Canadian Football League East Division

The Canadian Football League East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, their counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.

History

Pre-1907

The first organized football club in Canada was the Hamilton Foot Ball Club, a predecessor of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in 1868. This was followed by the formation of the Montreal Foot Ball Club in 1872, the Toronto Argonaut Football Club in 1873 and the Ottawa Football Club (the future Ottawa Rough Riders) in 1876.^[1][2]

The first organized competitions were formed in 1883, when the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) and the Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU) were founded. At the time the sport was generally called rugby union or rugby football because its rules were similar to rugby union's, although this would change drastically in the coming decades. The following year, the two provincial unions would form the Canadian Rugby Football Union, with Montreal winning the first national championship later that year. The CRFU collapsed before the decade was out, but was re-organized as the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU) in 1891, with Osgoode Hall winning the first CRU championship the following year.

The turn of the 20th century was marked by fundamental changes in the rules of the game. The ORFU was the first competition to adopt the Burnside Rules, which were to revolutionize the Canadian game. The QRFU and CRU initially resisted the changes, but by 1906 the Burnside Rules were in force throughout Ontario and Quebec. Although substantial changes (such as forward passing) were still to come, modern Canadian football would ultimately evolve from John Thrift Meldrum Burnside's code.

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (1907–1959)

In 1907, the Hamilton Tigers and Toronto Argonauts of the ORFU joined with the QRFU's Montreal Foot Ball Club and Ottawa Rough Riders (Ottawa had been moving back and forth between the two unions over the past few years) to form an elite competition, the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. The new competition was soon dubbed the "Big Four". Montreal won the first championship that year. In 1909 Lord Earl Grey, the Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to be awarded to the CRU champion. The trophy, which became known as the Grey Cup, would not be won by an IRFU club until the Hamilton Tigers captured the trophy in 1913. Following the 1915 season, the competition was suspended because of the First World War, and would not fully resume until 1920.

From 1925 until 1953, IRFU teams would dominate Canadian football, winning 18 of the 26 Grey Cups its clubs contested in that timespan (the IRFU suspended operations from 1942 through 1944 because of World War II). During this period, the calibre of play in the IRFU was recognized as being on par with any league in North America. The Big Four attracted considerable interest in the United States and even had its games televised by the National Broadcasting Company for a time during the 1950s (in fact, these games were more widely available than their NFL counterparts). This interest would eventually decline as the National Football League gained prominence and the American Football League rose in popularity.

By the mid-1950s, it was clear that the IRFU was a far higher calibre competition than the ORFU (the Quebec union had faded from the scene in the early part of the century). Moreover, the Western Interprovincial Football Union had been gaining strength over the last two decades, and its level of play was almost on par with that of the IRFU. The WIFU's champion had faced the Big Four's champion in the Grey Cup final every season since 1945, and it would prove capable of winning the Grey Cup on a regular basis during this decade. Following the 1954 season, the ORFU finally stopped challenging for the Grey Cup, thus making the game a contest between the champions of the IRFU in the East and the WIFU in the West. Although it would be another four years before the amateurs were formally locked out of Grey Cup play, this marks the start of the modern era of Canadian football.

In 1956, the IRFU and WIFU agreed to form the Canadian Football Council. In 1958, the CFC withdrew from the CRU and renamed itself the Canadian Football League. The new league assumed control of the Grey Cup, though it had been the de facto professional championship for four years before then.

Eastern Football Conference (1960–1980)

The IRFU changed its name to the "Eastern Football Conference" in 1960. In 1961, the EFC agreed to a partial interlocking schedule with what was known by then as the Western Football Conference. Although the EFC was part of the CFL, its merger with the WFC was only a partial merger for the next two decades. During this time, the conferences maintained considerable autonomy, much like Major League Baseball's two leagues operated during the 20th century. For example, the East had a different playoff format until 1973 and a shorter schedule until 1974. During this time, attendances increased substantially for most clubs and television revenue gained prominence and importance. By the 1980s, however, rising player salaries had caused considerable financial losses for some teams. In an effort to bolster the league's stability, the CFL decided to proceed with a complete merger of the two regional conferences.

East Division (1980–1994, 1996–present)

In 1980, the CFL's two conferences agreed to a full merger and a full interlocking schedule. Although the EFC has carried on since that time as the CFL's East Division, full authority is now vested within the CFL. The decision to create a full interlocking schedule meant that the teams were playing fewer divisional games, consequently the league decided to add two extra divisional games per team, thus extending the schedule to 18 games per team starting in 1986.

The East Division has undergone major changes since the dissolution of the EFC. Following the 1981 season the Montreal Alouettes folded. They were refounded in time for the 1982 season as the Montreal Concordes. The new owners restored the Alouettes name in 1985, but this franchise folded in 1987. Consequently, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the easternmost team in the West Division, were transferred to the East Division to keep the divisions equal in size. This led to the first "all-Western" Grey Cup in 1988 when the Blue Bombers won the East Division championship for the first time.

In 1994, the CFL decided to add more teams in the United States. This led to the addition of the two American-based teams in the East, the Shreveport Pirates and a team in Baltimore that would eventually be called the Stallions after the NFL successfully prevented the team from using the name "Colts". Baltimore would go on to win the East Division championship in 1994. For the 1995 season, all eight Canadian teams competed in the North Division, while the five American teams formed the South Division.

Prior to the 1996 season however, all of the American clubs disbanded. The owner of one, the Grey Cup champion Stallions, moved his organization to Montreal as the third incarnation of the Alouettes. However, while the Alouettes are now officially reckoned as having suspended operations from 1987 to 1995, they do not acknowledge their past as the Stallions. The pre-1987 divisional alignment was restored, only to see Winnipeg return to the East after one season when the Ottawa Rough Riders folded. The Blue Bombers returned to the West in 2002 after the Ottawa Renegades commenced play in the nation's capital. With the suspension of the Renegades in 2006, the Blue Bombers again were transferred to the East Division. With the East Division Ottawa Redblacks beginning play in 2014, the Blue Bombers moved back to the West Division.

Grey Cup record

Prior to 1954, Eastern clubs dominated the Grey Cup games. Since 1954 however, the West has generally been on an equal footing and in recent decades has often dominated the East in the regular season. From 1954 to 2016, the East has won 27 Grey Cups and lost 35. This is not counting the 1995 season. It should also be noted that two of the East's Grey Cup wins were by the Blue Bombers, who have played in the West for most of their history.

Playoff format

Since 1955, three teams have competed in the Eastern playoffs in most seasons. Only the top two teams qualified for the post-season in 1985 when an earlier form of the cross-over rule was in force, while four teams qualified in 1994 when there were six teams. In 1997, the present cross-over rule was implemented, allowing the fourth place team from one division to take the play-off place of the third place team in the other division, should the fourth place team earn a better record. From 1997 to 2016, the fourth place team in the West has taken advantage of the cross-over rule nine times, including four times when there were equal teams in the divisions. However, it wasn't until 2008 that a Western team (Edmonton) advanced to the Eastern Final, and only two other teams (the 2009 BC Lions and 2016 Eskimos) have won a game since. Neither crossover team won more than one playoff game.

Since implementation of the crossover rule, the closest an Eastern team has come to earning a cross-over berth in the Western playoffs has come in 2001 when fourth place Toronto finished one point behind third place BC.

Current teams

• Toronto Argonauts (formed 1873, joined 1907)
• Hamilton Tiger-Cats (formed 1950 as a result of the merger between the Hamilton Tigers and Hamilton Wildcats)
• Montreal Alouettes (formed 1946, renamed Concordes in 1982, renamed Alouettes in 1986, suspended operations in 1987, returned in 1996)
• Ottawa Redblacks (formed 2010, began play 2014)

Former teams

• Hamilton Tigers (formed in 1869, joined in 1907, merged with the Hamilton Wildcats to form the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1950)
• Montreal Football Club (formed in 1872, joined in 1907, disbanded in 1915)
• Ottawa Rough Riders (formed in 1876, joined in 1907, disbanded in 1996)
• Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers (joined in 1919, disbanded in 1935)
• Montreal Indians/Cubs/Royals (Indians joined in 1936, replaced by Cubs in 1938, replaced by Royals in 1939, disbanded in 1941)
• Hamilton Wildcats (formed in 1941, joined in 1948, merged with the Hamilton Tigers to form the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1950)
• Baltimore Stallions (formed in 1994, played in South Division in 1995; relocated to Montreal in 1996)
• Shreveport Pirates (formed in 1994, played in South Division in 1995; disbanded)
• Ottawa Renegades (formed in 2002, suspended in 2006)
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers (formed in 1930, played in the East Division 1987-1995, 1997-2001, and 2006-2013)

List of Eastern champions

IRFU champions

Total playoff berths while in the CFL East

This reflects Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Baltimore Football Club, and Shreveport Pirates results only while in the East Division.

¹ Played in the IRFU from 1907 to 1947.
² Played in the East Division from 1987 to 1994, 1997 to 2001, and 2006 to 2013.
³ Played in the IRFU from 1948 to 1949.

References

Canadian Football League
Teams	West division BC Lions Calgary Stampeders Edmonton Eskimos Saskatchewan Roughriders Winnipeg Blue Bombers East division Hamilton Tiger-Cats Montreal Alouettes Ottawa Redblacks Toronto Argonauts Defunct Canada Ottawa Rough Riders Ottawa Renegades Atlantic Schooners (never played) CFL USA Baltimore Stallions Birmingham Barracudas Las Vegas Posse Memphis Mad Dogs Sacramento Gold Miners San Antonio Texans Shreveport Pirates Miami Manatees (never played)
Awards	West division Nicklin Martin Fieldgate Parker DeMarco-Becket Dryburgh James East division Evanshen Hayman McCaffrey Gibson Dandurand League-wide Grey Cup champions Grey Cup MVP Suderman Outstanding Player Canadian Defensive Player Offensive Lineman Rookie Stukus Pate Gaudaur Agro Defunct Lineman Jeff Russel Gruen Rogers Ross Taylor Dixon
Broadcasting	Canada CBC CFN CTV TSN United States NBCSN ESPN2 ESPN Lists Current announcers Grey Cup TV markets
Other	Individual records Team records Coaching leaders Retired numbers Seasons Stadiums Mascots Video game Attendance Draft Combine CFLPA Hall of Fame All-Star Game Touchdown Atlantic Canada Day Games Labour Day Classic Thanksgiving Day Classic Top 50 Players Neutral site games
Canadian football portal

Toronto Argonauts
Founded in 1873 Based in Toronto, Ontario
Franchise	Franchise Records Players Seasons Head coaches First-round draft picks
Stadiums	BMO Field Rogers Centre Exhibition Stadium Varsity Stadium Rosedale Field
Culture and lore	Argonotes Labour Day Classic
Important figures	Doug Flutie Joe Theismann Terry Greer Condredge Holloway Dan Ferrone Dick Shatto Don Moen Paul Masotti Pinball Clemons Damon Allen
Retired numbers	22 31 55 60
Key personnel	Owners: Kilmer Sports and Bell Canada consortium General Manager: Jim Popp Head Coach: Marc Trestman
Radio	English TSN 1050 CFRB 1010 French CHOQ FM 105,1
Grey Cup Championships (16)	1914 1921 1933 1937 1938 1945 1946 1947 1950 1952 1983 1991 1996 1997 2004 2012
Eastern Division/IRFU Championships (23)	1911 1912 1914 1920 1921 1922 1933 1937 1938 1945 1946 1947 1950 1952 1971 1982 1983 1987 1991 1996 1997 2004 2012
Current league affiliations	League: Canadian Football League Division: East