The Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional

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 ...

team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium (1965) and

Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus. Athletic events have been hosted on the site ...

from 1966 to 1967.http://virology-online.com/Store/store001/8141-section219/Continental-Football-League--1965-69----Toronto-Rifles.html The team was owned by Montreal businessman Johnny Newman. As the Quebec Rifles, the team was the first professional American football team to be based in

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. It played the 1964 season in

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in the original United Football League. When the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fo ...

(COFL) was established for the 1965 season with former UFL teams, the Quebec Rifles were admitted and transferred to Toronto to become the Toronto Rifles due to the lack of a suitable facility in Montreal. The Rifles competed in the Continental League from 1965–67, but the owners pulled out in the middle of their final season after having lost a reported $400,000 in their final full season. The league took over the club and planned to have it play all of its games on the road, but several weeks later the team folded after having played only four games. The team finished second in the league in 1965, losing to the

Charleston Rockets The Charleston Rockets were a professional American football team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They began play in 1964 as a member of the United Football League (1961–1964), United Football League, and became a charter franchise in the ...

in the league championship. In 1967, however, 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 ...

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 ...

signed away the Rifles' head coach, Leo Cahill, quarterback Tom Wilkinson and running back Joe Williams. Meanwhile, Alan Eagleson took over the franchise. The team declared bankruptcy four games into the 1967 season and the league folded the franchise at the same time as the Akron Vulcans. The Rifles had a Canadian-based rival, the Montreal Beavers, when in the Continental Football League.

Seasons

Source: THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 10, No. 5 (1988) - The Continental Football League: A mini tragedy of five acts, Sarge Kennedy

Personnel

Players

* Allen Ray Aldridge LB 1966 * Charlie Baillie 1964 - with the Quebec Rifles * Robert Blakley RB 1965-1966 * Phil Chiarella LB 1964 - with the Quebec R * Bob Kreasul DE * Ed Harrington, DE * John Henry Jackson, QB * Monte Kiffin, D * Dick Limerick Flanker * Rich Lucka Guard * Leon Mavity Safety * Bob Vokey punter, receiver and safety 1964 - with the Quebec Rifles, now a golf club craftsman * Ernie Wade Tackle * Tom Wilkinson QB 1966 * Joe Williams RB Source: THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 10, No. 5 (1988) - The Continental Football League: A mini tragedy of five acts, Sarge Kennedy

Head coaches

* 1964: Sam Etcheverry (former quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes and a member of 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, ...

; his nickname in his playing days was The Rifle) * 1965-1966: Leo Cahill (also GM; future CFL coach with the Toronto Argos) * 1967: Jackie Parker (former CFL player with the Toronto Argos and Edmonton Eskimos)

References

{{Continental Football League

Rifles A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifle ...

Continental Football League teams United Football League (1961–1964) teams American football teams established in 1965 American football teams disestablished in 1967 1965 establishments in Ontario 1967 disestablishments in Ontario Defunct Canadian football teams