The 1997 CFL season is considered to be the 44th season in modern-day

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

, although it is officially the 40th

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

season.

CFL News in 1997

The

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

entered the 1997 season with eight teams, instead of nine. The

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

ceased operations and folded after the 1996 season. In February, a dispersal draft was held for the players who were under contract with the

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

franchise. The

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

began the 1997 season under new ownership, which was headed by Robert C. Wetenhall. Wetenhall and his ownership group retained the Alouette name and logo. With the Rough Riders departure, the CFL returned the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

to the East Division. The CFL also changed the playoff format, adding a 'cross-over' rule. Previously, the 3rd place team in each division played the 2nd place team in the division semifinals. Under the new rule, should the 4th place team in one division have a better record than that of the 3rd place team in the other division, the 4th place team crosses over to the other division's semifinal, taking that 3rd place team's place. There is no tie-breaker; the cross-over hopeful must have a strictly better record to advance. BC attained a cross-over playoff berth in the first year under this rule. The rule remains in effect.

Regular season standings

Final regular season standings

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points'' *Bold text means that they clinched playoff spots. *''Edmonton and Toronto both had first round byes.'' *''Due to the cross-over rule – the BC Lions played the Montreal Alouettes in the East Semi-Final Game.''

Grey Cup playoffs

The

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

won their second-straight

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

championship in 1997, defeating the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

47–23, at

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...

. The Argonauts'

Doug Flutie Douglas Richard Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is an American former football quarterback whose professional career spanned 21 seasons. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CF ...

(QB) was named the

Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is awarded annually since 1959 to the player of the winning team who deemed to have had the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game. This award is prese ...

and

Paul Masotti Paul Masotti (born March 10, 1965) is a former professional Canadian football player and current front office executive with the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts. Masotti played the wide receiver position for 12 seasons with the Toronto ...

(WR) was the

Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian The Dick Suderman Trophy (french: Trophée Dick Suderman) for the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian (''Le Canadien le plus précieux de la Coupe Grey'') is awarded annually to the Canadian player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup ...

Playoff bracket

CFL Leaders

CFL Passing Leaders The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

CFL Rushing Leaders The CFL was officially formed in 1958. Statistics for the IRFU/Eastern Division date back to 1954 whereas WIFU/Western Division statistics date back to 1950. See also *List of Canadian Football League annual passing leaders *List of Canadian F ...

CFL Receiving Leaders The CFL was officially formed in 1958. Statistics for the IRFU/Eastern Division date back to 1954 whereas WIFU/Western Division statistics date back to 1950. See also *List of Canadian Football League annual passing leaders *List of Canadian ...

1997 CFL All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Toronto Argonauts *FB – Robert Drummond, Toronto Argonauts *RB – Mike Pringle, Montreal Alouettes *SB –

Derrell Mitchell Derrell Lavoice "Mookie" Mitchell (born September 16, 1971) is a former Canadian Football League slotback with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos and former wide receivers coach for the Edmonton Eskimos. Junior College Career Mitchell a ...

, Toronto Argonauts *SB –

Darren Flutie Darren Paul Flutie (born November 18, 1966) is a former Canadian football wide receiver for the BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is the Canadian Football League's fifth all-time leader in catches, behind Nik Lewis ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *WR – Alfred Jackson, BC Lions *WR –

Milt Stegall Milton Eugene Stegall (born January 25, 1970) is a former professional gridiron football player who played 17 years of professional football, three years in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals and 14 years in the Canadian Foo ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *C –

Mike Kiselak Michael John Kiselak (born March 9, 1967 in Sleepy Hollow, New York, North Tarrytown, New York) is a former American football Guard (American football), guard in the Canadian Football League for the Sacramento Gold Miners, San Antonio Texans and ...

, Toronto Argonauts *OG –

Fred Childress Fred Childress, also known as Freddie Childress (born September 17, 1966) is a former all-star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. He was nicknamed as "the Big Chill" for his 6 feet 4 inch and 345 p ...

, Calgary Stampeders *OG –

Pierre Vercheval Pierre Vercheval (born November 22, 1964) is a former all star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. Vercheval played his university football at the University of Western Ontario, where he won the J. P. Metras Trophy top lineman in ...

, Montreal Alouettes *OT – Uzooma Okeke, Montreal Alouettes *OT –

Neal Fort Neal Fort (born April 12, 1968) is a former professional American football player. In college, he played for Brigham Young University. He was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and the Canadian Foo ...

, Montreal Alouettes

Defence

*DT –

Rob Waldrop Robert F. Waldrop (born December 1, 1971) is a former American college and professional gridiron football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football a ...

, Toronto Argonauts *DT – Doug Petersen, Montreal Alouettes *DE – Elfrid Payton, Montreal Alouettes *DE –

Bobby Jurasin Robert Jurasin (born August 26, 1964) is a former defensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1986–1997 and the Toronto Argonauts in 1998. He was a CFL All-Star in 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1997. He was a part of the Roughriders 1989 Gr ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Maurice Kelly, BC Lions *LB –

Willie Pless Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *LB – Shonte Peoples, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *CB – Kavis Reed, Edmonton Eskimos *CB – Marvin Coleman, Calgary Stampeders *DB –

Glenn Rogers Jr. Glenn Edward Rogers, Jr. (born June 8, 1969) is a former football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for seven years. He also played one season in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis State Univers ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *DB – Johnnie Harris, Toronto Argonauts *DS – Lester Smith, Toronto Argonauts

Special teams

*P/K –

Mike Vanderjagt Michael John Vanderjagt ( ; born March 24, 1970) is a Canadian former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts. He served as the Colts' placekicker from 1998 to ...

, Toronto Argonauts *ST –

Mike "Pinball" Clemons Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons (born January 15, 1965) is an American-Canadian sports executive and former running back and return specialist who serves as general manager for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He i ...

, Toronto Argonauts

1997 Eastern All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Toronto Argonauts *FB – Robert Drummond, Toronto Argonauts *RB – Mike Pringle, Montreal Alouettes *SB –

, Toronto Argonauts *SB –

Jock Climie Jock Climie is a Canadian retired Canadian Football League player who played the slotback position primarily with the Ottawa Rough Riders, and Montreal Alouettes. He is also a former sportscaster with Canadian sports television channel TSN as ...

, Montreal Alouettes *WR –

, Toronto Argonauts *WR –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *C –

, Toronto Argonauts *OG –

Bruce Beaton Bruce Beaton (born June 13, 1968 in Port Hood, Nova Scotia) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played 13 seasons in the Canadian Football League for five different teams. He was named CFL All-Star three times and was ...

, Montreal Alouettes *OG –

, Montreal Alouettes *OT – Uzooma Okeke, Montreal Alouettes *OT –

, Montreal Alouettes

Defence

*DT –

, Toronto Argonauts *DT – Doug Petersen, Montreal Alouettes *DE – Elfrid Payton, Montreal Alouettes *DE – Willie Whitehead, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB –

Ken Benson Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * Ken (album), ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * Ken (film), ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * Ken (magazine), ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine ...

, Toronto Argonauts *LB – Mike O'Shea, Toronto Argonauts *LB – Shonte Peoples, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *CB –

Adrion Smith Adrion "Pee Wee" Smith (born September 29, 1971) was a football player in the CFL for twelve years. Smith played defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Memphis Mad Dogs and Toronto Argonauts from 1994–2005. He was a CFL All-Star four ti ...

, Toronto Argonauts *CB –

Orlando Steinauer Orlondo Steinauer (born June 9, 1973) is the president of football operations and head coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). As a player, he played professional Canadian football as a Safety (football position), ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *DB – Harold Nash, Montreal Alouettes *DB – Johnnie Harris, Toronto Argonauts *DS – Lester Smith, Toronto Argonauts

Special teams

*P/K –

, Toronto Argonauts *ST –

, Toronto Argonauts

1997 Western All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

Jeff Garcia Jeffrey Jason Garcia (born February 24, 1970) is a former American football quarterback. After attending high school and junior college in Gilroy, California, Garcia played college football at San Jose State University. A four-time CFL All-Sta ...

, Calgary Stampeders *FB –

Kelvin Anderson Kelvin Anderson (born February 4, 1972) is a former professional gridiron football player. As a running back, he rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons in the Canadian Football League, a league record. He won the CFL's Grey Cup c ...

, Calgary Stampeders *RB –

Sean Millington Sean Millington (born February 1, 1968) is a former Canadian Football League fullback and currently does colour commentary for the CFL’s website and the CBC. He has also acted in several movies and television shows. Before the CFL In 1984, ...

, BC Lions *SB – Vince Danielsen, Calgary Stampeders *SB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *WR – Alfred Jackson, BC Lions *WR –

Terry Vaughn Terry Vaughn (born December 25, 1971) is a former Canadian Football League receiver most recently with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 2005, Terry Vaughn's 1113 receiving yards combined with those of his teammates (Kerry Watkins's 1364 yards, Ben C ...

, Calgary Stampeders *C – Mike Withycombe, BC Lions *OG –

, Calgary Stampeders *OG – Leo Groenewegen, Edmonton Eskimos *OT – Thomas Rayam, Edmonton Eskimos *OT –

John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the a ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Defence

*DT – Joe Fleming, BC Lions *DT – Bennie Goods, Edmonton Eskimos *DE – Malvin Hunter, Edmonton Eskimos *DE –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Maurice Kelly, BC Lions *LB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *LB –

Alondra Johnson Alondra Johnson (born July 22, 1965) is a former Canadian Football League linebacker who played sixteen seasons in the CFL, mainly for the Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, ...

, Calgary Stampeders *CB – Kavis Reed, Edmonton Eskimos *CB – Marvin Coleman, Calgary Stampeders *DB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *DB – Dale Joseph, Saskatchewan Roughriders *DS – Trent Brown, Edmonton Eskimos

Special teams

*P/K –

Mark McLoughlin Mark McLoughlin (born October 26, 1965) is a former placekicker in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders from 1988 to 2003 and the BC Lions in 2005. He won three Grey Cups for the Stampeders in 1992, 1998, and 2001, and was the ...

, Calgary Stampeders *ST –

Gizmo Williams Henry Lee "Gizmo" Williams (born May 31, 1962) is a former American and Canadian football kick returner and wide receiver. After his retirement at the end of the 2000 CFL season, Williams worked as a motivational speaker. Born into an impove ...

, Edmonton Eskimos

1997 Intergold CFLPA All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Toronto Argonauts *OT –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OT –

Rocco Romano Rocco Romano (born January 23, 1963) is a former Canadian football player. He played 14 seasons in the Canadian Football League, ten of those with the Calgary Stampeders, and was a five-time All-Star as an offensive lineman. While in Calgary, h ...

, Calgary Stampeders *OG –

, Montreal Alouettes *C –

, Toronto Argonauts *RB – Robert Drummond, Toronto Argonauts *FB –

, BC Lions *SB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *SB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *WR – Alfred Jackson, BC Lions *WR –

, Calgary Stampeders

Defence

*DE – Elfrid Payton, Montreal Alouettes *DE –

Leroy Blugh Leroy Blugh (born May 14, 1966) is a former professional Canadian football defensive lineman and the defensive line coach for the Queen's Gaels of U Sports football. He played for fifteen seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for two di ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *DT –

John Kropke John Kropke (born January 3, 1966) is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Ottawa Rough Riders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played college foo ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *DT –

, Toronto Argonauts *OLB – Darryl Hall, Calgary Stampeders *OLB – Shonte Peoples, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *ILB –

Calvin Tiggle Calvin Bernard Tiggle (born November 10, 1968), is a former award-winning linebacker in the Canadian Football League. After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology (playing with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets) he played two season ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB – Donald Smith, Toronto Argonauts *CB – Marvin Coleman, Calgary Stampeders *HB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *HB – Johnnie Harris, Toronto Argonauts *S – Trent Brown, Edmonton Eskimos

Special teams

*K –

, Calgary Stampeders *P – Tony Martino, Calgary Stampeders *ST –

, Toronto Argonauts

Head coach

Adam Rita Adam Rita (born September 21, 1947) is a gridiron football coach & general manager, most notably in the Canadian Football League. He has served as the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders, and BC Lions and as general manage ...

, BC Lions 1997 Intergold CFLPA All-Stars
/ref>

1997 CFL Awards

CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner from ...

–

(QB), Toronto Argonauts * CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award –

(FB), BC Lions *

CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award The Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award is annually awarded to the best defensive player in the Canadian football League. The winner of the award is selected by members of the Football Reporters of Canada along with the head coaches in the CFL. ...

–

(LB), Edmonton Eskimos *

CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually awarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Leo Dandurand Trophy winner from the East Division, and the DeMarco-Becket Memor ...

–

(C), Toronto Argonauts *

CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and the ...

–

(SB), Toronto Argonauts * CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award –

(K), Calgary Stampeders * CFL's Coach of the Year –

Don Matthews Donald J. Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", (June 22, 1939 – June 14, 2017) was a head coach of several professional football teams, mostly in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won 231 games in the CFL, the second highest win total by a head ...

, Toronto Argonauts *

Commissioner's Award The Commissioner's Award is presented annually by the Commissioner of the Canadian Football League to an individual or individuals who have demonstrated dedication and made a significant contribution to Canadian Football. The award was first introd ...

- Bolan and Egres

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997 Cfl Season Canadian Football League seasons