The 2009 CFL season was the 56th season of modern-day

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

. Officially, it was the 52nd season of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. The

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

won the 97th Grey Cup on November 29, 2009 with a last second 28–27 win over the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

. The 19-week regular schedule, issued February 3 began on July 1, which was only the second time in league history that a CFL season started on

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

, with the first occurring in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. The playoffs started on November 15 and two weeks of pre-season games began on June 17.

CFL news in 2009

Arena football suspension and moves for expansion

In February unexpected news was made when an American group, led by ex- NFL receiver Oronde Gadsden, announced their intentions to pursue a franchise in the CFL.Naylor, David. Citing the suspension of the 2009 season of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

and the demise of

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

as a potential opportunity for growth the US market, Gadsen's group highlighted either

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

– Windsor or

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

as possible locations for a new team. Reaction from the CFL with respect to Gadsen's intentions was mixed, however, with league head office iterating a reluctance to return to US expansion while the

' American owner,

Robert Wetenhall Robert Carl "Bob" Wetenhall Sr. (February 14, 1935 – September 3, 2021) was an American businessman who owned the Montreal Alouettes Football Club of the Canadian Football League from 1997 through 2018. Biography Robert (Bob) Wetenhall was bo ...

, welcoming the concept of bids involving border regions. Wetenhall's organization had spent its first two years in Baltimore in the 1990s, though under different ownership; Wetenhall having purchased the Alouettes after they had resumed play in Montreal. The mayor of

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. Th ...

, premier of

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, and league commissioner

Mark Cohon Mark Steven Cohon, (born March 16, 1966) is a Canadian businessman who is the chairman of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). He was also the 12th commissioner of the Canadian Football League. The son of McDonald's Canad ...

met in February to negotiate a deal that would see the city host a regular season game annually over five years, beginning in the

2010 CFL season The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it is the 53rd Canadian Football League season. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton hosted the 98th Grey Cup on November 28 when the Montreal Alouettes became th ...

Rule changes

Several main rule changes were proposed for 2009 by fans at the request of CFL commissioner

. The following changes were implemented: *The elimination of the option for the scored-upon team to scrimmage from its 35-yard line after

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, a ...

, which was first enacted in 1975. This was said to add excitement by preventing a team up by six points to scrimmage and take a knee three times to effectively end the game with one minute to go. Although it had good intentions, the results for this rule change was not as expected, and for the

, the league reinstated the option again. *Kickoffs being from the 25-yard line rather than the 35-yard line following a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

: the average kickoff in 2008 went 60 yards downfield, while the average kickoff return was 21 yards, making the option between scrimmaging and receiving kickoffs a wash. *Removing the restriction that a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

must take the snap from the centre. This effectively legalizes the

wildcat offense Wildcat formation is a formation (American football), formation for the offense in gridiron football, football in which the ball is snapped not to the quarterback but directly to a player of another position lined up at the quarterback position. ( ...

(where a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

takes the snap) in Canadian football, which had long been legal in

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

. *Video replays for coaches challenges will now ordinarily be reviewed at a command centre in the CFL's office in Toronto rather than in the video replay booth on the field. As well, if a team is successful in its two replay challenges, they will be awarded a third one. Other rule changes considered included moving the kickoff back 10 yards for all kicks (not just following safeties), and moving the ball back during conversions.

Hall of Fame induction weekend

For only the second time in its 39-year history, the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

induction weekend events did not take place in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, the home of the museum. It took place in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

from September 24 to 26, finishing with the tribute game between the Blue Bombers and Argonauts on September 26.

Bye weeks

Byes in the two weeks preceding the

Labour Day Classic The Labour Day Classic (, branded as OK Tire Labour Day Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend (which includes the first Monday in September). Labour Day weeke ...

games were retained, however the byes were changed so as to ensure that each pair of Labour Day Classic opponents will have equal rest as opposed to splitting the byes by division.

CFL retro

As the league approaches the 100th Grey Cup, the CFL celebrated the 1960s with all eight teams wearing retro-themed uniforms from that era at different points in the season. All teams wore their retro uniforms in Week 3. The

and the

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

were the only teams to wear both home and away retro uniforms, while the remaining teams wore one set of uniforms. The

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

wore their black alternate jerseys in combination with their retro pants and helmets for a "retro look," but did not introduce new home retro jerseys.

Records and milestones

*On September 19,

head coach,

Wally Buono Pasquale "Wally" Buono (born February 7, 1950) is a Canadian ex-football coach currently working as the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), a ...

became the CFL's all-time leader in coaching victories, surpassing

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 List of Canadian Football League hea ...

' total of 231.

Regular season

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points'' ''Teams in bold are currently in playoff positions.''

Notes

*Saskatchewan earned first place in the West due to their winning of the season series (2–0–1) against Calgary. *B.C. qualified for the playoffs in place of Winnipeg due to the "cross-over rule," as B.C. finished with more points.

Grey Cup playoffs

The

were the 2009 Grey Cup champions, defeating the

, 28–27 on a field goal by

Damon Duval Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980) is an American former professional football placekicker and punter. Duval played college football for Auburn University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the Jacksonvi ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

McMahon Stadium McMahon Stadium ( ) is a Canadian football stadium in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society. The stadium is located between the downtown core and the University of Calgar ...

on the last play of the game. It was the first Grey Cup for the Alouettes since

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. Alouettes' runningback Avon Cobourne was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, and slotback, Ben Cahoon was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian.

Playoff bracket

*-Team won in Overtime.

CFL Leaders

CFL Passing Leaders The CFL was officially formed in 1958. Statistics for the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, IRFU/Eastern Division date back to 1954 whereas Western Interprovincial Football Union, WIFU/Western Division statistics date back to 1950. Passing ya ...

* CFL Rushing Leaders *

CFL Receiving Leaders The CFL was officially formed in 1958. Statistics for the IRFU/Eastern Division date back to 1954 whereas WIFU/Western Division statistics date back to 1950. See also * List of Canadian Football League annual passing leaders * List of Canadia ...

2009 CFL All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

Anthony Calvillo Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is an American professional Canadian football, football coach and former quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football Lea ...

, Montreal Alouettes *RB – Avon Cobourne, Montreal Alouettes *RB – Joffrey Reynolds, Calgary Stampeders *WR – Jeremaine Copeland, Calgary Stampeders *WR –

Arland Bruce III Arland Richard Bruce III (born November 23, 1977) is an American former professional gridiron football, football wide receiver who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *WR – Kerry Watkins, Montreal Alouettes *WR – Fred Stamps, Edmonton Eskimos *OT – Ben Archibald, Calgary Stampeders *OT – Dan Goodspeed, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *OG – Gene Makowsky, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OG – Scott Flory, Montreal Alouettes *OC – Jeremy O'Day, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Defence

*DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DT – Keron Williams, Montreal Alouettes *DE – Anwar Stewart, Montreal Alouettes *DE – John Chick, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB –

Chip Cox Chip Cox (born June 24, 1983) is an American former professional Canadian football, football linebacker who played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for 13 seasons. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, winning in 97t ...

, Montreal Alouettes *LB – Markeith Knowlton, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Jamall Johnson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB –

Brandon Browner Brandon Kemar Browner (born August 2, 1984) is an American former professional football player who played as a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints, and in the C ...

, Calgary Stampeders *CB – Jovon Johnson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Jonathan Hefney, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Korey Banks, BC Lions *S – Barron Miles, BC Lions

Special teams

*K –

, Montreal Alouettes *P –

, Montreal Alouettes *ST –

Larry Taylor Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of the blues rock band Canned Heat. Before joining Canned Heat, he had been a session musician, session bassist for T ...

, Montreal Alouettes

2009 Western All-Stars

Western offence

*QB – Darian Durant, Saskatchewan Roughriders *RB – Martell Mallett, BC Lions *RB – Joffrey Reynolds, Calgary Stampeders *WR – Jeremaine Copeland, Calgary Stampeders *SB – Weston Dressler, Saskatchewan Roughriders *SB – Geroy Simon, BC Lions *WR – Fred Stamps, Edmonton Eskimos *OT – Ben Archibald, Calgary Stampeders *OT – Calvin Armstrong, Edmonton Eskimos *OG – Gene Makowsky, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OG – Dimitri Tsoumpas, Calgary Stampeders *OC – Jeremy O'Day, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Western defence

*DT – Aaron Hunt, BC Lions *DT – Dario Romero, Edmonton Eskimos *DE – Stevie Baggs, Saskatchewan Roughriders *DE – John Chick, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Tad Kornegay, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Sean Lucas, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Anton McKenzie, BC Lions *CB – Dwight Anderson, Calgary Stampeders *CB –

, Calgary Stampeders *DB – Korey Banks, BC Lions *DB – Lance Frazier, Saskatchewan Roughriders *S – Barron Miles, BC Lions

Western special teams

*K – Sandro DeAngelis, Calgary Stampeders *P – Burke Dales, Calgary Stampeders *ST – Jason Arakgi, BC Lions

2009 Eastern All-Stars

Eastern offence

*QB –

, Montreal Alouettes *RB – Avon Cobourne, Montreal Alouettes *RB – Fred Reid, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *WR –

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *WR – Ben Cahoon, Montreal Alouettes *WR – Jamel Richardson, Montreal Alouettes *WR – Kerry Watkins, Montreal Alouettes *OT – Dan Goodspeed, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *OT – Josh Bourke, Montreal Alouettes *OG – Scott Flory, Montreal Alouettes *OG –

Brendon LaBatte Brendon LaBatte (born September 12, 1986) is a Canadian former professional Canadian football, football Guard (American football), guard. He was drafted sixth overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2008 CFL Draft. He played CIS Football with ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *OC – Bryan Chiu, Montreal Alouettes

Eastern defence

*DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DT – Keron Williams, Montreal Alouettes *DE – Anwar Stewart, Montreal Alouettes *DE – John Bowman, Montreal Alouettes *LB –

, Montreal Alouettes *LB – Markeith Knowlton, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Jamall Johnson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB – Mark Estelle, Montreal Alouettes *CB – Jovon Johnson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Jonathan Hefney, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Lenny Walls, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *S – Matthieu Proulx, Montreal Alouettes

Eastern special teams

*K –

, Montreal Alouettes *P –

, Montreal Alouettes *ST –

, Montreal Alouettes

2009 CFLPA Pro Player All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Montreal Alouettes *RB – Joffrey Reynolds, Calgary Stampeders *RB – Mathieu Bertrand, Edmonton Eskimos *WR – Maurice Mann, Edmonton Eskimos *WR –

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *WR – Kerry Watkins, Montreal Alouettes *WR – Fred Stamps, Edmonton Eskimos *OT – Ben Archibald, Calgary Stampeders *OT – Dan Goodspeed, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *OG – Dmitri Tsoumpas, Calgary Stampeders *OG – Scott Flory, Montreal Alouettes *OC – Marwan Hage, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Defence

*DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DT – Keron Williams, Montreal Alouettes *DE – Anwar Stewart, Montreal Alouettes *DE – John Chick, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Maurice Lloyd, Edmonton Eskimos *LB – Otis Floyd, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Jamall Johnson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB –

, Calgary Stampeders *CB – Jovon Johnson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Jonathan Hefney, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Korey Banks, BC Lions *S – Barron Miles, BC Lions

Special teams

*K –

, Montreal Alouettes *P – Burke Dales, Calgary Stampeders *ST –

, Montreal Alouettes

Head coach

Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American professional football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach of the T ...

, Montreal Alouettes

2009 Gibson's Finest CFL Awards

* CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award –

(QB), Montreal Alouettes *

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 winne ...

– Ricky Foley (DE), BC Lions *

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. ...

– John Chick (DE), Saskatchewan Roughriders * CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Scott Flory (OG), Montreal Alouettes * CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – Martell Mallett (RB), BC Lions * John Agro Special Teams Award –

(WR), Montreal Alouettes * Tom Pate Memorial Award – Marwan Hage (C), Hamilton Tiger-Cats * Annis Stukus Trophy –

, Montreal Alouettes *

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 introd ...

–

, Calgary Stampeders-BC Lions * Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award - Stan Schwartz, Calgary Stampeders

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 Cfl Season Cfl Season, 2009 Canadian Football League seasons