Montreal’s record. Wayne Harris led Calgary with a dominant defence and a big Grey Cup upset. Saskatchewan battled Calgary but came up short. Don Jonas was Outstanding for Winnipeg. Jim Evenson plowed his way to over 1,200 yards in BC while Edmonton would finish last in the West a result they would not find themselves repeating for decades.

-- 1972 --

Mack Herron (pictured) was a troubled back with amazing ability. The pint sized dynamo had one of the greatest statistical seasons in league history for Winnipeg – only to have drug charges derail his CFL career and undoubtedly cost him the Most Outsanding Player Award. Winnipeg rode Herron’s legs to a 1st place finish. Edmonton found a rival for Herron midseason in Roy Bell and tied Winnipeg for 1st. Saskatchewan rode the dynamic duo of Lancaster & Reed to a Grey Cup berth. Herm Harrison played his final season in Calgary while Jim Young had a career year for the last place Lions. Chuck Ealey had arguably the greatest rookie season of any QB in league history. The Toledo grad topped it all with a Grey Cup. Rick Cassata was productive for Ottawa who finished tied for 1st. Montreal limped to the finish line with a terrible offence while in Toronto Joe Thiesmann broke his leg and the Argonaut team never recovered.

-- 1973 --

With $100,000 in his fur overcoat Johnny Rodgers (pictured) arrived with plenty of style and a skill set that would revolutionize how teams strategize for special teams. Jack Gotta led Ottawa to a 1st place in the East and a Grey Cup birth capped with a victory over Edmonton led by quarterback Rick Cassata. Toronto fizzled in the playoffs after a respectable regular season. The Grey Cup hangover in Hamilton led to a last place finish. Receiver George McGowan was Outstanding for Edmonton along with running back Roy Bell in a first place finish. George Reed had over 1,600 yards rushing & receiving to power the Green Machine. Ray Nettles was a linebacking menace for the Lions. Calgary managed 6 victories with the worst offence and defence in the league while Don Jonas threw 29 interceptions for the last place Blue Bombers.

-- 1974 --

Not many people in Montreal took notice of the exciting 1st place Alouettes. A league low average of only 17,590 witnessed the flashy exploits of Johnny Rodgers on offence and special teams. Rick Cassata proved not to be the solution at Quarterback for Ottawa. Contract disputes put former golden boy Chuck Ealey on a plane out of Hamilton while Toronto struggled to replace the departed Joe Theismann. Tom Wilkinson (pictured left) was brilliant for the 1st place Eskimos with his ball control offence. The Roughriders battled all year with Edmonton coming up short in the West final. B.C. led the West in average attendance at Empire Stadium and hosted the Grey Cup. Don Jonas was out in Winnipeg and Chuck Ealy arrived and in Calgary the stalwart defensive play of John Helton was not enough to avoid a last place finish.

-- 1975 --

A fresh faced quarterback straight out of Notre Dame burst onto the scene in Ottawa in Tom Clements, the result was a Most Outstanding Rookie award and a 1st place finish in the Nation's capital. Marv Levy kept the Alouettes competitive all season at the Autostade right to a Grey Cup berth versus Edmonton. Hamilton struggled to find an identity at Quarterback and in Toronto former legend Russ Jackson (pictured) had difficulty adapting to the role of a head coach with just 5 victories. The Eskimos captured a low scoring Grey Cup 9-8 and finished 1st in the West thanks to a powerful offence. George Reed had his final carry in Saskatchewan bringing a close to an outstanding career. Winnipeg juggled quarterbacks shipping Chuck Ealey to Toronto. In Calgary, Willie Burden had an incredible record breaking season while B.C.’s offence sputtered all season.

-- 1976 --

Ron Lancaster turned back father time in 1976 to capture his 2nd Most Outstanding Player award and first since 1970. Saskatchewan finished with the best record in the league and met the Eastern Riders in a thrilling Grey Cup match that ended with Tony Gabriel making ‘the catch’ for the Ottawa victory. Ottawa finished first in the East led by 2nd year pivot Tom Clements. Hamilton led by new starter Jimmy Jones finished second with Bob Shaw named coach of the year. Montreal moved to Olympic Stadium partway through the season and saw attendance skyrocket. Toronto had their star running back recruit Anthony Davis but heads with coach and CFL legend Russ Jackson and finished under .500. Dieter Brock took over at quarterback for Winnipeg and brought the team to a 2nd place finish. Edmonton with Ray Jauch juggling Tom Wilkinson and Bruce Lemmerman at quarterback finished 9-6-1. Lui Passaglia started his 25 season career with the B.C. Lions as the club finished below .500. Calgary suffered through one of its worst seasons ever as nothing coaches Bob Baker and Joe Tiller tried worked.

-- 1977 --

The Cardiac Kids from the West Coast were the story of the 1977 CFL season as Vic Rapp’s Lions led by Jerry Tagge staged a number of late game comebacks and rode the electric abilities of Leon Bright to a surprising 10-6 season tied for 1st in the West. Edmonton emerged from the 3-way 1st place tie in the West to advance to the Grey Cup only to be handily defeated by the Alouettes in their new home stadium under terrible field conditions. Dieter Brock emerged as a future star in the league with Winnipeg who made up the 3rd member of the 1st place finishers in the West. Saskatchewan finished 8-8 and found a star in receiver Joey Walters. A 1,000 yard season from Willie Burden was not enough for the Stampeders to escape last place. Montreal attracted a league record 59,525 to their new Olympic Stadium finishing 11-5 and topped things off with a convincing Grey Cup victory over Edmonton thanks to some ingenuity and a staple gun. Ottawa finished .500 again led by Most Outstanding Canadian Tony Gabriel. Leo Cahill returned to the Argonauts taking the team to the playoffs at 6-10 while Running Back Jimmy Edwards (pictured) was Outstanding for Hamilton who could not get out of last place.

-- 1978 --

Ottawa finished the season with the best record in the league as Tony Gabriel (pictured) was the favorite target for the quarterbacking tandem of Tom Clements and Condredge Holloway. Gabriel would capture Most Outstanding Player and Top Canadian but it would be Montreal who would advance past Ottawa in the East while attracting a league best average attendance of 54,949. Edmonton was prolific on both sides of the ball under the guidance of Hugh Campbell – they would avenge their 1977 Grey Cup loss to Montreal by winning the re-match.  Jimmy Jones could not lead Hamilton to a .500 record and in Toronto the arrival of NFL star running back Terry Metcalf failed to translate into a successful season. John Hufnagel was strong at Quarterback for Calgary leading the team to a 2nd place finish. Joe Poplawski was the league’s top rookie in Winnipeg as the Blue Bombers finished a respectable 9-7. B.C. could not re-create the magic of 1977 and finished with a .500 record while Ron Lancaster in his final season as a player threw 27 interceptions for the last place Roughriders.

-- 1979 --

Montreal and Edmonton were the class of the league in 1979 combining for a 23-6-3 record and meeting in the Grey Cup. Edmonton handed more of the Quarterbacking duties over to Warren Moon from Tom Wilkinson and the burgeoning dynasty rolled on with a Grey Cup championship. In the Olympic Stadium the Alouettes averaged a league best 44,604 as David Green was Outstanding in leading the league with 1,678 yards rushing as he combined with quarterback Joe Barnes (pictured) to form a potent offence. Ottawa with George Brancato finished 2nd with Canadian TE Tony Gabriel leading the way. The Hamilton defence was spurred on by a newcomer at linebacker in Ben Zambiasi who would star for many more years. Toronto limped to the finish line with NFL legend Forrest Gregg failing to deliver as a Canadian Football head coach. The Stampeders were outstanding led by a strong defence but were overshadowed by their provincial rivals. Injuries to quarterback Jerry Tagge hurt the Lions who still finished a respectable 3rd. Dieter Brock struggled as did the rest of the Bombers while Saskatchewan saw the first glimpses of Rider Pride as a lost season was turned around with a pair of late season victories.