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From: [e-mail] (Michael Burger)
Subject: Canadian Football FAQ
Summary: Frequently asked questions about the CFL and the CIAU
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Archive-name: canadian-football

Canadian Football League FAQ
Last Updated: November 24, 1993
Updated periodically

Table of Contents
0. New Info
1. What is the CFL?
2. Team Information
3. Rules differences between the CFL and NFL
4. Off-Season News
5. Schedule/TV Information
6. Questions/Answers
7. 1993 Season Review

___________________________________________________________________________

Section 0 - New Info
___________________________________________________________________________

Updated to reflect the end of the 1993 season.

___________________________________________________________________________

Section 1 - What is the CFL?
___________________________________________________________________________

     The Canadian Football League (CFL) in its present form is a professional
football league consisting of nine teams: Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto
Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan
Roughriders, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, British Columbia Lions
and Sacramento Gold Miners.  The first four teams belong to the Eastern
Division, while the other five belong to the Western Division.
     The member teams of the CFL all pre-date the existence of the league
except for the Gold Miners, who played their inaugural season.  Most
of the member teams are outgrowths of old amateur rugby teams.  Only two
teams (Saskatchewan in 1910 and B.C. in 1941) were not in existence in the
19th century.  Most of these teams played in their own provincial rugby
leagues well in to the 20th century.
     Before World War II, most of these teams were playing a cross between
rugby and football.  The forward pass was not adopted until 1931 (35 years
after the U.S.), scrimmage play was not adopted until 1921.  In fact, it
took until 1956 for a touchdown to be scored 6 points.
     The Grey Cup, the trophy given to the playoff winner of the CFL, also
predates the CFL.  In 1909, Lord Earl Grey, the Governor General of Canada,
donated a trophy to designate the champion of the Canadian Rugby Union.
Any team, as long as they were a member of the Union, could compete for
the cup.  Amateur teams stopped competing in 1936.
     The first season of 9-team play (as it lasted for 32 years) was in
1954, when the British Columbia Lions joined the Western Division.
In 1961, the CFL first had an interlocking schedule, where the two
divisions played games with each other.  Until 1974, the two divisions
actually played a different amount of games, the Western played 16, the
Eastern played 14.  Up until 1985, each team played 16.  Starting in 1986,
each team played 18 games.
     The Montreal Alouettes folded shortly before the start of the 1987
season, forcing the league to eight teams.  In 1992, the league announced
a plan to first go to twelve, then eventually sixteen teams, including U.S.
teams.  However, these plans were then reduced to ten, with the two teams
being the Sacramento Gold Miners and a team in San Antonio.  However, only
Sacramento will be joining the league for 1993.


______________________________________________________________________________

Section 2 - Teams of the CFL
______________________________________________________________________________

WESTERN DIVISION:

British Columbia Lions: BC Place (Capacity 59,478)
860 808 W. Hastings, Vancouver, BC  V6C 2X4
Voice: 604-685-4344; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 950 CKNW
Grey Cups Won: 1964, 1985

Calgary Stampeders: McMahon Stadium (38,200)
1817 Crowchild Trail N.W., Calgary, AB  T2M 4R6
Admin: 403-289-0205; Fax: [phone]; Ticket: 403-289-0258; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 770 CQHR
Grey Cups Won: 1948, 1971, 1992

Edmonton Eskimos: Commonwealth Stadium (60,081)
9023 111 Avenue, Edmonton, AB  T5B 0C3
Admin: 403-448-1525; Ticket: 403-448-ESKS; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 930 CJCA
Grey Cups: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987

Sacramento Gold Miners: Hornet Field (21,000)
Hornet Field, Sacramento, CA  958616
Admin: 916-354-1000; Ticket: 916-456-5925; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 1530 KFBK
Grey Cups: None

Saskatchewan Roughriders: Taylor Field (27,637)
2940 10th Avenue, P.O. Box 1277, Regina, SK  S4P 3B8
Main: 306-569-2323; Ticket: 306-525-2181; Store: 306-522-8989; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 980 CKRM
Grey Cups: 1966, 1989

EASTERN DIVISION:

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Ivor Wynne Stadium (29,161)
75 Balsam Ave North, Hamilton ON,  L8L 8C1
Stadium: 416-547-2418, Ticket: 416-527-1508; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 900 CHML
Grey Cups: 1953, 1957, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1972, 1986

Ottawa Rough Riders: Frank Clair Stadium (30,927)
Coliseum Building, Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, ON  K1S 3W7
Admin: 613-563-4551; Ticket: 613-563-1212; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 580 CFRA
Grey Cups: 1940, 1951, 1960, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1976

Toronto Argonauts: Skydome (53,595)
Exhibition Stadium, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON  M6K 3C3
Office: 416-595-9600; Ticket: 416-595-1131; Fax: [phone] (t)
Radio Outlet: 1010 CFRB
Grey Cups: 1914, 1921, 1933, 1937, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1983,
       1991

Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Winnipeg Stadium (32,648)
1465 Maroons Road, Winnipeg, MB  R3G 0L6
Admin: 204-784-2583; Ticket: 204-780-7328; Shop: 204-784-2589; Fax: [phone]
Radio Outlet: 680 CJOB
Grey Cups: 1939, 1941, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1984, 1988, 1990

HOME OFFICE ADDRESS:
Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League Building, 5th Floor, 110 Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario  M4R 1A3
Office 416-322-9650; Fax: [phone]

The Montreal Alouettes won the Grey Cup in 1949, 1970, 1974, 1977
______________________________________________________________________________

Section 3 - Rules of the CFL
______________________________________________________________________________

     Since the CFL has taken a different evolutionary course than the NFL,
the rules are somewhat different.  For example, football in the U.S. was
three downs for a while, but then changed to four.  The CFL, contrary to
popular belief, do not use the three down system to increase passing.  It
has always been three downs.

Field of Play:
     There are 110 yards to the field instead of 100.  The 55 is referred
to as the center-line.  The field is also 65 yards wide instead of 53 1/3.
Goal posts are placed on the goal line, with the end zones 20 yards deep.
(Don't laugh, they used to be 25.)

Scrimmage Play:
     As mentioned before, there are only three downs to achieve first down
instead of four.  There are twelve players on the field instead of eleven:
five linemen, quarterback, wingback, slotback, two running backs, a flanker
and a wide receiver.  The defense usually plays with an extra defensive back,
either a 4-3-5 or a 3-4-5.  The backfield is allowed unlimited motion before
the snap, causing some an entirely different formation before the set and
after the set.

Kicking Game:
     The goal posts are placed on the goal line instead of the backfield.
Therefore, field goals are almost always attempted within the 50 instead
of the 40.  Field goal attempts must be fielded, since an unreturned field
goal may be picked up by the kicker or any player lined up behind the kicker
for a first down and for a touchdown if recovered in the end zone.
Any field goal return that does not leave the end zone results in a single
point for the kicking team.
     If a kick results in a single point, the ball is placed on the 35.
On a field goal attempt only, the ball may be placed in play beyond the 35
if the unsuccessful field goal was attempted beyond the 35.  If the
field goal is successful, the returning team has the option of placing
the ball on the 35 or having the field goal team kicking off.
Kick offs take place from the 35.
     The same rules apply to punting, where the punt must be returned.
Both kicks must allow a five yard buffer zone for the returner to receive
the ball, otherwise either a five yard penalty would be assessed if the
ball bounced backward or a fifteen yard penalty if the ball bounced forward.

Roster Composition:
     Rosters are made up 37 players: 20 Canadian players, 14 imports and
3 quarterbacks.  The 14th import must be a "designated import", who may
only play if another import playing either offense or defense is out of
the game.  The Sacramento Gold Miners are not restricted to having 20
Canadian players due to U.S. labor laws.  There is a salary cap of $2.5
million (Canadian), with the top paid player exempt.

Overtime:
     If a game is tied at the end of regulation, a ten minute non-sudden
death playoff is played.  The period is broken into two halves.
Miscellaneous:


--The penalty flag is red.
--There is only one time out per half instead of three.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Section 4 - Off-Season News
_____________________________________________________________________________

     A group headed by former Cleveland Crusader (WHA) owner Nick Miletti
has successfully obtained a CFL franchise for the 1994 season.  The team
will be based in Las Vegas and play at the football facility at the University
of Nevada-Las Vegas.  A team name has not been determined.
     It is probable that the CFL will expand by two more teams for the
1994 season, pending the outcome of the NFL expansion to be announced in
October.  Possible sites include Memphis, Birmingham, San Antonio,
Louisville, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Montreal.
     Again, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are on a death watch.  The purchase of
the team by a Washington businessman fell through when no guarantees were
given of the team remaining in Hamilton.  Larry Ryckman, owner of Calgary,
has been meeting the team's payroll for the past month.  Possible move
sites include Halifax, London and Detroit/Windsor.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Section 5 - Schedule for Grey Cup/Copue Grey 1993
_____________________________________________________________________________


The Grey Cup telecast on CBC starts at 6pm Eastern Time on Sunday 11/28.
Satellite dish owners can find CBC's clear TV feeds on the Anik E2
satellite (107.3 degrees west longitude), C-band channels 11, 19, and 20.
(Depending on the age of the satellite receiver, Anik E2 is either
abbreviated as "E2" or "A1".  "A1" stood for Anik D1 which was replaced
by Anik E2 in 1991.)

For people with cable south of the border:

SportsChannel America will pick up CBC's live telecast probably
for the final time ever as SCA will soon be replaced with NewSport
[SCA's phone number is [phone]].

_Satellite_Orbit_ lists the following regional cable sports networks
that will carry the Grey Cup telecast LIVE.  Since _Satellite_Orbit_ uses
information that is two months old, all of these should be verified
via telephone by people who are interested in watching the Grey Cup on
these regional cable sports networks (especially true in the case of
SC-Philadelphia which switched affiliation to Prime Network on November 1):

        SportsChannel Chicago       [phone]
        SportsChannel Cincinnati    [phone]
    SportsChannel Florida       [phone]
        SportsChannel New England   [phone]
        SportsChannel Ohio          [phone]
        SportsChannel Philadelphia  [phone]
        SportSouth Network          [phone]

These two regional sports networks will show the Grey Cup taped-delay
according to the listings in _Satellite_Orbit_.  These should
also be verified via telephone:

        Home Sports Entertainment, 11pm Eastern on Sunday 11/28
                                   [phone]
        SportsChannel New York,    12noon Eastern on Monday 11/29
                                   [phone]

_Satellite_Orbit_ did not list telecast times for these two regional
sports networks that carried CFL games in the past.  Check with
these networks via telephone for more information:

        Midwest SportsChannel    [phone]
        SportsChannel Pacific    [phone]


____________________________________________________________________________

Section 6 - Miscellaneous Questions and Answers
____________________________________________________________________________

Q. Why has the CFL, unlike almost any other pro sport, declined in the 80's?

A. Before Cable TV exploded in Canada in the 80's, American TV was very hard
   to get unless you lived directly on the border, essentialy only
   Southern Ontario, Victoria, and the Maritimes had regular exposure to
   the National Football League.  Since cable has brought the big-three U.S.
   networks to Canada, the decline in the CFL is noted.  The highest season
   for attendance was in 1978, when 2,914,387 fans saw 94 games.  Attendance
   for the last few years have hovered around 2.2 million for 84 games.  TV
   contracts, which peaked at $11 million a year in the mid-80's, now go
   for about $7 million.

   A second theory involves the NHL.  In the heyday 1970's, only three CFL
   cities (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal) had NHL franchises.  Now every
   Canadian CFL city has a NHL franchise except for Regina and Hamilton.

   Thirdly, the decline of the CFL in the Hamilton/Toronto area may be due
   to the immense popularity of the Blue Jays.


Q. Why are there two Roughriders/Rough Riders?

A. Both the Saskatchewan Roughriders (one word) and Ottawa Rough Riders (two
   words) at one time belonged to separate leagues.  When the two leagues
   formed the CFL, both teams decided to keep their names.  In 1992, the
   Ottawa franchise considered a name change to the Ottawa Beavers, but
   kept the Rough Rider name.


Q. How good was Warren Moon for Edmonton?

A. Warren started from 1980-83 for Edmonton, whereby the Eskimos won the
   Grey Cup every year but 1983.  Since he only played six years, he does
   not have many records, but did throw 144 touchdowns in his six years
   and held the single-season yard passing mark in 1983 when he went
   380 for 664 for 5,648 yards.  Doug Flutie now owns the single season
   record at 6,619 yards (albeit it took 18 games for Flutie and only 16 for
   Moon.)  Warren Moon finished his career with 1,369 completions from
   2,382 attempts for 21,228 yards, 144 touchdowns vs. 77 interceptions.


Q. Who were some of the great players of the CFL?

A. Ron Lancaster owns many all-time records for passing.  Over his 19 year
   career, he was 3,384 completions in 6,233 attempts for 50,535 yards and
   333 touchdowns.  George Reed rushed for 16,116 yards on 3,243 carries
   and 134 touchdowns in a 13 year career.  Brian Kelly caught 575 passes
   for 11,169 yards and 97 touchdowns.  Lui Passaglia owns most kicking
   records.


Q. What are some of the more esoteric records?

A. In 1990, the Argos scored 689 points in 18 games.  In 1991, Saskatchewan
   gave up 710 points.  Toronto defeated B.C., 68-43 on Sept. 1, 1990 for
   the single game scoring high.  Dave Ridgway hit a 60 yard field goal
   in 1987, while Zenon Andrusyshyn had a 108 yard punt in 1977.


____________________________________________________________________________

Section 7 - 1993 Review
____________________________________________________________________________

1992 STANDINGS

EAST            W   L               WEST            W   L
Winnipeg       14   4               Calgary        15   3
Hamilton        6  12               Edmonton       11   7
Ottawa          4  14               Br. Columbia   11   7
Toronto         3  15               Saskatchewan   10   8
                    Sacramento      7  11
(Note: These may be wrong.  I'm doing this from memory.  My stat file
is gone.  If somebody kept it, please send it to me.)




This document has been compiled by Michael Burger with help from Glenn
Chin, Oliver Tse and Dean McNeill.  Proper citation must be used when quoting
this document.  This document, believe it or not, was compiled by a CFL-crazy
American who just has a tad too-much free time.