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Edmonton Elks

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For the Canadian football-rugby union team of the early 20th century, known in 1922 as the Edmonton Elks, see Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club.
"Edmonton Eskimos" redirects here. For other uses, see Edmonton Eskimos (disambiguation).
Edmonton Elks
Team logo
Founded1949
Based inEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Home fieldCommonwealth Stadium
Head coachMark Kilam
General managerEd Hervey
Owner(s)Larry Thompson[1][2]
LeagueCanadian Football League
DivisionWest
ColoursGreen, gold, white[3][4]
     
Nickname(s)
  • The Double-E
  • The Herd (2021–present)
  • Esks, Eskies (1949–2020)
  • The Evil Empire (1970s–1990s)
Mascot(s)Punter and Spike
Grey Cup wins14 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)
  • Edmonton Eskimos (1949–2020)
  • Edmonton Football Team/EE Football Team (2020–2021)
Websitegoelks.com
Current uniform
Current sports event 2025 Edmonton Elks season

The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The Elks were founded in 1949 as the Edmonton Eskimos and have won the Grey Cup championship fourteen times (including a three-peat between 1954 and 1956 and an unmatched five consecutive wins between 1978 and 1982), most recently in 2015 and the most of any CFL club based in Western Canada. The team has a rivalry with the Calgary Stampeders. The team discontinued using the Eskimos name in 2020, with the new name Elks formally announced on June 1, 2021.[5][6]

Ownership

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The Edmonton Elks were a "community owned" team (owned by local shareholders) since their inception in 1949 to midway through the 2024 season.[1]

Edmonton Elks Football Team, Inc., was governed by a ten-member board of directors.[7] The board consisted of a chairman, treasurer, secretary, and seven directors. The club's president and CEO was Chris Presson until he was fired on November 22, 2021.[8][9]

As of 2024, Larry Thompson, longtime Elks fan and shareholder, bought the team outright, becoming the first private owner in club history.[1]

History

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Football in Edmonton 1895–1939

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The Edmonton Rugby Foot-ball Club, unaffiliated with the current team, was an early Canadian football-rugby union team based in Edmonton. The team played its first organized games with the formation of the Alberta Rugby Football League in 1895. In 1908 the name Esquimaux was adopted.[10] In 1910 the club was officially named the Edmonton Eskimos and was briefly called the Edmonton Elks during 1922. (The city was represented by the Edmonton Civics in 1914 and the Edmonton Canucks in 1919.) After appearing in and losing the 9th Grey Cup and 10th Grey Cup games (being the first western teams to play for the Cup) the team folded in 1925, but returned for two seasons beginning 1928, and then folded again. It was succeeded by the Edmonton Boosters, who played for three more seasons, and the Edmonton Hi-Grads in 1936 (a team of high school graduate all stars.) Elite-level football returned to Edmonton in 1938 with a team once again called the Eskimos, this time in the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). This team ceased operating after only two seasons because of the Second World War.

Team history

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Johnny Bright with Edmonton in 1962

The current incarnation of the team began in the 1949 WIFU season as the Edmonton Eskimos under head coach Annis Stukus, for whom the CFL's annual coach of the year award is named. The team played home games at Clarke Stadium and quickly saw success under quarterback Jackie Parker and running back Johnny Bright, winning the Grey Cup three years in a row from 1954 to 1956. The team did not win the Grey Cup again until 1975, the longest drought in team history. The team moved to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978.

The team won five consecutive Grey Cups (1978–82), led by superstar quarterbacks Warren Moon and Tom Wilkinson and head coach Hugh Campbell. After a brief absence, Campbell returned to the team in 1986 and worked for Edmonton in an administrative capacity until his retirement in 2006. This five-year dynasty, followed by the dominance of the city's NHL team the Edmonton Oilers, led the city to be nicknamed the "City of Champions" in the 1980s. Edmonton made it to nine Grey Cups in a ten-year span from 1973 to 1982.

In the 1980s and 90s the team's marquee player was Gizmo Williams who still holds many CFL records in punt and kickoff returns and was a key part in Grey Cup victories in 1987 and 1993 under head coach Ron Lancaster. During this period the team was also known for its stellar defensive line, with future Canadian Football Hall of Famers like Danny Kepley and Danny Bass winning Defensive Player of the Year Awards and Willie Pless winning the trophy a record five times.

After winning the Grey Cup in both 2003 and 2005, under quarterback Ricky Ray, who is Edmonton's all-time leader in passing yards, the team missed the playoffs the following year, for the first time in 34 years, a North American professional sport record. This led to a ten-year Grey Cup drought. After a gap of ten years, Edmonton won the Grey Cup again in 2015, under the leadership of quarterback Mike Reilly, their most recent championship.

In 2020 pressure mounted from team sponsors such as Belairdirect, Boston Pizza,[11] and Sports Interaction, a First Nations–owned betting company, for the team to change their name.[12] The term Eskimo is an offensive term historically placed on Inuit people.[13][14][15][16] The team officially dropped all use of the word "Eskimo" from the team on July 21, 2020.[17] In response, the team temporarily rebranded as the "Edmonton Football Team" or, secondarily, the "EE Football Team", confirming their plan was to rebrand with a nickname starting with "E" to continue the use of at least some of their branding, most notably the interlocked double-E logo. This move was supported by multiple Indigenous groups, including the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a group representing over 60,000 Inuit across Canada.[18][19] On June 1, 2021, the team formally announced that the new Edmonton team name would be the Edmonton Elks, a name used by the Edmonton football club of 1922.[5]

2012–2015 uniform combinations as the Edmonton Eskimos

Franchise great Warren Moon, who led Edmonton to a record five straight Grey Cups between 1978 and 1982 stated, "The name Eskimos, to me, just means pride and it means winning with that organization". However, he stated that he was ultimately supportive of the move because some people might be offended by the name.[20] Saying, "If this is something that is insensitive to another group of people, that is something I can understand being a minority myself."[21] This came around the same time as the Washington Redskins of the National Football League rebranded as the Washington Commanders, and the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball rebranded as the Cleveland Guardians.

Team colours and branding

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The team colours, green and gold, have remained essentially the same over the years with only minor modifications to the uniform or logo until 2021, when the EE logo was designated as a secondary logo,[22] and introduced a new logo of a stylized image of an elk and the Elks helmet logo was changed to antlers. After keeping the elk-antler helmet for the 2021 season, the team reintroduced the EE logo to their helmets (albeit with it not being enclosed in an oval) in the 2022 offseason, acknowledging fan favourability towards the logo.[23][24]

Indigenous logo introduced in 2021 following the team rebrand

In 2021, the Elks worked with artist Izaiah Masuskapoe, an Indigenous student at West Edmonton’s St. Thomas More Catholic Junior High School, to create a special logo to celebrate the Indigenous people in Edmonton, which later spread to all of Canada in 2024 as the CFL commemorated the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with logos of their own. This followed a similar effort by the BC Lions months before.[25][26]

Team records and achievements

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With 14 Grey Cup wins, the franchise has won the Grey Cup more than any other team except the Toronto Argonauts, who have 18 wins. This includes more championships than any other team since the CFL was formed in the 1950s. Edmonton holds the record for most consecutive Grey Cup appearances (6 from 1977–1982), and consecutive wins (5 from 1978–1982). The team is the only one to have won three or more consecutive Grey Cups twice (1954–1956 and 1978–1982).

The team has the distinction of setting two opposite North American professional sports records: from a success standpoint, Edmonton made the playoffs for 34 consecutive years from 1972 to 2005. At the other end, the Elks hold the dubious record of most consecutive home losses, set when they passed 21 on July 29, 2023. This streak ended at 22, with the first home win under the Elks name coming August 27, 2023.[27] This record was previously held by the 1953 St. Louis Browns.[28]

The Elks have also led the CFL in yearly attendance many times. As of August 2016, Edmonton had the highest average attendance in the league 27 times since moving to Commonwealth Stadium in 1978.[29]

Team alumni have figured prominently in Alberta political life: past players include two former provincial premiers (Peter Lougheed and Donald Getty), a former mayor of Edmonton (Bill Smith),[30] and a lieutenant-governor (Norman Kwong).[31] Athletes of significance in other professional sports that played for the Elks include professional wrestler and WWE champion Roman Reigns, who played under his birthname Joe Anoa'i in 2008.[32]

Wall of Honour

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The Edmonton Elks 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 Edmonton Elks are displayed on the edge of the concrete separating the field level from the lower bowl of Commonwealth Stadium. The Elks keep most of the numbers in circulation rather than retire them from use. However, the team has had the numbers of Warren Moon (1), Don Warrington (21), and Rollie Miles (98) removed from circulation and are no longer issued.[33]

Numbers so honoured as of 2023:

Current roster

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Edmonton Elks roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Fullbacks

Receivers

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Pending Free Agents

1-game injured list

6-game injured list

Practice roster

Suspended

Italics indicate American player • Bold indicates Global player • 45 Roster, 18 Injured, 7 Practice, 4 Suspended
Roster updated 2024-10-25 • Depth chart • Transactions • More CFL rosters

Current coaching staff

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Edmonton Elks staff
Front Office
  • Owner – Larry Thompson
  • President and CEO – Chris Morris
  • General Manager – Ed Hervey
  • Assistant General Manager – Geroy Simon
  • Manager of Football Operations – Shahbaz Dhillon
  • Canadian Scouting – Frantz Clarkson
  • Video Coordinator – Shaylee Foord

Head Coach

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive Coordinator – TBA
  • Offensive Line – TBA
  • Running backs – TBA
  • Receivers – TBA
  

Defensive coaches

  • Defensive Coordinator – TBA
  • Defensive Line – TBA
  • Linebacker – TBA
  • Defensive Backs – TBA

Special teams coach

  • Special Teams Coordinator – TBA

Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning Coach – TBA

→ Coaching staff
→ More CFL staffs

Head coaches

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General managers

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CFL awards and trophies

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Grey Cup

N. J. Taylor Trophy[a]

Grey Cup MVP

Dick Suderman Trophy

Most Outstanding Player Award

Most Outstanding Canadian Award

Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award

Most Outstanding Lineman Award[a]

Most Outstanding Rookie Award

Annis Stukus Trophy

Tom Pate Memorial Award

Rogers Fans' Choice Award[a]

a Defunct

Mascots

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Punter (an anthropomorphic football) and Spike (an elk) are the mascots for the Edmonton Elks. They were introduced in 2004 and 2021, respectively.[34] Nanook, a polar bear, was introduced in 1997, but was retired and replaced with Spike in 2021, coinciding with the rebranding.

Season-by-season results

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Main article: List of Edmonton Elks seasons

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Honoured posthumously

References

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  1. ^ a b c Daum, Evan (August 15, 2024). "Larry Thompson unveiled as Edmonton Elks owner". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  2. ^ CFL.ca Staff (November 23, 2023). "SPECIAL COMMITTEE CREATED TO REVIEW EDMONTON ELKS OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Edmonton Elks Team Information & History" (PDF). 2024 CFL Guide & Record Book (PDF). CFL Enterprises LP. June 10, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "About Us". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "New name. Same game. We are the Edmonton Elks". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises, LP. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "EDMONTON OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES TEAM NAME AS ELKS". CFL.ca (Press release). CFL Enterprises, LP. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "BOARD OF DIRECTORS". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "CHRIS PRESSON NAMED ESKIMOS PRESIDENT AND CEO". GoElks.com (Press release). CFL Enterprises LP. August 7, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Elks announce sweeping organizational changes". Canadian Football League. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Oct. 16, 1908: Edmonton football team renamed" (PDF). Edmonton Journal. October 15, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 4, 2023. The Edmonton Rugby Football Club was reorganized as the Esquimaux — the forerunner to the Edmonton Eskimos — at a meeting in the Windsor Hotel on Jasper Avenue and 101st Street."
    "The team had been nicknamed "Esquimaux" by a Calgary sportswriter as early as 1897
  11. ^ Rogers, Sarah (July 22, 2020). "Pressure mounts for Edmonton football club to act". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Rinaldi, Luc (October 7, 2021). "Inside Pro Sports' Reckoning With Racism, For years, Edmonton's football club refused to change their insensitive name. Then their sponsors threatened to drop them". Canadian Business. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Hersher, Rebecca (April 16, 2016). "Why You Probably Shouldn't Say 'Eskimo'". NPR. Greenland. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  14. ^ Parrott, Zach (June 9, 2021). "Eskimo". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 7, 2022. The word Eskimo is an offensive term that has been used historically to describe the Inuit throughout their homeland
  15. ^ "Expert says 'meat-eater' name Eskimo an offensive term placed on Inuit". Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  16. ^ Dunning, Norma (November 17, 2017). "Edmonton Eskimos is a racial slur and it's time to stop using it". The Conversation. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  17. ^ Slugoski, Kendra (July 21, 2021). "CFL's Edmonton Eskimos dropping 'Eskimo' from team name". Global News. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  18. ^ Boyd, Alex; Mosleh, Omar (July 21, 2020). "Edmonton Eskimos' name change is praised by a national Inuit group, seen as a step toward dismantling racism". The Star. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  19. ^ Dunning, Norma (July 21, 2020). "Edmonton finally drops the Eskimos — and may my grandchildren never hear the E-word again". The Conversation. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  20. ^ "Edmonton's CFL team changes name to Elks after dropping Eskimos".
  21. ^ "Eskimos legend Warren Moon supportive of name change". 3 down nation. July 17, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  22. ^ @EdmontonElks (June 1, 2021). "The Double E's are here to stay, in a new way. With a new treatment, they represent our history. #ElksCharge" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Our Team. Our City. Elks launch new look for 2022 season". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises, LP. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  24. ^ "New Look: Elks reveal new uniforms for 2022". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises, LP. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  25. ^ "Elks launch orange shirt in support of Spirit North". GoElks.ca. Edmonton Elks. October 22, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  26. ^ "INDIGENOUS-THEMED LOGOS HIGHLIGHT CFL'S SUPPORT FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises, LP. September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "IT'S OVER! ELKS DOWN REDBLACKS TO END HOME LOSING STREAK". CFL. August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  28. ^ "Elks blanked by Lions, set mark for longest home losing streak in North American pro sports". TSN. July 29, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  29. ^ Jones, Terry (August 24, 2016). "Eskimos are still league leaders in attendance numbers, but half the seats at Commonwealth are empty". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  30. ^ "Edmonton Elks".
  31. ^ "Norman Kwong".
  32. ^ "EDMONTON RETURN FOR JOE "ROMAN REIGNS" ANOA'I". April 12, 2019.
  33. ^ "Right number can make a player "complete"". esks.com. Edmonton Elks. June 25, 2018.
  34. ^ "Mascots". GoElks.com. CFL Enterprises LP. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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