The Edmonton Elks are a professional

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 ...

team based in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Alberta. The club competes in 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 ...

(CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multi-purpose stadium located in the McCauley, Edmonton, McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily ...

. The Elks were founded in 1949 as the Edmonton Eskimos and have won the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () 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 between the winners ...

championship fourteen times (including a

three-peat In sports (especially in North America), a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships or tournaments. The term, a portmanteau of the words ''three'' and ''repeat'', originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Ass ...

between 1954 and 1956 and an unmatched five consecutive wins between 1978 and 1982), most recently in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and the most of any CFL club based in Western Canada. The team has a rivalry with 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 ...

. The team discontinued using the ''Eskimos'' name in 2020, with the new name ''Elks'' formally announced on June 1, 2021.

Ownership

The Edmonton Elks were a "community owned" team (owned by local shareholders) since their inception in 1949 to midway through the 2024 season. Edmonton Elks Football Team, Inc., was governed by a ten-member board of directors. The board consisted of a chairman, treasurer, secretary, and seven directors. The club's president and CEO was Chris Presson until he was fired on November 22, 2021. As of 2024, Larry Thompson, longtime Elks fan and shareholder, bought the team outright, becoming the first private owner in club history.

History

Football in Edmonton 1895–1939

The

Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club was an early Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The team was founded in 1907 in Canadian football, 1907 as the ''Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club''. The club was renamed the Edmonton Esquimaux in 1908 an ...

, unaffiliated with the current team, was an early

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team based in

. The team played its first organized games with the formation of the Alberta Rugby Football League in 1895. In 1908 the name ''Esquimaux'' was adopted. In 1910 the club was officially named the Edmonton Eskimos and was briefly called the Edmonton Elks during

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

. (The city was represented by the Edmonton Civics in

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

and the Edmonton Canucks in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

.) After appearing in and losing the 9th Grey Cup and

10th Grey Cup The 10th Grey Cup was played on December 2, 1922, before 4,700 fans at Richardson Memorial Stadium at Kingston. Queen's University defeated the Edmonton Elks 13–1. The match was refereed by Silver Quilty. References External links * ...

games (being the first western teams to play for the Cup) the team folded in

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

, but returned for two seasons beginning

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

, and then folded again. It was succeeded by the Edmonton Boosters, who played for three more seasons, and the Edmonton Hi-Grads in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

(a team of high school graduate all stars.) Elite-level football returned to Edmonton in

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

with a team once again called the '' Eskimos'', this time in the

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. With a few exceptions, a senior men's football championship has been contested in Western Canada since 1911 ...

(WIFU). This team ceased operating after only two seasons because of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Team history

The current incarnation of the team began in the 1949 WIFU season as the Edmonton Eskimos under head coach Annis Stukus, for whom the CFL's annual coach of the year award is named. The team played home games at

Clarke Stadium Clarke Stadium is a multipurpose stadium located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The stadium was originally built for Canadian football. Over the years different sports have participated at the site. History The stadium was originally built in 1 ...

and quickly saw success under quarterback Jackie Parker and running back Johnny Bright, winning the Grey Cup three years in a row from 1954 to 1956. The team did not win the Grey Cup again until 1975, the longest drought in team history. The team moved to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978. The team won five consecutive Grey Cups (1978–82), led by superstar quarterbacks

Warren Moon Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football player who was a quarterback for 23 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He spent most of h ...

and

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (5 February 1948 – 30 December 2023) was an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award as well ...

and head coach Hugh Campbell. After a brief absence, Campbell returned to the team in 1986 and worked for Edmonton in an administrative capacity until his retirement in 2006. This five-year dynasty, followed by the dominance of the city's NHL team the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, led the city to be nicknamed the "City of Champions" in the 1980s. Edmonton made it to nine Grey Cups in a ten-year span from 1973 to 1982. In the 1980s and 90s the team's marquee player was Gizmo Williams who still holds many CFL records in punt and kickoff returns and was a key part in Grey Cup victories in 1987 and 1993 under head coach Ron Lancaster. During this period the team was also known for its stellar defensive line, with future

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, ...

rs like Danny Kepley and Danny Bass winning Defensive Player of the Year Awards and Willie Pless winning the trophy a record five times. After winning the Grey Cup in both 2003 and 2005, under quarterback

Ricky Ray Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...

, who is Edmonton's all-time leader in passing yards, the team missed the playoffs the following year, for the first time in 34 years, a North American professional sport record. This led to a ten-year Grey Cup drought. After a gap of ten years, Edmonton won the Grey Cup again in 2015, under the leadership of quarterback Mike Reilly, their most recent championship. In 2020 pressure mounted from team sponsors such as Belairdirect, Boston Pizza, and Sports Interaction, a First Nations–owned betting company, for the team to change their name. The term ''

Eskimo ''Eskimo'' () is a controversial Endonym and exonym, exonym that refers to two closely related Indigenous peoples: Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Sibe ...

'' is an offensive term historically placed on

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

people. The team officially dropped all use of the word "Eskimo" from the team on July 21, 2020. In response, the team temporarily rebranded as the "Edmonton Football Team" or, secondarily, the "EE Football Team", confirming their plan was to rebrand with a nickname starting with "E" to continue the use of at least some of their branding, most notably the interlocked double-E logo. This move was supported by multiple Indigenous groups, including the

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuktitut syllabics: , meaning "Inuit are united in Canada"), previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada), is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit acro ...

, a group representing over 60,000 Inuit across Canada. On June 1, 2021, the team formally announced that the new Edmonton team name would be the Edmonton Elks, a name used by the Edmonton football club of 1922.Franchise great Warren Moon, who led Edmonton to a record five straight Grey Cups between 1978 and 1982 stated, "The name Eskimos, to me, just means pride and it means winning with that organization". However, he stated that he was ultimately supportive of the move because some people might be offended by the name. Saying, "If this is something that is insensitive to another group of people, that is something I can understand being a minority myself." This came around the same time as the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

rebranded as the Washington Commanders, and the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

rebranded as the Cleveland Guardians.

Team colours and branding

The team colours, green and gold, have remained essentially the same over the years with only minor modifications to the uniform or logo until 2021, when the EE logo was designated as a secondary logo, and introduced a new logo of a stylized image of an elk and the Elks helmet logo was changed to antlers. After keeping the elk-antler helmet for the 2021 season, the team reintroduced the EE logo to their helmets (albeit with it not being enclosed in an oval) in the 2022 offseason, acknowledging fan favourability towards the logo. In 2021, the Elks worked with artist Izaiah Masuskapoe, an Indigenous student at West Edmonton’s St. Thomas More Catholic Junior High School, to create a special logo to celebrate the Indigenous people in Edmonton, which later spread to all of Canada in 2024 as the CFL commemorated the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with logos of their own. This followed a similar effort by 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 ...

months before. Following new private ownership, the EE logo returned as the primary logo in 2025 and the Elk logo was retained as the secondary logo.

Team records and achievements

With 14 Grey Cup wins, the franchise has won the Grey Cup more than any other team except the

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

, who have 18 wins. This includes more championships than any other team since the CFL was formed in the 1950s. Edmonton holds the record for most consecutive Grey Cup appearances (6 from 1977 to 1982), and consecutive wins (5 from 1978 to 1982). The team is the only one to have won three or more consecutive Grey Cups twice (1954–1956 and 1978–1982). The Edmonton franchise holds the following CFL records: * 5 consecutive Grey Cup wins: 1978–1982 * 6 consecutive Grey Cup appearances: 1977–1982 * 34 consecutive playoff appearances: 1972–2005 * 6 consecutive first place finishes, division: 1977–1982 * 12 consecutive home playoff victories: 1973–1987 * 14 consecutive seasons above .500: 1984–1997 (tied by Calgary 2008–2022) * 13 consecutive seasons 10 or more wins: 1985–1997 * 16 wins, season: 1989 (tied by Toronto 2023) * 0.906 winning pct., season (minimum 16-game season): 1981 * 14 games over .500, season: 1989 (tied by Toronto 2023) * 9 home wins, season: 1989 (tied by several teams) * 27 consecutive seasons .500 or better: 1972–1998 * 22 consecutive home losses: October 26, 2019–August 10, 2023 * 22 consecutive winless home games: October 26, 2019–August 10, 2023 The team has the distinction of setting two opposite North American professional sports records: from a success standpoint, Edmonton made the playoffs for 34 consecutive years from 1972 to 2005. At the other end, the Elks hold the dubious record of longest losing streak, home, and longest winless streak, home, set when they passed 21 on July 29, 2023. These streaks ended at 22, with the first home win under the Elks name coming August 27, 2023. This record was previously held by the 1953 St. Louis Browns. The Elks have also led the CFL in yearly attendance many times. As of August 2016, Edmonton had the highest average attendance in the league 27 times since moving to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978. Team alumni have figured prominently in Alberta political life: past players include two former provincial premiers ( Peter Lougheed and Donald Getty), a former mayor of Edmonton ( Bill Smith), and a

lieutenant-governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...

(

Norman Kwong Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian professional Canadian football, football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks, Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football L ...

). Athletes of significance in other professional sports that played for the Elks include professional wrestler and

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

champion

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...

, who played under his birthname Joe Anoa'i in 2008.

Wall of Honour

The Edmonton Elks have a policy of honouring the players who have best represented the team on the field. The player's name, number and seasons played with the Edmonton Elks are displayed on the edge of the concrete separating the field level from the lower bowl of

. The Elks keep most of the numbers in circulation rather than retire them from use. However, the team has had the numbers of

(1), Don Warrington (21), and Rollie Miles (98) removed from circulation and are no longer issued. Numbers so honoured :

Current roster

Current coaching staff

Head coaches

General managers

CFL awards and trophies

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

, 1955,

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

N. J. Taylor Trophy *, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Grey Cup MVP * Dave Fennell (DT):

(QB):

* Dale Potter (LB):

* Damon Allen (QB):

* Stewart Hill (DE):

* Jason Tucker (WR):

(QB):

* Mike Reilly (QB):

Dick Suderman Trophy * Garry Lefebvre (DB):

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

* Dave Cutler (K):

* Angelo Santucci (RB):

* Dale Potter (LB):

Neil Lumsden Neil James Lumsden (born December 19, 1952) is a Canadian politician and retired professional football player. Lumsden was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He serves as Minister of Sport. Lumsden ...

(RB):

* Dave Fennell (DT):

* Milson Jones (RB):

* Sean Fleming (P/K):

* Mike Maurer (FB):

* Shamawd Chambers (WR):

Most Outstanding Player Award * Billy Vessels (RB): * Jackie Parker (QB/RB): , , * Johnny Bright (RB): * George McGowan (WR): *

(QB): *

(QB): * Tracy Ham (QB): * Mike Reilly (QB): Most Outstanding Canadian Award *

(RB): , * Dave Fennell (DT): * Blake Marshall (FB): * Leroy Blugh (DE): * Kamau Peterson (WR): * Jerome Messam (RB): Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award * Danny Kepley (LB): , , * Dave Fennell (DT): * James Parker (LB): * Danny Bass (LB): * Willie Pless (LB): , , , , * Elfrid Payton (DE): * J. C. Sherritt (LB): Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award * Charlie Turner (OT): * Michael Wilson (OT): , * Rod Connop (C): Most Outstanding Lineman Award * Roger Nelson (OT): * John LaGrone (DT): Most Outstanding Rookie Award * Brian Kelly (WR): * Shalon Baker (WR): * Dexter McCoil (LB): * Derel Walker (WR): Annis Stukus Trophy * Ray Jauch: * Hugh Campbell: * Ron Lancaster: * Tom Higgins: Tom Pate Memorial Award * David Boone (DE): * Hector Pothier (OT): * Rick Walters (SB): * Adarius Bowman (WR): * Ryan King (LS): Rogers Fans' Choice Award *

(QB): Defunct

Mascots

Punter (an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

football) and Spike (an elk) are the mascots for the Edmonton Elks. They were introduced in 2004 and 2021, respectively. Nanook, a polar bear, was introduced in 1997, but was retired and replaced with Spike in 2021, coinciding with the rebranding.

Season-by-season results

Notes

References

External links

* * Watc
''Football Story''
a 1953

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

documentary about the Edmonton Eskimos {{Navboxes, titlestyle={{Gridiron primary style, Edmonton Elks, border=2;, list1= {{CFL {{Edmonton Elks seasons {{Alberta Sports {{42nd Grey Cup {{43rd Grey Cup {{44th Grey Cup {{63rd Grey Cup {{66th Grey Cup {{67th Grey Cup {{68th Grey Cup {{69th Grey Cup {{70th Grey Cup {{75th Grey Cup {{81st Grey Cup {{91st Grey Cup {{93rd Grey Cup {{103rd Grey Cup {{Native American mascot controversy Sports clubs and teams established in 1949 Canadian Football League teams Canadian football teams in Edmonton 1949 establishments in Alberta Name changes due to the George Floyd protests