The 1994 CFL season is considered to be the 41st season in modern-day

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played 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 oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

, although it is officially the 37th

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

season.

CFL news in 1994

Expansion

The

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

admitted three more United States-based teams, to add to the

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 inherited a home stadium, front office staff and much of the rost ...

, who were introduced in 1993. The

Las Vegas Posse The Las Vegas Posse were a Canadian Football League (CFL) team, that played at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, in the league's 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. Lasting only one seaso ...

, the

Shreveport Pirates The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, in 1994 and 1995. Despite a relatively strong fan base, they were one of the least successful of the CFL's A ...

and the

Baltimore CFLers The Baltimore Stallions (known officially as the "Baltimore Football Club" and previously as the "Baltimore CFL Colts" in its inaugural season) were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, which played ...

made the league 12 teams in total, six in each division. The new teams started play in 1994, with Las Vegas joining the Sacramento Gold Miners in the West Division, and Baltimore and Shreveport joining the East Division. The

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

team was to be called the Baltimore Colts, but the Colts name was revoked due to a successful

trademark infringement Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may ...

lawsuit filed by the Indianapolis Colts, and they played the entire season as the "Baltimore CFLers".

Regular season structure

Due to the expansion, this was the first season since 1980 when CFL teams did not travel to every other stadium in the League during the season. CFL teams played each team in their own division twice, two teams in the other division twice, and the four remaining teams in the other division only once. The two inter-Divisional opponents to be played twice were determined by the previous season's regular season standing. Teams who had finished first and third in 1993 played the first and third teams from the other division twice – and the same applied to the teams who had finished second and fourth in each division, and the effective "fifth" and "sixth" place teams. Since Sacramento finished fifth in 1993, and since the other three U.S. expansion teams were deemed "fifth" and "sixth" place for the purposes of the schedule, this format ensured that the U.S. teams all played one another twice for the 1994 season. The divisions were rearranged again in the

1995 CFL season The 1995 CFL season was the 38th season of the Canadian Football League, and the 42nd in modern-day Canadian football. CFL news in 1995 Expansion, relocation, folding and realignment Two more United States-based teams were admitted, the Birmin ...

, when the league expanded to 13 teams for one season.

Ownership changes

In February,

Bruce Firestone Bruce Firestone (born December 4, 1951) of Ottawa, Ontario, 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 ...

purchased the Ottawa Rough Riders from the Glieberman family, clearing the way for the Gliebermans to assume the

. In May, the

JLL Broadcast Group JLL may refer to: * JLL Partners, a private equity firm, formerly Joseph Littlejohn & Levy *JLL (company), global real estate company, formerly Jones Lang LaSalle, with NYSE ticker "JLL" *''Jangan Lupa Lirik!'', a Malaysian quiz show *JetKonnect, I ...

purchased the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

after

John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...

died (Candy had put his stake in the team up for sale hours before he died) and

Bruce McNall Bruce Patrick McNall (born April 17, 1950) is an American former Thoroughbred racehorse owner, sports executive, and convicted felon who once owned the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canad ...

was arrested on fraud charges.

Uniform changes

The Ottawa Rough Riders unveiled a new logo based on a head profile of a mustached lumberjack. Their colours were also updated with light navy replacing black and the addition of metallic gold, red was kept. New logos and uniforms also were designed for the expansion teams in Baltimore, Las Vegas and Shreveport. The Shreveport Pirates' team colours were purple, silver, orange and black with a side profile of a pirate's head inside a delta. The Las Vegas Posse chose a simpler logo and colour choice. The logo was a sheriff's tin star with "LV" imposed on it. Their colours were black and desert sand. Baltimore adopted a color scheme that added silver to the Colts' traditional colors of blue and white, as well as a stylized horse's head logo. Despite the team being unable to use the "Colts" name, it continued using the logo and colours for the entire season as well as the following season, by which time owner

Jim Speros Jim Speros (born February 17, 1959) is an American businessman and former American football player and coach from Great Falls, Virginia, (Fairfax County), best known for his ownership of teams in the southern American expansion phase of the Cana ...

had settled on "

Stallions A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck ...

" as his team's official nickname.

Game records set

In a July 14, 1994, matchup of the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...

and Edmonton Eskimos,

Matt Dunigan Matt Dunigan (born December 6, 1960) is an American broadcaster and former professional football player and executive. He is a Canadian Football League (CFL) sportscaster for Canadian sports television channel TSN. Dunigan is a former quarterb ...

passed for a remarkable 713 yards, setting a CFL record that still stands.

Allen Pitts Allen Pitts (born June 28, 1964) is a former 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 while his teammate Doug Flutie set the record for passing touchdowns with 48.

The Grey Cup

BC Place Stadium BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a crown corporation of the province. The venue is currently ...

played host to the Grey Cup game on Sunday, November 27, making

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

the host city for the twelfth time-more than any other Western Canadian city. In the Grey Cup game, the hometown

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first seas ...

were against the Baltimore CFLers, becoming the first ever Grey Cup game between a Canada-based team and a US-based team. The Lions ended up defeating the Baltimore team by a score of 26–23, on

Lui Passaglia Lui Passaglia (born June 7, 1954) 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 (1976–2000) and scored more points in that ...

's game-winning field goal on the last play of the game.

Regular season standings

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

are the 1994 Grey Cup champions, defeating the

26–23, in front of their home crowd at

. 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 The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is awarded annually since 1959 to the player of the winning team who deemed to have had the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game. This award is prese ...

and Lions'

(K/P) was the

Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian The Dick Suderman Trophy (french: Trophée Dick Suderman) for the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian (''Le Canadien le plus précieux de la Coupe Grey'') is awarded annually to the Canadian player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup ...

Playoff bracket

1994 CFL All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

Doug Flutie Douglas Richard Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is an American former football quarterback whose professional career spanned 21 seasons. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CF ...

, Calgary Stampeders *FB –

Sean Millington Sean Millington (born February 1, 1968) is a former Canadian Football League fullback and currently does colour commentary for the CFL’s website and the CBC. He has also acted in several movies and television shows. Before the CFL In 1984, ...

, BC Lions *RB – Mike Pringle, Baltimore CFLers *SB –

, Calgary Stampeders *SB – Gerald Wilcox, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *WR –

Paul Masotti Paul Masotti (born March 10, 1965) is a former professional Canadian football player and current front office executive with the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts. Masotti played the wide receiver position for 12 seasons with the Toronto ...

, Toronto Argonauts *WR –

Rod Harris Roderick World Harris (born November 14, 1966 in Dallas, Texas) was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played seven seasons in t ...

, Sacramento Gold Miners *C – Mike Anderson, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OG –

Pierre Vercheval Pierre Vercheval (born November 22, 1964) is a former all star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. Vercheval played his university football at the University of Western Ontario, where he won the J. P. Metras Trophy top lineman in ...

, Toronto Argonauts *OG –

Rocco Romano Rocco Romano (born January 23, 1963) is a former Canadian football player. He played 14 seasons in the Canadian Football League, ten of those with the Calgary Stampeders, and was a five-time All-Star as an offensive lineman. While in Calgary, h ...

, Calgary Stampeders *OT – Shar Pourdanesh, Baltimore CFLers *OT –

Chris Walby Chris Walby (born October 23, 1956) is a retired Canadian Football League player who played the offensive tackle position almost exclusively with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He won three Grey Cups with the Bombers in 1984, 1988, and 1990. Walby ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defence

*DT – Bennie Goods, Edmonton Eskimos *DT – Rodney Harding, Toronto Argonauts *DE – Will Johnson, Calgary Stampeders *DE – Tim Cofield, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Ron Goetz, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB –

Willie Pless Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *LB – Calvin Tiggle, Toronto Argonauts *CB –

Less Browne Less Browne (born December 7, 1959) is a former American football defensive back who played in the United States Football League and the Canadian Football League for the Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL), the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Winnipeg Blue Bombe ...

, BC Lions *CB – Irvin Smith, Baltimore CFLers *DB – Charles Gordon, BC Lions *DB – Robert Holland, Edmonton Eskimos *DS – Greg Knox, Calgary Stampeders

Special teams

*P – Josh Miller, Baltimore CFLers *K –

Mark McLoughlin Mark McLoughlin (born October 26, 1965) is a former placekicker in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders from 1988 to 2003 and the BC Lions in 2005. He won three Grey Cups for the Stampeders in 1992, 1998, and 2001, and was the ...

, Calgary Stampeders *ST –

Henry "Gizmo" Williams Henry Lee "Gizmo" Williams (born May 31, 1962) is a former American and Canadian football kick returner and wide receiver. After his retirement at the end of the 2000 CFL season, Williams worked as a motivational speaker. Born into an impove ...

, Edmonton Eskimos

1994 Western All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Calgary Stampeders *FB –

, BC Lions *RB – Mike Saunders, Saskatchewan Roughriders *SB –

, Calgary Stampeders *SB –

Darren Flutie Darren Paul Flutie (born November 18, 1966) is a former Canadian football wide receiver for the BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is the Canadian Football League's fifth all-time leader in catches, behind Nik Lewis, ...

, BC Lions *WR – Ray Alexander, BC Lions *WR –

, Sacramento Gold Miners *C – Mike Anderson, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OG –

Rob Smith Robert Smith or Bob Smith, or similar, may refer to: Business * Robert MacKay Smith (1802–1888), Scottish businessman, meteorologist and philanthropist who founded Glasgow University's Mackay Smith Prizes * Robert Barr Smith (1824–1915), ...

, BC Lions *OG –

, Calgary Stampeders *OT –

Bruce Covernton Bruce Covernton (born August 12, 1966) is a former professional Canadian Football League player. He was selected first overall by the Calgary Stampeders in the 1992 Canadian College Draft. Covernton was first team All-American and All-Big Sky Con ...

, Calgary Stampeders *OT –

Blake Dermott Blake Dermott (born September 10, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played fourteen seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Eskimos, and was named the team's Top Lineman in ...

, Edmonton Eskimos

Defence

*DT – Bennie Goods, Edmonton Eskimos *DT –

Stu Laird Stuart Laird (born July 8, 1960) is a former professional Canadian football defensive tackle who played thirteen seasons for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a graduate of the University of Calgary where he was a ...

, Calgary Stampeders *DE – Will Johnson, Calgary Stampeders *DE –

Bobby Jurasin Robert Jurasin (born August 26, 1964) is a former defensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1986–1997 and the Toronto Argonauts in 1998. He was a CFL All-Star in 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1997. He was a part of the Roughriders 1989 Gr ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Ron Goetz, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *LB –

Marvin Pope Marvin Pope (born January 18, 1969) is a former American football and Canadian football linebacker in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders. He played college football at Central State University. Early years Pope attended Eas ...

, Calgary Stampeders *CB –

, BC Lions *CB – Albert Brown, Saskatchewan Roughriders *DB – Charles Gordon, BC Lions *DB – Robert Holland, Edmonton Eskimos *DS – Greg Knox, Calgary Stampeders

Special teams

*P – Tony Martino, Calgary Stampeders *K –

, Calgary Stampeders *ST –

, Edmonton Eskimos

1994 Eastern All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *FB –

Peter Tuipulotu Peter Henry Tuipulotu (born February 20, 1969 in Nukualofa, Tonga) was a player of Canadian and American football. He played as a running back at Brigham Young University from 1988 to 1991. He played one season for the San Diego Chargers in 1992, ...

, Baltimore CFLers *RB – Mike Pringle, Baltimore CFLers *SB – Chris Armstrong, Baltimore CFLers *SB – Gerald Wilcox, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *WR –

, Toronto Argonauts *WR – Earl Winfield, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *C – Nick Subis, Baltimore CFLers *OG –

, Toronto Argonauts *OG – David Black, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *OT – Shar Pourdanesh, Baltimore CFLers *OT –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defence

*DT – Ben Williams, Shreveport Pirates *DT – Rodney Harding, Toronto Argonauts *DE –

John Kropke John Kropke (born January 3, 1966) is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Ottawa Rough Riders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played college foo ...

, Ottawa Rough Riders *DE – Tim Cofield, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB –

Daved Benefield Daved Benefield (born February 16, 1968) is a former professional American football player who played thirteen seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for five different teams. He also was a backup at linebacker and defensive end for the Sa ...

, Ottawa Rough Riders *LB – Michael O'Shea, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Calvin Tiggle, Toronto Argonauts *CB – Donald Smith, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *CB – Irvin Smith, Baltimore CFLers *DB – Joe Fuller, Shreveport Pirates *DB – Bobby Evans, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DS – Michael Brooks, Baltimore CFLers

Special teams

*P – Josh Miller, Baltimore CFLers *K –

Troy Westwood Troy Westwood (born March 21, 1967) is a former professional Canadian football place kicker and punter who played 18 years for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted 48th overall in the 6th round of the 1991 CF ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *ST –

Pinball Clemons Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons (born January 15, 1965) is an American-Canadian sports executive and former running back and return specialist who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He i ...

, Toronto Argonauts

1994 CFL Awards

CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner from ...

–

(QB), Calgary Stampeders * CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Gerald Wilcox (SB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers *

CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award The Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award is annually awarded to the best defensive player in the Canadian football League. The winner of the award is selected by members of the Football Reporters of Canada along with the head coaches in the CFL. ...

–

(LB), Edmonton Eskimos *

CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually awarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Leo Dandurand Trophy winner from the East Division, and the DeMarco-Becket Memor ...

– Shar Pourdanesh (OT), Baltimore CFLers *

CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and the ...

– Matt Goodwin (DB), Baltimore CFLers * CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award – O. J. Brigance (LB), Baltimore CFLers * CFL's Coach of the Year –

Don Matthews Donald J. Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", (June 22, 1939 – June 14, 2017) was a head coach of several professional football teams, mostly in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won 231 games in the CFL, the second highest win total by a head ...

, Baltimore CFLers * Commissioner's Award - Norm Fieldgate, BC Lions

References

External links

Dennis KC Parks' famous rendition of Oh Canada at the Las Vegas Posse's season opener against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. A moment of which to be proud
{{DEFAULTSORT:1994 Cfl Season

Canadian Football League seasons