Edmonton Eskimos
| Edmonton Eskimos | |
 2014 Edmonton Eskimos season | |
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| Founded | 1949 |
| Based in | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Home field | Commonwealth Stadium |
| League | Canadian Football League |
| Division | West Division |
| Colours | Green and gold |
| Nickname(s) | Esks, Eskies, The Double-E |
| Head coach | Chris Jones |
| General manager | Ed Hervey |
| Owner(s) | "Community" (shareholder) owned |
| Grey Cup wins | 1954, 1955, 1956, 1975 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005 |
| Mascot(s) | Nanook and Punter |
| Website | www.esks.com |
| Uniform |  |
The Edmonton Eskimos are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta, competing in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Eskimos play their home games at Commonwealth Stadium and are the third-youngest franchise in the CFL. The Eskimos were founded in 1949, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895. The Eskimos are the most successful CFL franchise of the modern era (1954) having won the league's Grey Cup championship thirteen times, second overall only to the Toronto Argonauts who have won sixteen. This includes a three-peat between 1954 and 1956 and an unmatched five consecutive wins between 1978 and 1982, and most recently in 2005.
The Eskimos hold a North American professional sports record by qualifying for the playoffs for 34 consecutive years between 1972 and 2005.[1][2] Edmonton has had the most regular season division championships in the modern era with 21, with their most recent coming in 2003. The team has a rivalry with the Calgary Stampeders and are one of the three community owned teams currently operating in the CFL.
Team facts
- Founded: 1949, although other teams named the Edmonton Eskimos existed 1895 to 1923 and 1929 to 1939.
- Formerly known as: Esquimaux 1897 to 1910.
- Helmet design: Yellow background, with a gold "EE" monogram on a green oval.
- Uniform colours: Green, gold, and white.
- Past uniform colours: Blue and white 1938 to 1939, black and yellow 1907 to 1937
- Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium (1978–present).
- Past stadium: Clarke Stadium (1954–1978).
- Grey Cup Championships: 13—1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005
- Western Division championships (regular season): 22—1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003.
- Main rivals: Calgary Stampeders (See Battle of Alberta), Montreal Alouettes (11 meetings in the Grey Cup, once in the East Final).
- 2013 Regular Season Record: 4 wins, 14 losses.
Ownership
The Edmonton Eskimos Football Club is one of three remaining "community owned" teams in the CFL (owned by local shareholders). This was once the most common type of ownership in the CFL.[3] IN 2006 the Ottawa Sun reported that shares cost $10 each, but were not open to the general public and required the approval of the 80 existing shareholders.[4] This contrasts with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, one of the other community owned teams in the CFL, who have offered shares to the public.
Board of Directors
Edmonton Eskimos, Inc., is governed by a Ten-member Board of Directors.[5] The board consists of a chairman, treasurer, secretary six directors and an Alternate Governor. As of 2011 the board of directors included Chairman Allan Sawin, Treasurer Bruce Bentley, Secretary John Moquin, Director Diane Brickner, Chris Bruce, Terry O'Flynn, Harold Roozen, William Scott, Brad Sparrow and Alternate Governor Rick LeLacheur. The club's president and CEO is Len Rhodes,[6][7] he is not currently a member of the 10 member Board of Directors.
Franchise history
Edmonton played its first series of organized games with the formation of the Alberta Rugby Football Union in 1895. In 1897 the name Esquimaux was adopted. In 1910 the club was officially named the Edmonton Eskimos. Since 1978 the Eskimos have played their home games in Commonwealth Stadium. They are one of the most successful teams in Canadian football history, having won the Grey Cup more than any other team except the Toronto Argonauts, and being the run-away leader in attendance for many years.
The team holds many impressive records, including five consecutive Grey Cup wins (1978 to 1982), and 34 consecutive years in the playoffs (1972 to 2005), a record no other North American professional team (regardless of sport) has equalled. Former Eskimos have figured prominently in Alberta political life: past players include two former provincial premiers (E. Peter Lougheed and Donald Getty), a former mayor of Edmonton (Bill Smith), and a lieutenant-governor (Norman Kwong).
During the glory years of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Edmonton Eskimos won five Grey Cup championships in a row. Since Edmonton re-entered the CFL in 1949, only one team has managed to win three in row (Eskimos 1954 to 1956), let alone five. Their achievements were documented in the book, Decade of Excellence, with photographs by Bob Peterson. The Eskimos have also enjoyed great attendance in the stands as they lead the league.
Uniform
The current uniform colours, green and gold, were adopted when the Eskimos received uniforms from the University of Alberta Golden Bears football team which was dormant due to a lack of competition in 1949. The colours have remained since that time and the Golden Bears also maintain them to this day.
Overall, the jersey and colours have remained relatively the same over the years with only minor modifications. In 2003, the Eskimos introduced white pants to be worn with their away jerseys and have continued to wear them on occasion. In the 2005 CFL season all CFL teams switched to a Reebok designed template though the jerseys for the Eskimos stayed much the same. In that same year, the Eskimos introduced an alternate jersey for the first time in the franchise's history. Green pants were also introduced at this time and have been worn with their home and away jerseys since then. Along with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, they are one of the few teams to alternate the pants and jersey combinations of their uniforms within a season. The alternate gold jersey was last worn in 2007.
Their new jerseys include the green helmet mainly for use with the away jerseys but have used them with their home uniforms. For the most part the yellow pants are for the home uniform and green for away, but in 2013 they did use an all green combination at home and that included the helmet.
Wall of Honour
The Eskimos 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 Eskimos is displayed on the edge of the concrete separating the upper and lower decks of Commonwealth Stadium. The Eskimos keep the number in circulation rather than retire them from use.
Numbers so honoured as of 2010:
- 1 Warren Moon (2001)
- 2 Henry "Gizmo" Williams (2002)
- 11 Sean Fleming (2011)
- 12 Tom Wilkinson (1982)
- 13 Larry Highbaugh (1996)
- 22 Tom Scott (1993)
- 24 Johnny Bright (1983)
- 26 Dave Cutler (1986)
- 27 Don Getty (1992)
- 30 Danny Bass (1992)
- 36 Oscar Kruger (1992)
- 39 Willie Pless (2004)
- 42 Danny Kepley (1987)
- 47 Larry Wruck (2011)
- 51 Frank "Guts" Anderson (1985)
- 53 Frank Morris (1984)
- 55 Ron Estay (2010)
- 60 Chris Morris (2008)
- 65 Dave Fennell (1984)
- 66 Roger Nelson (1987)
- 66 John LaGrone (1988)
- 67 Rod Connop (2005)
- 70 Brian Kelly (1989)
- 76 George McGowan (1985)
- 77 Tommy Joe Coffey (1988)
- 91 Jackie Parker (1983)
- 94 Rollie Miles (1983)
- 95 Normie Kwong (1984)
Team song
During each home game fans stand and sing the "Edmonton Eskimos Fight Song" to the tune "Washington and Lee Swing":
- We're cheering fight, fight, fight on Eskimos
- We're marching right, right, right on Eskimos
- We're charging down the field for all to see
- and shouting rah, rah, rah, fight on to victory
- We're fighting on till every game is won
- The Green and Gold is bold and when we're done
- we'll tell the world we're proud of Edmonton
- and the Edmonton Eskimos!
Current Roster
| Edmonton Eskimos roster | ||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Slotbacks
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Injured List 9-Game Injured List Practice Roster Suspended List Disabled List Italics indicate Import player | |||||
Current coaching staff
| Edmonton Eskimos Staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
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Head coaches
- Annis Stukus (1949–1952)
- Frank Filchock (1952)
- Darrell Royal (1953)
- Pop Ivy (1954–1957)
- Sam Lyle (1958)
- Eagle Keys (1959–1963)
- Neill Armstrong (1964–1969)
- Ray Jauch (1970–1977)
- Hugh Campbell (1977–1982)
- Pete Kettela (1983)
- Jackie Parker (1983–1987)
- Joe Faragalli (1987–1990)
- Ron Lancaster (1991–1997)
- Kay Stephenson (1998)
- Don Matthews (1999–2000)
- Tom Higgins (2001–2004)
- Danny Maciocia (2005–2008)
- Richie Hall (2009–2010)
- Kavis Reed (2011–2013)
- Chris Jones (2014–present)
See also
- Edmonton Eskimos all time records and statistics
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame
- Canadian football
- Comparison of Canadian and American football
- List of Canadian Football League seasons
References
External links
- Official website
- Official Facebook Page
- Official Twitter Account
- CFL Scrapbook Edmonton Eskimos
- Watch Football Story, a 1953 National Film Board of Canada documentary about the Edmonton Eskimos
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