The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal), colloquially known as the Als, are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded and been re-established twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and last won the Grey Cup in 2023, defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 110th Grey Cup. Their home field is Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the regular season and as of 2014 also home of their playoff games.
The original Alouettes team (1946–1981) won the Grey Cup four times and were particularly dominant in the 1970s; appearing in six Grey Cup Finals through that decade, they won in 1970, 1974 and 1977, while losing in 1975, 1978 and 1979 (all against the Edmonton Eskimos). After their collapse in 1982, they were immediately reconstituted under new ownership as the Montreal Concordes. After playing for four years as the Concordes, they revived the Alouettes name for the 1986 season. A second folding in 1987 led to a nine-year hiatus of CFL football in the city.
The current Alouettes franchise was established in 1996 by the owner of the Baltimore Stallions. The Stallions were disbanded at the same time as the Alouettes' re-establishment after having been the most successful of the CFL's American expansion franchises, culminating in a Grey Cup championship in 1995. Many players from the Stallions' 1995 roster signed with the Alouettes and formed the core of the team's 1996 roster.
For record-keeping purposes, the CFL considers all clubs that have played in Montreal as one franchise dating to 1946 and considers the Alouettes to have suspended operations in 1987 before returning in 1996. Although the Alouettes' re-establishment in 1996 is often considered a relocation of the Stallions, neither the league nor the Alouettes recognize the Baltimore franchise, or its records, as part of the Alouettes' official team history.
The latest incarnation of the Alouettes were arguably the best CFL team of the 2000s; they acceded to all but three Grey Cup Finals of the decade, taking home three Grey Cups in the process and bringing the franchise total to seven. The Alouettes had from 1996 to 2014 the CFL's longest active playoff streak, only having missed the playoffs three times since returning to the league. The streak came to an end in 2015. They have hosted a playoff game every year except 2001, 2007, 2013, and from 2015 to 2018. Their five losing seasons came in 2007, 2013 and from 2015 to 2018. The 2015 through 2018 Alouettes' seasons marked the first time the team missed the playoffs in consecutive years since their re-activation. Major stars of the recent era include Mike Pringle, the CFL career leader in rushing yards, and quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who led all of pro football in career passing yards before Drew Brees took over in late 2020.
In 2019 the CFL purchased the team from American businessman Robert Wetenhall, who could not find a buyer. Later that year the Alouettes were acquired by Crawford Steel executives Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law Gary Stern (through their subsidiary S and S Sportsco), who took over the team on January 6, 2020. In February 2023, the ownership was passed back to the league, which subsequently agreed to sell the team to Quebec media mogul and former Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau in March of that year. On November 19, 2023, the Alouettes won their eighth Grey Cup in their first season under Péladeau's ownership.
Contents
History
Original Alouettes (1946–1981)
Canadian football has a long history in Montreal, dating to the 1850s. The Alouettes were first formed in 1946 by Canadian Football Hall of Famer Lew Hayman along with stockbroker Eric Cradock and former Montreal Canadiens part-owner Léo Dandurand. They named themselves after "Alouette", a work song about plucking the feathers from a skylark, which had become a symbol of the Québécois. The origin of the team's name also comes from the Second World War-era No. 425 "Alouette" Squadron, a bomber squadron operating out of North Africa and later Yorkshire, England. 425 Squadron was also the Royal Canadian Air Force's primarily French-Canadian squadron.
They won their first Grey Cup championship in 1949, beating the Calgary Stampeders 28–15 led by quarterback Frank Filchock and running back Virgil Wagner.
The 1950s were a productive decade for the Als, with quarterback Sam Etcheverry throwing passes to John "Red" O'Quinn, "Prince" Hal Patterson, and with Pat Abbruzzi carrying the ball, Montreal fielded the most dangerous offence in all Canadian football. From 1954 to 1956, they reached the Grey Cup in three consecutive seasons, but questionable defensive units led the Alouettes to defeat versus the Edmonton Eskimos each time.
The team was purchased in 1954 by Ted Workman. Like all teams playing in the WIFU and IRFU, the Alouettes joined the newly-formed Canadian Football League in 1958. While the team continued to enjoy success for the rest of the 1950s, that all changed at the end of the 1960 season. To be more specific, the team was shaken by an announcement on November 10 – namely the trade of Hal Patterson and Sam Etcheverry to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for Bernie Faloney and Don Paquette. Workman had concluded the deal without consulting with general manager Perry Moss. The deal quickly fell apart because Etcheverry had just signed a new contract with a no-trade clause; as a result, Etcheverry was now a free agent. The deal was reworked and Patterson was traded for Paquette. Sam Etcheverry went on to play in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2 years (1961 and 1962) followed by the San Francisco 49ers in 1963. Faloney remained in Hamilton, and teamed with Patterson to form one of the most deadly quarterback-receiver combinations in CFL history.
This episode remains one of the most lopsided trades ever made in the Alouettes history, and it ushered in a dark decade for the team. During that time, they failed to register a single winning season. From 1968 to 1976 the team played in the Autostade stadium—which had been built as a temporary stadium for Expo 67. The stadium's less-than-desirable location on Montreal's waterfront near the Victoria Bridge led to dismal attendance, putting more strain on the team's finances.
Montreal Concordes (1982–1985)
The CFL had anticipated the collapse of the Alouettes and was well prepared when Skalbania returned the franchise to the league. Among potential suitors for the troubled franchise was Montreal businessman Charles Bronfman, founder and owner of the Alouettes' co-tenants at the Big O, the Montreal Expos. Bronfman had made it clear to league officials that he would not deal with Skalbania, but would be willing to establish a replacement franchise on short notice if the Alouettes ceased operations. On May 14, 1982, a day after the original Alouettes franchise folded, the CFL granted the Montreal franchise rights to Bronfman. However, Skalbania continued to assert ownership of the Montreal Alouettes name, logos and related intellectual property even though he had given up the franchise.
Rather than risk a lawsuit from the notoriously litigious Skalbania, and unwilling to negotiate with him, Bronfman chose to create a team under another aviation-inspired name, the Concordes. The new name was not only a reference to the then-revolutionary Concorde supersonic passenger jet, but appeared to be an appeal to both anglophones and francophones; Concorde was an Anglo-French joint venture. Unfortunately, the new name angered management at one of Montreal's most prominent corporations, aviation manufacturer Bombardier. After being a prominent sponsor of the Alouettes, Bombardier refused to have anything to do with a football team named for an aircraft built by one of its competitors, the French-based Aérospatiale.
The Concordes inherited the franchise history and records of the 1946–1981 Alouettes, as well as the CFL rights of all Alouettes players. Bronfman retained most of the Alouettes' coaching staff, including recently hired head coach Joe Galat, and most of the Alouettes' front office personnel. In an effort to bring the team's expenses under control, Bronfmam released the former NFL players signed by Skalbania. While many players returned to the U.S., one factor working in Bronfman's favour was that a players' strike was looming in the NFL (which would last 57 days from September to November), which helped persuade star quarterback Johnny Evans and a few other Skalbania signees to stay in Montreal.
A nine-game losing streak to end the season doomed the 1982 Concordes to a 2–14 record – the worst record in franchise history (percentage points below the 1969 Als). The Concordes featured quarterback Luc Tousignant, the only Québécois quarterback to start a CFL game besides Gerry Dattilio. The club also featured star collegiate running back David Overstreet (a holdover from the 1981 Alouettes) who rushed for 190 yards in six games before ending his season on the injured reserve list. Other stars on the club included quarterback Johnny Evans, quarterback Turner Gill, slot back Nick Arakgi, running back Lester Brown, wide receiver Brian DeRoo, local kick returner Denny Ferdinand, defensive tackle Glen Weir, safety Preston Young, defensive end Gordon Judges, kicker-punter Don Sweet, and linebacker William Hampton.
Re-branding and demise (1986–1987)
After quietly coming to terms with Skalbania, in 1986 the team attempted to embrace its predecessor's history and regenerate flagging fan interest by rebranding itself the "new" Montreal Alouettes. This would not prove to be successful, on or off the field. On the field, the team posted a 4–14 record, missing the playoffs in spite of once again finishing third in the East on account of the new "cross-over rule" the CFL had implemented for the 1986 season. Off the field, financial losses mounted and the team's attendance tumbled to 10,127 a game, including only 9,045 at the final home game (a contest against the BC Lions drew only 5200 fans, the smallest crowd at any CFL game since 1951).
Just before the 1987 season, Carling O'Keefe tore up its deal to serve as the CFL's presenting television sponsor. The collapse of the CFL's television deal proved a death blow for the Alouettes. The franchise had lost at least $15 million under Bronfman's ownership. While Bronfman was far better financed than Skalbania, he was unwilling to spend millions of dollars underwriting his professional sports holdings indefinitely. Bronfman's overall situation was not helped by the then-emerging news that his other professional sports team, the Expos, were at the centre of a massive collusion scandal that was rocking Major League Baseball. Eventually, Bronfman decided to focus on the Expos. He made it clear the Alouettes would not take the field for the 1987 CFL season unless they sold thousands of additional season tickets. Neither the necessary season ticket sales nor a viable ownership group willing to take the franchise off Bronfman's hands materialized.
With the collapse of the league's television deal leaving several other franchises in serious distress, the league was not in a position to take over operating the team. Re-location was not an option either even though several Canadian cities had expressed interest in acquiring a CFL team (with London, Ontario being briefly considered). Even notwithstanding the logistical challenges of moving a team on short notice, no prospective city had a stadium that was suitable even for temporary use. At the time, the CFL was lukewarm to the possibility of expanding or re-locating to U.S. markets (the CFL's U.S. expansion experiment did not come until six years later).
The Alouettes played both of their two preseason games on the road. However, Bronfman was at the end of his tether and folded the new Alouettes on June 24, 1987, just a day before the 1987 regular season started. The league had been well aware of this possibility for months, and immediately released a previously-drafted eight-team schedule. However, the Alouettes' demise came so late that the June 28 Washington Post still announced an ESPN broadcast of an Alouettes–Stampeders game, a game that would never be played. To balance out the divisions, the easternmost-West Division team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, moved to the East Division to take the Alouettes' place (along with this, the "cross-over rule" for the playoffs was scrapped until 1997).
Baltimore Stallions (1994–1995)
The Baltimore Football Club was granted an expansion franchise for 1994 by the Canadian Football League during their American expansion of the early-mid 1990s. After the NFL's Indianapolis Colts (who had moved from Baltimore in 1983) blocked attempts to name the new team the Baltimore CFL Colts, owner Jim Speros eventually settled on Stallions as a nickname. The Stallions were by far the most successful of the CFL's American teams, garnering strong fan support in the Baltimore area and appearing in the Grey Cup in both its seasons, losing in 1994 and winning in 1995. To date, they are the only American-based team to play for and win the Grey Cup. Only a week before the Stallions won the Grey Cup, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced his intention to relocate his NFL club to Baltimore. Support for the Stallions dried up almost overnight. With no reasonable prospect of successfully competing with an NFL team, and unwilling to have his club effectively reduced to "minor-league" status in Baltimore, Speros decided to move the Stallions elsewhere.
At one point, Speros was very close to moving the team to Houston, Texas. Although Houston at the time was still home to the NFL's Oilers, fan support for that team had collapsed due their pending relocation to Nashville (to later become the Titans). Speros had reason to believe a CFL team there could repeat the success that had been enjoyed in Baltimore. In addition, a team in Houston would have been natural rivals for the San Antonio Texans, who were still planning to play the 1996 season had at least one other U.S. team survived. On the other hand, the proposed move to Houston was considered in some circles to be little more than a ploy to win concessions from the NFL, which presumably would not have wanted to risk the embarrassment of having one of its teams outdrawn by a team from another league in the same city. The NFL would return to Houston in 2002 in the form of the Texans.
In the end, under prodding from league commissioner and former Alouettes running back Larry Smith, Speros began talks with Montreal. Smith had been looking for a way to return the CFL to Canada's second-largest market and, at the same time, find a way out of the failing American expansion (which Smith had also presided over). He believed that the defending Grey Cup champions would be a better vehicle for reviving football in Montreal than what would have effectively been an expansion team.
At a league meeting on February 2, 1996; Speros formally requested permission to move the Stallions to Montreal. The request was granted, officially ending the CFL's American experiment. However, talks had been so far advanced that at least one Baltimore outlet reported that the Stallions were moving to Montreal in January. According to at least one Canadian outlet, at the same time Speros had already begun deciding whether to retain the Stallions moniker or "revive" the Alouettes. He ultimately chose the latter course, reconstituting his organisation as the third incarnation of the Alouettes. While Speros was able to reclaim the history of the 1946–86 Alouettes/Concordes franchise, he was not allowed to retain the history of the Stallions. As a result, according to official CFL records, Speros is now reckoned as having surrendered the Stallions franchise before "reactivating" the Alouettes franchise. The Alouettes are now retconned as having suspended operations from 1987 to 1995, while the Stallions are officially one of only three modern-era Grey Cup champions to fold (after the Rough Riders and the original Alouettes). The Alouettes, however, do briefly mention the Stallions on their history page.
Rebirth of the Montreal Alouettes (1996–1997)
The revived Alouettes franchise played their first two seasons at Olympic Stadium, but attendance in the cavernous domed stadium was very poor at first. The future of the franchise was very much in doubt until a twist of fate revitalized the floundering club. When a scheduled November 1997 U2 concert at Olympic Stadium conflicted with an unexpected home playoff game against the Lions (due to the CFL's recently re-established 'cross-over' playoff rule), the team decided to move the game to Molson Stadium, where they had played from 1954 to 1967. Interest in the team soared and the game was sold out, prompting the team to relocate permanently to the smaller venue beginning with the 1998 season. At the time of the Alouettes' return to Molson, the stadium's capacity was 20,202. Prior to every Sunday home game, the club plays "Sunday Bloody Sunday" over the PA system in tribute to the unintended role U2 played in saving the franchise. The team did not completely abandon the Olympic Stadium, and used it for one home game per year, from 2001 to 2009, and playoff games from 2001–2012. The Montreal Alouettes got off to a good start, winning 25 games and losing 11 in their first two seasons, and reaching the East Division Finals both times.
Anthony Calvillo era (1998–2013)
The fortunes for the Alouettes improved during the 1998 season, when they acquired a young free agent quarterback from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Anthony Calvillo, and they drafted slotback Ben Cahoon. Veterans Tracy Ham and Mike Pringle led the team to a second-place finish in the East Division, but they suffered a last-second loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final. The Alouettes finally broke through in 1999, under new head coach Charlie Taaffe, winning their first division title since 1979. However, for the fourth consecutive season they lost the East Final match in a close game against the Tiger-Cats, 27–26.
Tracy Ham retired after the 1999 season, then Anthony Calvillo took over in the 2000 season as the full-time starting quarterback, and led the team to their first Grey Cup final since 1979, losing to BC in a close game, as they came within a missed two point convert of sending the game into overtime. After the season Charlie Taaffe resigned to become the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins. The 2001 season started under new coach Rod Rust at 9–2, but after Calvillo separated his shoulder, the team started struggling and after losing all their remaining games, GM Jim Popp fired Rust, led them into the playoffs, where they lost 24–12 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Semi-Final.
During the off-season, the Alouettes signed Don Matthews to lead the team in the future. The 2002 Alouettes finished with the best record (13–5) in the CFL and won their first Grey Cup since 1977 by defeating one of their oldest rivals, and Matthews' former team, the Edmonton Eskimos, 25–16. The Alouettes had the best record in the CFL during the 2004 season at 14–4 and seemed likely to represent the East Division in the Grey Cup, but in the East Final, Anthony Calvillo got hurt, and was replaced by backup Ted White, and the Toronto Argonauts rallied to defeat the Alouettes, 26–18. During the 2004–2005 off-season, all time CFL career rushing yards leader Mike Pringle signed a one-day contract, so he could retire as a member of the Montreal Alouettes. The 2005 team participated in the first Grey Cup overtime game in almost 50 years. The Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Alouettes, 38–35.
During the 2006 season Matthews left his position as head coach near the end of the season due to health reasons, and Jim Popp took over for the rest of the season, leading the team to the Grey Cup, where they lost 25–14 to the B.C Lions.
Post-Anthony Calvillo era (2014–2018)
On February 24, 2014, the Alouettes named former Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders coach Tom Higgins as the 21st head coach in franchise history. Higgins coached the Eskimos against the Alouettes in both the 90th and 91st Grey Cup games. The Alouettes finished with a .500 record, qualifying for the playoffs. After dismantling the BC Lions 50–17 in an East Semi-final crossover match, the Alouettes were beaten by the Tiger-Cats 40–24.
On May 22, 2015, Michael Sam signed a two-year contract with the Alouettes. The signing made him the first openly gay player in the CFL's history. However, Michael Sam left after one game. On August 21, 2015, owner Robert Wettenhall announced he had relieved Tom Higgins of his head coaching responsibilities and that general manager Jim Popp would take over the duties of head coach. The 2015 season was a difficult one for the Alouettes, due to injuries to starting QB Jonathan Crompton, the Alouettes went through five different quarterbacks including two rookies Rakeem Cato, and Brandon Bridge, before trading for veteran Kevin Glenn. By that time the quarterback shuffle had taken its toll on the team and they finished the year with a 6–12 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1986, their last year before folding on the eve of the 1987 season and the first time since their 1996 re-activation.
The following season on September 19, 2016, Popp was relieved of his coaching duties, while remaining as the team's general manager. Jacques Chapdelaine was named interim head coach, becoming the first Quebec-born head coach in Alouettes' history. He was named the permanent coach on December 13, 2016. Kavis Reed took over duties as the team's new general manager. 2016 was a dismal year for the team, finishing with another losing record of 7–11. After a 3–8 start to the 2017 season, Chapdelaine was fired on September 13, 2017. The Alouettes ended the season with their worst record since reactivation, 3–15.
On December 20, 2017, former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman was named the team's new head coach. Under Sherman the team suffered its fourth consecutive losing season, finishing the year with 5 wins and 13 losses. In the five seasons following Anthony Calvillo's retirement, the team won 30 games and lost 60.
Spiegel and Stern ownership, rebranding (2019–2023)
On February 1, 2019, the team unveiled a new logo and updated uniforms, designed by GRDN Studio, replacing the previous "angry bird" logo used since the team's reestablishment in 1996 with a stylized "M", designed to resemble a bird and plane, and introducing a new "MontreALS" tagline, playing upon the team's nickname. The team also partnered with Vice Media on aspects of accompanying marketing and content.
On May 31, 2019, Wetenhall surrendered his ownership of the Alouettes to the league, after having attempted to pursue a sale. The CFL would operate the team on its behalf while it searched for a new owner. Several prospective suitors for the team included Clifford Starke, a 35-year-old entrepreneur in medical cannabis who is friends with former Alouette player and CFL commissioner Larry Smith, who had been negotiating for a majority stake. Also interested was former Alouettes running back Eric Lapointe, whose 2017 bid had been rejected but had maintained interest in buying the team (though he withdrew in April 2019), and Vincenzo Guzzo, CEO of Quebec's Cinémas Guzzo cinema chain. As of early June of that year, CFL sources indicated it would not accept Starke's bid, while Guzzo's was said to be on hold. Guzzo later stated that he was displeased with the state of the Alouettes organization as a business and that, had he not been a Montreal resident, he would have never considered buying the team.
On June 8, two days after their last pre-season game, and just six days before their 2019 season opener, Khari Jones took over from Mike Sherman as interim head coach. Jones guided the Alouettes to a 10–8 record, good for a second-place finish in the East Division, and the team's first playoff berth since 2014. The Alouettes improved play during that season was also attributable to the performance of their quarterback Vernon Adams who passed for almost 4,000 yards. Although the team lost in the East Semi-Final to the crossover Edmonton Eskimos 37–29, the Alouettes removed the interim tag from Khari Jones' head coach title, and signed Jones to a three-year extension on November 26, 2019.
On January 6, 2020, after almost a year of being owned by the league, the Alouettes found new ownership in Crawford Steel's Sid Spiegel and his son-in-law Gary Stern, whose holding company S and S Sportsco would oversee the team. Spiegel died on July 28, 2021, before being able to see the team he bought play a game (the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic); in effect, the team was controlled by his estate. On August 29, 2022 Gary Stern announced that he was stepping away from day-to-day operations with the club and resigning from his role with the Canadian Football League's board of governors, effective immediately.
Pierre Karl Péladeau ownership era (2023–present)
On February 14, 2023, the ownership of the Alouettes was transferred back to the CFL. Mario Cecchini was appointed as the interim President while the league sought to finalize a sale to new ownership. On March 10, 2023, the CFL announced that Pierre Karl Péladeau had purchased the team. On March 28, 2023, Pierre Karl Péladeau announced the hiring of Mark Weightman as president and CEO of the team. The 2023 season saw the Alouettes go 11–7, finishing second in the East Division, but then upsetting the heavily favoured Toronto Argonauts 38–17 to win the East Division Final, and then win the Grey Cup in a 28–24 upset against the heavily favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The team returned to the Grey Cup in 2025, losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders 25–17.
Television and radio
The Alouettes' English radio network is fronted by Bell Media's CKGM, while Cogeco's CHMP-FM is the French-language flagship.
Games are also heard on SiriusXM Canada and their French service Influence Franco (XM 174) and Attitude Franco (Sirius 164).
The Alouettes' main television coverage is fronted by TSN and French sister network RDS.
Players of note
Head coaches
Lew Hayman (1946–1951)
Peahead Walker (1952–1959)
Perry Moss (1960–1962)
Jim Trimble (1963–1965)
Darrell Mudra (1966)
Kay Dalton (1967–1969)
Sam Etcheverry (1970–1972)
Marv Levy (1973–1977)
Joe Scannella (1978–1981)
Jim Eddy (1981)
Joe Galat (1982–1985)
Gary Durchik (1985–1986)
Joe Faragalli (1987 – was named head coach but the Alouettes folded before their 1987 regular season started)
Bob Price (1996)
Dave Ritchie (1997–1998)
Charlie Taaffe (1999–2000)
Rod Rust (2001)
Jim Popp (2001, 2006–2007, 2013, 2015–2016)
Don Matthews (2002–2006)
Marc Trestman (2008–2012)
Dan Hawkins (2013)
Tom Higgins (2014–2015)
Jacques Chapdelaine (2016–2017)
Kavis Reed (2017)
General managers
Lew Hayman (1946–1954)
Vic Obeck (1955–1956)
Gorman Kennedy (1957–1959)
Perry Moss (1960–1962)
Jim Trimble (1963–1964)
Ted Workman (1965–1967)
Tony Golab (1968–1969)
Red O'Quinn (1970–1971)
J. I. Albrecht (1972–1973)
Bob Geary (1974–1981)
Sam Etcheverry (1982–1983)
Joe Galat (1983–1986)
Norm Kimball (1986)
Jim Popp (1996–2016)
Kavis Reed (2016–2019)
Danny Maciocia (2020–present)
Mascots
Touché is the mascot for the Montreal Alouettes. The team introduced a second mascot in 1999 named Blitz, but Blitz was discontinued at the start of the 2013 season.