The 1995 CFL season was the 38th season of the

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 c ...

, and the 42nd 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 ( ...

CFL news in 1995

Expansion, relocation, folding and realignment

Two more United States-based teams were admitted, the Birmingham Barracudas and the Memphis Mad Dogs. In the off-season 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 ...

moved to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

to become the San Antonio Texans. The Texans would play their home games at the

Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...

, which is the only American stadium designed and built to accommodate a regulation Canadian football field. The Baltimore Football Club finally found themselves a new nickname and christened themselves the

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 ...

at the beginning of the second week of the season. In April 1995, the Las Vegas Posse, after a disastrous 1994 season, were slated to move to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

and were included in draft schedules for the league that year; squabbles with the Posse's board of directors and an inability for potential new owners to come up with the funds to cover the team's operations prompted the CFL to suspend the team and disperse its roster instead. With the admittance of the Barracudas and Mad Dogs, and in hopes of securing a television contract, the CFL undertook a realignment. The longstanding alignment of

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

was discontinued. All five U.S.-based teams would play in the South Division, while all eight Canadian teams would compete in the North Division. Five teams from the North and three from the South would qualify for the playoffs. To make up for the disparity, the lowest-seeded North Division playoff team played in the South Division playoffs against the top South Division team. This was a precursor to the CFL's current crossover playoff rule that would be instituted in 1997 although unlike the current rule, in 1995 the fifth place North Division team automatically "crossed over" regardless of how its record compared to those of the South Division teams. This meant that Winnipeg, which finished in fifth place in the North at 7–11, made the playoffs instead while Memphis, which finished fourth place in the South Division with a record of 9–9, was nevertheless denied a place in the postseason.

Uniform changes

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 CFL East Division, East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based i ...

revealed an all-new logo and colour scheme. Their new colours were dark blue, slate green and metallic silver. The new logo design was based on the ''"Jason and the Argonauts"''

premise A premise or premiss is a true or false statement that helps form the body of an argument, which logically leads to a true or false conclusion. A premise makes a declarative statement about its subject matter which enables a reader to either agre ...

featuring a side profile of a helmeted warrior facing one side and holding up a round shield with an "A" on it. The Birmingham Barracudas released the design of their logo and uniforms prior to the season. Their team colours were black, blue, teal and

burnt orange In optics, orange has a wavelength between approximately 585 and 620 nm and a hue of 30° in HSV color space. In the RGB color space it is a secondary color numerically halfway between gamma-compressed red and yellow, as can be seen in ...

. The Memphis Mad Dogs unveiled their new team colours as

forest green At right is displayed the color forest green. ''Forest green'' refers to a green color said to resemble the color of the trees and other plants in a forest. This web color, when written as computer code in HTML for website color display ...

, burgundy, black and gold. All three teams got new jerseys with an unusual template. The jerseys had the team's primary logo printed super large on the lower part of one side of the jersey while player numbers', which were much smaller in size, on the opposite side of the player's upper

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a hu ...

. Similar jerseys were being used by teams of the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

. As the

became the San Antonio Texans, they changed their logo from a pick axe striking gold to a logo of a head of a cowboy with a black hat and a red bandana scarf imposed on a large star. They also added

burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

to teal, old gold and black as their team colours. The

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

reverted their team colour of light navy to black. They kept the colours metallic gold and red. The logo that was unveiled last season was retained with black substituting over from light navy. Also after the 1995 season, in time for the 1996 (and what would be their last season) the Rough Riders also returned to using a black helmet from a metallic gold one and back to black jerseys as they had worn from at least 1976 to 1993 inclusive instead of the red ones they wore in 1994 and 1995.

Game ball supplier

The

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

company, which has supplied the NFL with their game balls since 1941, began supplying the game balls to the CFL this season, and has done so since then. Prior to this, the league used the Spalding J5V ball as their game ball.

The Grey Cup

The city of Regina played host to the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

game for the first time. In the game, viewers at home and at Taylor Field witnessed the

Baltimore Stallions 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 ...

defeat the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

, 37–20, becoming the first (and only) American team to win the Grey Cup.

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. Teams in bold qualified for the playoffs.''

Grey Cup playoffs

The

were the 1995

champions, defeating the

37–20 at Regina's Taylor Field. The Stallions became the only American team to win the Grey Cup. The Stallions'

Tracy Ham Tracy Ham (born January 5, 1964) is an American former professional football quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for the Edmonton Eskimos, Toronto Argonauts, Baltimore Stallions, and Montreal Alouettes. He was known for ...

(QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player and the Stampeders' Dave Sapunjis (SB) was the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.

Playoff bracket

CFL Leaders

* CFL Passing Leaders * CFL Rushing Leaders * CFL Receiving Leaders

1995 CFL All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

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 ...

, Birmingham Barracudas *FB – Mike Saunders, San Antonio Texans *RB – Mike Pringle, Baltimore Stallions *SB – Dave Sapunjis, Calgary Stampeders *SB –

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. ...

, Calgary Stampeders *WR –

Don Narcisse Donald Narcisse (born February 26, 1965) is a former wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. He played college football at Texas Southern University. He signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent on Septemb ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *WR – Earl Winfield, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *C –

Mike Kiselak Michael John Kiselak (born March 9, 1967 in North Tarrytown, New York) is a former American football guard in the Canadian Football League for the Sacramento Gold Miners, San Antonio Texans and Toronto Argonauts. He also was a member of the Dall ...

, San Antonio Texans *OG –

Jamie Taras Jamie Taras (born January 31, 1966, in Acton, Ontario) is a former professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League British Columbia Lions, and current director of community relations with the BC Lions. Taras spent his en ...

, BC Lions *OG – Mike Withycombe, Baltimore Stallions *OT – Rocco Romano, Calgary Stampeders *OT – Neal Fort, Baltimore Stallions

Defence

*DT –

Bennie Goods Bennie Goods (born February 28, 1968) is a US-born former Canadian Football League defensive tackle. Goods was born in Pattison, Mississippi, and played eleven seasons for two different teams. Goods also played in the Arena Football League ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *DT –

Jearld Baylis Jearld Baylis (born August 12, 1962) is a former star defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. Baylis played college football at University of Southern Mississippi., where he was known as the Space Ghost. He had a 10-year career fro ...

, Baltimore Stallions *DE –

Tim Cofield Tim Cofield (born May 18, 1963) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for four seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets. He later played six seasons in the Canadian Football League a ...

, Memphis Mad Dogs *DE – Will Johnson, Calgary Stampeders *LB –

Alondra Johnson Alondra Johnson (born July 22, 1965) is a former Canadian Football League linebacker who played sixteen seasons in the CFL, mainly for the Calgary Stampeders. Johnson was a three-time All Star and won Grey Cups with Calgary in 1992, 1998 and ...

, Calgary Stampeders *LB – O. J. Brigance, Baltimore Stallions *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 scre ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *CB –

Eric Carter Eric Carter may refer to: * Eric Carter (BMX rider) (born 1970), American BMX rider * Eric Carter (pilot) (1920–2021), British Royal Air Force pilot * Eric Carter (Canadian football) Eric Carter (born January 23, 1969 in Jesup, Georgia) was ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB –

Irvin Smith Irvin Smith (born March 12, 1967) is a former gridiron football defensive back. Smith played college football at Maryland. Smith attended Poolesville High School in Poolesville, Maryland, where he led the team to the state championship game in ...

, Baltimore Stallions *DB – Glenn Rogers Jr., Edmonton Eskimos *DB – Charles Anthony, Baltimore Stallions *DS – Anthony Drawhorn, Birmingham Barracudas

Special teams

*P –

Josh Miller Joshua or Josh Miller may refer to: Musicians *Joshua Miller, American musician with duo Nemesis also featured in '' Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising'' *Josh Miller, musician with The Pappy Johns Band Sportsmen * Josh Miller (field hockey) in 2 ...

, Baltimore Stallions *K – Roman Anderson, San Antonio Texans *ST – Chris Wright, Baltimore Stallions

1995 Southern All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Birmingham Barracudas *FB – Mike Saunders, San Antonio Texans *RB – Mike Pringle, Baltimore Stallions *SB – Jason Phillips, Birmingham Barracudas *SB – Chris Armstrong, Baltimore Stallions *WR –

Joe Horn Joseph Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver and current assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also ...

, Memphis Mad Dogs *WR – Marcus Grant, Birmingham Barracudas *C –

, San Antonio Texans *OG – Fred Childress, Birmingham Barracudas *OG – Mike Withycombe, Baltimore Stallions *OT –

Shar Pourdanesh Shahriar Pourdanesh (born July 19, 1970) is a former American football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Oakland Raiders from 1996 to 2001 when in 2001 a severe knee ...

, Baltimore Stallions *OT – Neal Fort, Baltimore Stallions

Defence

*DT –

Rodney Harding Rodney Harding (born August 1, 1962) was a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. Harding played college football at Oklahoma State University. He had a 12-year career in the Canadian Football League from 1985 to 1996, and he playe ...

, Memphis Mad Dogs *DT –

, Baltimore Stallions *DE –

, Memphis Mad Dogs *DE – Elfrid Payton, Baltimore Stallions *LB –

Tracy Gravely Tracy Gravely (born April 24, 1968) is a former all star linebacker in the Canadian Football League. A graduate of Concord University,(13 September 1989)Boone County Matchup Between Unbeaten Concord, Tech ''Point Pleasant Register'' where he wa ...

, Baltimore Stallions *LB – O. J. Brigance, Baltimore Stallions *LB – David Harper, San Antonio Texans *CB – Donald Smith, Memphis Mad Dogs *CB –

, Baltimore Stallions *DB –

Andre Strode Andre Strode (born June 19, 1972) is a former American football defensive back who played five seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Birmingham Barracudas, BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played college football at Colorado St ...

, Birmingham Barracudas *DB – Charles Anthony, Baltimore Stallions *DS – Anthony Drawhorn, Birmingham Barracudas

Special teams

*P –

, Baltimore Stallions *K – Roman Anderson, San Antonio Texans *ST – Chris Wright, Baltimore Stallions

1995 Northern All-Stars

Offence

*QB – Jeff Garcia, Calgary Stampeders *FB –

Michael Soles Michael Soles (November 8, 1966 – July 7, 2021) was a Canadian professional football player who was a fullback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at McGill University, where he was a two-time All-Canadian ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *RB –

Cory Philpot Cory Philpot (born May 15, 1970) is a Canadian football coach and a former professional running back who is currently the head coach for the Langley Rams of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). He played for eight seasons in the Canadian F ...

, BC Lions *SB – Dave Sapunjis, Calgary Stampeders *SB –

, Calgary Stampeders *WR –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *WR – Earl Winfield, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *C – Rod Connop, Edmonton Eskimos *OG –

, BC Lions *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 i ...

, Toronto Argonauts *OT – Rocco Romano, Calgary Stampeders *OT –

Vic Stevenson Victor Stevenson (born September 22, 1960 in New Westminster, British Columbia) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played 17 seasons in the Canadian Football League for five different teams. He was named CFL All-Star ...

, BC Lions

Defence

*DT –

, Edmonton Eskimos *DT – John Kropke, Ottawa Rough Riders *DE – Andrew Stewart, BC Lions *DE – Will Johnson, Calgary Stampeders *LB –

, Calgary Stampeders *LB – Mike O'Shea, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *CB –

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB – Marvin Coleman, Calgary Stampeders *DB – Glenn Rogers Jr., Edmonton Eskimos *DB – Brett Young, Ottawa Rough Riders *DS –

Tom Europe Tommy Europe (born July 27, 1970) is a Canadians, Canadian actor, stunt man, professional trainer and former professional Canadian football defensive back who played eleven seasons in the Canadian Football League. He played college football at B ...

, BC Lions

Special teams

*P – Bob Cameron, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *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 – Sam Rogers, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

1995 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 ...

– Mike Pringle (RB), Baltimore Stallions *

CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award The Most Outstanding Canadian Award is annually awarded to the best Canadian player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Lew Hayman Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy winner ...

– Dave Sapunjis (SB), Calgary Stampeders *

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 – Mike Withycombe (OG), Baltimore Stallions * CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award –

Shalon Baker Shalon Baker (born August 22, 1973) is a former Canadian Football League player and a former player/coach in the Arena Football League. Playing with the University of Montana Grizzlies between 1991 and 1994, Baker caught passes for 2,561 yards ...

(WR), Edmonton Eskimos * CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award –

(K), Calgary Stampeders * CFL's Coach of the Year – Don Matthews, Baltimore Stallions *

Commissioner's Award The Commissioner's Award is presented annually by the Commissioner of the Canadian Football League to an individual or individuals who have demonstrated dedication and made a significant contribution to Canadian Football. The award was first intro ...

- Don Wittman, CBC broadcaster

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1995 Cfl Season

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 ...

Canadian Football League seasons