Ottawa Redblacks

Ottawa Redblacks
Founded 2010
Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Home field TD Place Stadium
Head coach Rick Campbell[1]
General manager Marcel Desjardins
Owner(s) Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group
League Canadian Football League
Division East Division
Colours Red, black, white[2][3][4]
              
Mascot(s) Big Joe/Grand Jos
Grey Cup wins 1 (2016)
Website www.ottawaredblacks.com
Current uniform

The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS)[5] (French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa)[6] are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Starting play in 2014, the Redblacks are the third CFL team to play in the city of Ottawa. The Ottawa Rough Riders, formed in 1876, were a founding member of the CFL in 1958 and played until 1996. A new Ottawa franchise was formed as the "Renegades" in 2002 and lasted until the end of the 2005 season.[7] The Redblacks won the 2016 Grey Cup Championship, which ended a 40-year Grey Cup championship drought for the City of Ottawa.

History

The Ottawa Renegades abruptly ceased operations prior to the 2006 CFL season. The league liquidated the Renegades roster in a dispersal draft and placed the Ottawa CFL franchise up for sale, with the intent of eventually returning to the city.[8]

Legislative and construction hurdles

Former Lansdowne Park before South side stands were demolished.

On March 25, 2008, Jeff Hunt, the owner of the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67's spearheaded a group that was awarded a franchise. The team planned to begin play in 2010, but cracks in the concrete structure in the south stands of Frank Clair Stadium led to the demolition of those stands and delayed the start of team operations. The league then set a new date of 2013 for the team's debut, but lawsuits forced the delay of reconstruction of the stadium to be pushed back even further.[9] The team and league then announced plans to play at a remodelled Frank Clair Stadium—now called TD Place Stadium—by 2014 if construction remained on schedule.[10][11][12] In 2008, the franchise was conditionally awarded the right to host the 2014 Grey Cup game,[13] but the owners preferred to postpone the game for a few years to give the franchise a better chance to play in the championship game.[10] In any event, after lawsuits and delays, the stadium renovations were not completed until 2014.[9] Hosting the Grey Cup is a condition included in the agreement of franchise ownership.[14] A C$7-million franchise fee was reported to have been paid to the CFL.[7]

Concurrently, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk had announced plans to bid for a Major League Soccer franchise to play in Ottawa, it being his intention to build a new soccer-specific stadium near the Senators' Scotiabank Place (now Canadian Tire Centre) in support of that plan. Questions arose about the stadium's design in terms of whether or not it could be used by a CFL team in place of the aging Frank Clair Stadium. However, the CFL and MLS groups could not come to any agreement on coordinating their plans. Furthermore, municipal officials questioned whether the city could support both CFL and MLS franchises.[15]

In April 2009, the staff of the City of Ottawa presented a report to city council on the merits of the soccer stadium and Lansdowne Park proposals. The city held public hearings based on the report, which questioned the necessity of the spending but gave a slight edge to the Lansdowne proposal. Councillors attempted to find out whether the SSE group would support sharing their stadium with a planned CFL franchise, but the SSE group rejected such a possibility. Consequently, on April 22, 2009, city council chose the Lansdowne proposal over the SSE proposal as its choice for an outdoor stadium. Negotiations were conducted over the next several months, leading to an August 26 presentation to council so that it could decide the fate of football in Ottawa in the foreseeable future.

On November 12 and 13, council held a public debate to discuss what should be done with the area at Lansdowne Park. Guest speakers included CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon and former Rough Riders Jock Climie and Mark Kosmos, who presented their case as to why the Lansdowne Live group was an important contributor to the city of Ottawa.[16] The following Monday, on November 16, it was reported that council had voted 15–9 in favour of plans to redevelop Lansdowne Park to house a CFL team.[17] The ownership group was given until June 2010 to sort out the details of the redevelopment, with construction set to begin in the spring of 2011.

On June 28, 2010, after a twelve-hour meeting, city council approved the plan to redevelop Lansdowne Park by the same 15–9 vote, all but securing a franchise in the nation's capital.[10][11] With construction on the stadium scheduled to begin in 2011, the earliest the team would have been able to play was the 2013 under the original time line.[18] However, a failed legal challenge and an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the Lansdowne Park redevelopment project delayed the start of construction until 2013, with completion targeted for the summer of 2015, although there were indications that the stadium could be opened for football as early as 2014.[9] Without a viable stadium, the debut of the team was necessarily pushed back accordingly.[14]

On October 10, 2012, the new franchise cleared its final political hurdle, when a 21–3 vote by Ottawa City Council went in favour of Lansdowne redevelopment.[19] Construction on the north and south side stands was set to begin in October 2012.[20]

Laying the foundation (2013)

On January 30, 2013, Marcel Desjardins was named the first general manager in Redblacks history.[21] Desjardins named former Montreal Alouettes scouting director and New York Jets pro scout Brock Sunderland as his assistant GM in late May, 2013.[22] On December 6, 2013, Desjardins hired Rick Campbell as the team's first head coach. Campbell is the son of former Edmonton Eskimos coaching legend Hugh Campbell, who coached the team to five consecutive Grey Cups from 1978 to 1982.[23]

One year before the new Ottawa club hit the field for the 2014 CFL season they were allowed to draft four NCAA junior redshirts (players who would participate in the 2013 NCAA football season) as part of the 2013 CFL Draft. The draft took place May 6, 2013. Ottawa had the last pick in the first 4 rounds of the draft (9, 18, 27, 36 overall selections). They selected Nolan MacMillan from Iowa, Connor Williams from Utah State, Kalonji Kashama from Eastern Michigan and Tyler Digby from Robert Morris.[24]

The 2013 CFL Expansion Draft was a three-round CFL draft held on December 16, 2013 which assigned players from existing CFL teams to the new Ottawa team. The structure of the draft was announced on January 19, 2011, which described one round for selecting import players and two rounds for selecting non-import players.[25] Ottawa selected three players from each of the eight existing teams for a total of 24 players. Ottawa was allowed to select eight import players and 16 non-import players with quarterbacks, kickers and punters eligible within their respective import/non-import categories. Ottawa was permitted to select a maximum of two quarterbacks and one kicker/punter, but not select any two of these three players from the same team. CFL commissioner Mark Cohon was authorized to resolve any dispute related to player eligibility for the Expansion Draft process.[26] The selections were announced live on the CFL's official website on December 16, 2013.[27]

First seasons (2014 to present)

The progress of construction at TD Place Stadium; September 27, 2013.

On July 3, 2014, the Ottawa Redblacks played their first regular season game in Winnipeg, against the Blue Bombers, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions in the opening quarter, but ultimately losing the game 36–28.[28] On July 18, 2014, the Redblacks earned their first regular-season win at their first home opener with a score of 18–17 over the visiting Toronto Argonauts.[29] The Redblacks, like most expansion teams, struggled during the whole season, and finished last in both the East Division and the league with a 2–16 record.[30]

In their second season in the league, the Redblacks brought in significant talent to improve the offence. The result was a greatly improved team that won 8 of its last 10 regular season games, finishing with a record of 12–6 to finish atop the East Division and clinch a first round bye.[31] It was the first regular-season division title for an Ottawa-based team since 1978. On November 22, 2015 the Redblacks defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 35–28 in the East Final to advance to the 103rd Grey Cup. In doing so, they became the first Ottawa CFL team to reach the Grey Cup since the 1981 Rough Riders. They also became the second-youngest team to reach a Grey Cup final, bettered only by the 1995 Baltimore Stallions. In their first ever Grey Cup appearance, the Redblacks lost 26–20 to the Edmonton Eskimos.[32]

The Redblacks struggled during the following season, finishing with an 8–9–1 record. However, the East Division was so weak that season that it was enough to earn the Redblacks their second consecutive division title–and with it, a bye into the East Final. Due to the CFL's crossover playoff format, they faced the Western Division's Edmonton Eskimos, winning 35–23.[33][34] In the Grey Cup, the Redblacks won the franchise's first championship–and the first for an Ottawa-based team in 40 years–by defeating the heavily favored Calgary Stampeders 39–33 in overtime.[35]

The Redblacks went into the 2017 season with high hopes as defending champions. Despite losing Henry Burris to retirement and key contributiors such as Kienan LaFrance and Ernest Jackson to free agency, the Redblacks finished the season with an identical 8-9-1 record from the season before, which was good enough for second place in the East Division, behind the Toronto Argonauts. The Redblacks struggled with injuries and inconsistent play throughout the course of the season. The Redblacks quest for a second consecutive Grey Cup fell short as the team lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who crossed over to play the Redblacks in the East Division Semi-final.

Team name

Initially, Hunt hoped to revive the Rough Riders name. Almost as soon as they won the franchise, Hunt and his group made contact with previous Rough Riders owner Horn Chen regarding the Rough Riders name; they were well aware of Chen's asking price for the Rough Riders' logo and wordmarks.[36] The Rough Riders name still retains popular currency among football fans in Ottawa. The Rough Riders played for 120 years, during which time they played for the Grey Cup 15 times, winning nine.[37] However, in July 2010, the ownership group announced that while they had acquired the Rough Riders intellectual properties—including their trademarks—from Chen, the Rough Riders name would likely not be returning due to the objections of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[38]

On December 6, 2012, the CFL opened voting for the name of the team, up until December 16, 2012, on www.nameourteams.com. It was speculated that the team would be called the Rush, but this was later debunked.[39] The Rush name was nonetheless included in a list of five potential names (Nationals, Voyageurs, Redblacks, and Raftsmen being the others) for the team in a focus group led by the team's owners in January 2013.[40]

Redblacks logo with wordmark in French.

On May 30, 2013, the website Sportslogos.net reported that the ownership group had filed copyright protection for the nickname "Redblacks" (and its French equivalent, Rouge et Noir) with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.[41] On June 8, 2013, the team confirmed it would be known as the Ottawa REDBLACKS. On the same day, the Redblacks also revealed their logo–an italicized version of the block "R" that appeared on the Rough Riders' helmets from 1975 to 1991 (with artistic ink traps) surrounded by a red outline inside a black saw blade.[42] The home uniforms were predominantly black, with white numerals and red and white trim. The road uniforms were white, with red numerals and red and black trim.

For record-keeping purposes, the CFL now recognizes all three Ottawa-based clubs that played in the CFL or its predecessors–the Rough Riders (known as the Ottawa Football Club from 1876 to 1898 and the Ottawa Senators from 1926 to 1930), the Renegades and the Redblacks–as "a single entity" dating to 1876, with "two intervals of non-participation (1997-2001 & 2006-2013)."[43]

Rivals

The Redblacks' main rival is the Montreal Alouettes, who they play every year in the Labour Day Classic. They also have rivalries with the CFL's other Ontario-based teams – the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts.

Retired numbers

On July 18, 2014, at halftime of the first home game in franchise history, the Redblacks announced that they would be retiring all ten jersey numbers that were previously retired by the Ottawa Rough Riders.[44]

Ottawa Redblacks retired numbers[44]
No. Player Position Tenure Championships
11Ron StewartRB1958–19701960, 1968, 1969
12Russ JacksonQB1958–19691960, 1968, 1969
26Whit TuckerWR1962–19701968, 1969
40Bruno BitkowskiC/DE1951–19621951, 1960
60Jim CoodeOT1974–19801976
62Moe RacineOT/K1958–19741960, 1968, 1969, 1973
70Bobby SimpsonFW/E/DB1950–19621951, 1960
71Gerry OrganK/P/WR1971–19831973, 1976
72Tony GolabFW/HB1939–1941, 1945–19501940
77Tony GabrielTE1975–19811976

Roster

Ottawa Redblacks roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Receivers

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Injured list

6-Game injured list

Practice squad

  •  8 William Arndt QB
  • 22 Zed Brown DB
  • 41 Dakota Brush FB
  • 14 Devin Butler DB
  • 54 Pierce Burton OL
  • 87 Seth Coate WR
  • 51 Eric Lofton OL
  • 30 Tafon Mainsah DB
  • 67 Josue Matías OL
  • 41 Michael Rose-Ivey LB
  • 18 Noel Thomas WR
  • 16 Kyle White DB
  • 73 Blaine Woodson DL

Suspended

Italics indicate International player
Roster updated 2018-10-04
Depth Chart • Transactions
46 roster, 3 one-game injured,
7 six-game injured, 13 practice

→ More rosters

Staff

Ottawa Redblacks staff
Front Office
  • Owner – Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG)
  • President – Jeff Hunt
  • Chief Executive Officer – Bernie Ashe
  • General Manager – Marcel Desjardins
  • Assistant General Manager – Jeremy Snyder
  • Director of Player Personnel – Jean-Marc Edmé
  • Coordinator of Football Operations – Joey Swarbrick
  • Video Coordinator – Colin Farquharson

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

  • Offensive Coordinator – Jaime Elizondo
  • Offensive Line – John McDonell
  • Receivers – Winston October
  • Running Backs – Beau Walker
  

Defensive Coaches

  • Defensive Coordinator – Noel Thorpe
  • Defensive Line – Leroy Blugh
  • Linebackers – Mark Nelson
  • Defensive Assistant – Patrick Bourgon

Special Teams Coaches

Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Nick Mercuri


→ Coaching Staff
→ More CFL staffs

Awards

Mascot

The Redblacks mascot is a lumberjack whose original name, "Big Joe Mufferaw", was revealed by the team on March 28, 2014. The name, which came from online suggestions, was an acknowledgement to the Big Joe Mufferaw folk legend popularized in several works of fiction (most notably by Ottawa native Bernie Bedore) and in songs by Stompin' Tom Connors.[45] After the Redblacks received some criticism for the "Mufferaw" name, the team announced on March 31 that the mascot would go by the name "Big Joe" (or "Grand Jos" in French).[46]

Cheerleaders

The Ottawa Redblacks Cheer and Dance team is the cheerleading and dance team representing the Redblacks. The team made its debut at the Redblacks' first home game at TD Place Stadium on July 17, 2014.[47]

The team is composed of men and women between the ages of 18 and 35. The Cheer and Dance program has two spirit teams of 25 cheerleaders and 25 dancers.[48] The Cheerleading team is a coed team of athletes from various all-star, varsity, performance and competitive cheerleading backgrounds. During games, the cheerleading team executes stunt routines and acrobatics on the field and on the sidelines. The Dance team is an all-female team of athletes from a variety of dance disciplines. The team also performs on field during game stoppages and participates in pregame activities. The Program Directors are Lisa Aucoin and Kenny Feeley,[49] and the Dance Team's Head Coach is Melany Morrison.[49]

On game days, members of the Cheer and Dance teams participate in “game day cheering/dancing, half time performances, pre game shows, game day promotions”.[50] Members of the Cheerleading and Dance team are involved in various community events, charity functions and corporate appearances in the Ottawa region.[50]

The Ottawa Redblacks Cheer and Dance team offers a Junior Cheerleading program for cheerleaders and dancers between the ages of 6–16.[51] The 4-week cheerleading program includes instruction and coaching by members of the Cheerleading and Dance team.[51]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "RedBlacks to name Campbell inaugural coach". Sportsnet. December 5, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks Club Profile & History" (PDF). 2017 CFL Guide & Record Book. Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Club Directory" (PDF). Ottawa Redblacks 2016 Media Guide. Ottawa Redblacks. July 26, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Ottawa Redblacks Brand Guide - English Version" (PDF). Ottawa Redblacks. June 4, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Ottawa officially announces REDBLACKS as team name". Official Site of the Canadian Football League. CFL.ca. June 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Le Rouge et Noir voit officiellement le jour à Ottawa". Site officiel de la Ligue canadienne de football. LCF.ca. June 8, 2013. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Group pays millions to bring CFL back to Ottawa". CTV News Ottawa. March 25, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008. A group of investors has agreed to pay the Canadian Football League a $7 million fee to bring a new CFL franchise to Ottawa
  8. ↑ "Renegades won't play in 2006". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  9. 1 2 3 "Lansdowne won't be ready for CFL football until 2014". CTV.ca. August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 http://www.torontosun.com/sports/football/2010/06/29/14551341.html CFL will return to Ottawa
  11. 1 2 http://www.obj.ca/Local/2010-06-29/article-1426235/Lansdowne-passes-by-15-9-margin;-city-eyes-CFL-return/1 Lansdowne passes by 15–9 margin; city eyes CFL return
  12. ↑ "CFL in Ottawa on track for the 2014 season". Official Site of the Canadian Football League. CFL.ca. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  13. ↑ "Ottawa conditionally awarded 2014 Grey Cup". The Sports Network. November 21, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
  14. 1 2 Garrioch, Bruce (June 4, 2012). "No Grey Cup for Ottawa in 2014". The Ottawa Sun. . Ottawa Sun. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  15. ↑ Gordon, Sean (September 17, 2008). "globeandmail.com: Sports". Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  16. ↑ Garrioch, Bruce (November 11, 2009). "Lansdowne proposal Ottawa's last shot". Slam Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  17. ↑ Naylor, Dave (November 17, 2009). "CFL's return to Ottawa moves one step closer". Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  18. ↑ MacKinnon, John (March 4, 2010). "CFL's success comes from its Canadian spirit: Cohon". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  19. ↑ Sunday, June 9, 2013 7:06 AM EDT Facebook Twitter RSS (2012-10-10). "Ottawa city council vote clears way for return of CFL team to Lansdowne Park | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  20. ↑ Willing, Jon (10 October 2012). "Lansdowne project a GO!". =Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  21. ↑ nurun.com (2013-01-19). "Ottawa team to offer GM job to Desjardins | Sports". Canmore Leader. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  22. ↑ "Brock Sunderland named assistant GM of new Ottawa CFL franchise". Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  23. ↑ "CFL's new Ottawa REDBLACKS hire Rick Campbell as their first-ever head coach | CTV News". Ctvnews.ca. 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  24. ↑ "Ottawa picks four in draft". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Expansion Draft plan approved | CFL.ca | Official Site of the Canadian Football League". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  26. ↑ "A closer look at the Expansion Draft rules and process". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  27. ↑ "Expansion Draft: Round 1 Selections". Official Site of the Canadian Football League. CFL.ca. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  28. ↑ The Canadian Press (July 3, 2014). "Nic Grigsby, Blue Bombers spoil Redblacks' debut". CBC Sports. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  29. ↑ The Canadian Press (July 19, 2014). "Brett Maher boots Redblacks to historic win in home opener". CBC Sports. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  30. ↑ "2014 Regular Season Standings". Official Site of the Canadian Football League. CFL.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  31. ↑ "Redblacks hold off Blue Bombers, clinch playoff berth – CBC Sports – Football – CFL". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  32. ↑ The Canadian Press (November 29, 2015). "Eskimos defeat Redblacks to win Grey Cup". CBC Sports. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  33. ↑ "How the Crossover Works". Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  34. ↑ Ralph, Dan (2016-11-20). "Redblacks blow past Eskimos in East final: Backup running back leads Ottawa to second straight Grey Cup appearance". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  35. ↑ Ralph, Dan (2016-11-27). "Redblacks pull off huge upset to win 104th Grey Cup in OT". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  36. ↑ Ottawa's New CFL Franchise. Ottawa 67's franchise information sheet. March 25, 2008. Archived October 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ↑ "History of the Ottawa Renegades". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on October 7, 2006.
  38. ↑ Desaulniers, Darren (July 22, 2010). "Saskatchewan not expected to allow Ottawa to use old name". The Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  39. ↑ nurun.com (2012-12-21). "Team won't be called Rush | Sports | Brantford Expositor". Brantfordexpositor.ca. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  40. ↑ Baines, Tim (January 23, 2013). "So to sum it up ... Ottawa CFL group considering Nationals, Raftsmen, Redblacks, Rush and Voyageurs." Ottawa Sun. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  41. ↑ Creamer, Chris. "Ottawa CFL Team Will Be RedBlacks". sportslogos.net. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  42. ↑ Baines, Tim. "Ottawa Redblacks name, logo unveiled at CFL launch event in capital | Football | Sports". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  43. ↑ "CFL GUIDE & RECORD BOOK: 2017 EDITION" (PDF). cloudfront.net. p. 155. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  44. 1 2 "Retired Numbers". Ottawa Redblacks. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  45. ↑ Canada (2014-03-28). "Ottawa RedBlacks announce mascot will be named Big Joe Mufferaw". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  46. ↑ Canada (31 March 2014). "Ottawa RedBlacks change name of lumberjack mascot after critical feedback". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  47. ↑ "2014 Grey Cup Preview with Mike Sutherland". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  48. ↑ "Ottawa REDBLACKS Cheerleader Try-outs ‹ OSEG". Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  49. 1 2 "Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  50. 1 2 "Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  51. 1 2 "Junior Cheerleaders – Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
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