The 2001 CFL season is considered to be the 48th 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 44th

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 2001

The Canadian Football League were able to get new corporate partnerships who bought into the philosophy of "less is more". Television ratings grew again, especially in the ages 13–34 category, in 2001. TSN saw a ratings growth of 55%, while RDS grew by 116%. The CFL suspended its Week 11 games in respect to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The CFL officially returned to

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 ...

when they were guaranteed an expansion franchise on October 16. The ownership group led by

Brad Watters Brad Watters (born 1971) is a sports executive who was president of the Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Rock. He ran Ottawa Rebel and the Ottawa Renegades.

unveiled the new franchise as the

Ottawa Renegades The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league ...

, and began play the next season. The ownership group were also guaranteed the 92nd annual Grey Cup game in 2004. About 65,255 fans bought tickets to watch the

89th Grey Cup The 89th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 2001 in Montreal. The Calgary Stampeders claimed their fifth championship in team history with a 27–19 win over the East Division champions and heavily favoured Winnipeg B ...

game at

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, making it the second largest attendance draw in CFL history. The Canadian Football League offices in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

moved to Wellington St. East, after having their offices at Eglinton St. for the last 10 years.

Records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

: Saskatchewan's Paul McCallum broke the record for longest field goal in CFL history by booting a 62-yard field goal against the

Edmonton Eskimos 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 the Brick Field at Commo ...

on October 27, 2001 in a 12–3 victory at Taylor Fieldbr>
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 ...

tied a CFL record by winning 12 consecutive games

The 2001 CFL season, along with the 1999 CFL season, would be one of the closest times when an East Division team could have crossed over to the West Division for that division's last playoff spot since the introduction of the crossover in 1997. The Toronto Argonauts had to only win one more game to go 8–10–1, to beat the BC Lions final standings by an overtime loss advantage, or the Lions had to lose a game for the same result. This was settled in the last game of the season for both teams. The opposing team, which was the same team for both, was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, longtime rivals of Toronto. The Tiger-Cats were defeated by BC, but defeated Toronto, ensuring no crossover. Close wins and losses by both teams against the Saskatchewan Roughriders also played a role in the final standing outcome.

Regular season standings

Final regular season standings

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points'' *Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs. *''Teams losing in overtime are awarded one point.'' *''Edmonton and Winnipeg both have first round byes.''

Grey Cup playoffs

The

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

are the 2001

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 ...

Champions, defeating the heavily-favoured

27–19 at

. The Calgary Stampeders became the second team in history to have a regular-season losing record to win the Grey Cup. The Stampeders'

Marcus Crandell Marcus Crandell (born June 1, 1974) is a former professional Canadian football quarterback and coach. He was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Huskies of the University of Saskatchewan. He played 11 seasons for the Edmont ...

(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 Aldi Henry (DB) 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 ...

2001 CFL All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

Khari Jones Khari Okang Jones ( ; born May 16, 1971) is a former professional Canadian football player and the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was formerly the head coach for ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *RB –

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 – Michael Jenkins, Toronto Argonauts *SB –

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 *SB –

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 ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *WR –

Travis Moore Travis Moore (born August 5, 1970) is a former professional Canadian football coach who is currently serving as the receivers and pass game coordinator coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Moore has also been a ...

, Calgary Stampeders *WR –

Ed Hervey Edward Hervey (born May 4, 1973) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and currently an assistant general manager for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the CFL for the Edmonton Eskimos ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *C –

Bryan Chiu Bryan Chiu (born August 16, 1974) is the former offensive line coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and current head coach of Vancouver College. He was a professional Canadian football centre for the Montreal Alouettes from ...

, Montreal Alouettes *OG –

Jay McNeil Jay McNeil (born August 20, 1970) is a former offensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders, of the Canadian Football League. He played from 1994 until he retired after the 2007 CFL season. He played in four Grey Cups for the Stampeders, winning ...

, Calgary Stampeders *OG – Brett MacNeil, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *OT –

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 ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *OT – Dave Mudge, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defence

*DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DT – Joe Fleming, Calgary Stampeders *DE – Elfrid Payton, Toronto Argonauts *DE – Joe Montford, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Terry Ray, Edmonton Eskimos *LB –

Barrin Simpson Barrin Simpson (born October 1, 1977) is a retired professional Canadian Football linebacker who played 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders but was released on December 6, 2011. He ...

, BC Lions *LB –

Chris Shelling Christopher A. Shelling (born November 3, 1972) is a former American professional football player who was a defensive back and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), the World League of American Football (WLAF), the Canadian Football Le ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB – Eric Carter, BC Lions *CB – Wayne Shaw, Toronto Argonauts *DB –

Juran Bolden Juran T. Bolden (born June 27, 1974) is a former American cornerback of American and Canadian football. He last played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 2007. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Harold Nash, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DS – Rob Hitchcock, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Special teams

*P –

Terry Baker Terry Wayne Baker (born May 5, 1941) is a former American football and basketball player. He played college football and basketball at Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Baker played as a quarterba ...

, Montreal Alouettes *K –

Paul Osbaldiston Paul Osbaldiston (born April 27, 1964) is a former punter and placekicker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League from 1986-2003. He was the Assistant Special Teams/Kicking Coach for the Tiger-Cats until 2014. Osbaldiston w ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *ST – Charles Roberts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2001 Western All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

Jason Maas Jason Maas (born November 19, 1975) is the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former Canadian football quarterback in the CFL. He is best known for his playing career with the Edmonton Eskimos where h ...

, Edmonton Eskimos *RB –

, Calgary Stampeders *RB – Darren Davis, Saskatchewan Roughriders *SB –

Marc Boerigter Marc Robert Boerigter (; born May 4, 1978) is a former professional Canadian and American football player. He is one of 13 players to have caught a 99-yard reception in the NFL. Early life and college football career Born in Hastings, Nebras ...

, Calgary Stampeders *SB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *WR –

, Calgary Stampeders *WR –

, Edmonton Eskimos *C –

Jamie Taras Jamie Taras (born January 31, 1966, in Acton, Ontario) is a former professional Canadian football player with the Canadian Football League British Columbia Lions, and current director of community relations with the BC Lions. Taras spent his ent ...

, BC Lions *OG –

, Calgary Stampeders *OG –

Andrew Greene Andrew Greene (born September 24, 1969, in Kingston, Jamaica) is a former professional Canadian football offensive tackle. Greene, a nine-year Canadian Football League veteran, has spent much of his career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Th ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OT –

, Edmonton Eskimos *OT –

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

Defence

*DT – Doug Petersen, Edmonton Eskimos *DT – Joe Fleming, Calgary Stampeders *DE – Herman Smith, BC Lions *DE – Shonte Peoples, Saskatchewan Roughriders *LB – Terry Ray, Edmonton Eskimos *LB –

, BC Lions *LB –

George White George White may refer to: Politicians * George White (died 1584) (c. 1530–1584), MP for Liverpool * George White (Liberal politician) (1840–1912), British Liberal member of parliament, 1900–1912 * George E. White (politician) (1848–1935), ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *CB – Eric Carter, BC Lions *CB – Omarr Morgan, Saskatchewan Roughriders *DB – Eddie Davis, Saskatchewan Roughriders *DB – Shannon Garrett, Edmonton Eskimos *DS –

Greg Frers Gregory Frers (born August 4, 1971) is a former professional Canadian football player who played ten years in the Canadian Football League. Frers played defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions from 1993 to 200 ...

, BC Lions

Special teams

*P – Sean Fleming, Edmonton Eskimos *K – Sean Fleming, Edmonton Eskimos *ST –

Antonio Warren Antonio Warren (born November 25, 1975, in San Francisco, California) is a former Canadian Football League running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back a ...

, Calgary Stampeders

2001 Eastern All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *RB – Mike Pringle, Montreal Alouettes *RB – Michael Jenkins, Toronto Argonauts *SB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *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 *WR – Andrew Grigg, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *WR – Ted Alford, Toronto Argonauts *C –

, Montreal Alouettes *OG – Jude St. John, Toronto Argonauts *OG – Brett MacNeil, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *OT –

Dave Hack David Hack (born April 22, 1972) is a former 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 C ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *OT – Dave Mudge, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defence

*DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DT – Mike Philbrick, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *DE – Elfrid Payton, Toronto Argonauts *DE – Joe Montford, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB – Jason Lamar, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB –

Sean Woodson Sean Woodson (born June 7, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in North County, Sean Woodson’s dad was the driving in ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *LB –

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *CB – Marvin Coleman, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *CB – Wayne Shaw, Toronto Argonauts *DB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DB – Harold Nash, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *DS – Rob Hitchcock, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Special teams

*P –

, Montreal Alouettes *K –

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *ST – Charles Roberts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2001 Intergold CFLPA All-Stars

Offence

*QB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *OT – Uzooma Okeke, Montreal Alouettes *OT –

, Edmonton Eskimos *OG –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders *OG – Steve Hardin, BC Lions *C –

, Montreal Alouettes *RB –

, Calgary Stampeders *FB –

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 –

, Toronto Argonauts *SB –

, Edmonton Eskimos *WR –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *WR –

, Calgary Stampeders

Defence

*DE – Joe Montford, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *DE – Elfrid Payton, Toronto Argonauts *DT – Joe Fleming, Calgary Stampeders *DT – Doug Petersen, Edmonton Eskimos *LB – Terry Ray, 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 *LB –

Lamar McGriggs Lamar V. McGriggs (born May 9, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former National Football League and Canadian Football League linebacker, having last played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *CB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *CB – Omarr Morgan, Saskatchewan Roughriders *HB – Harold Nash, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *HB – Ricky Bell, Calgary Stampeders *S –

, Calgary Stampeders

Special teams

*K –

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats *P –

, Montreal Alouettes *ST – Charles Roberts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Head coach

Dave Ritchie David Ritchie or Dave Ritchie may refer to: * David Ritchie (cricketer) (1892–1974), English cricketer * David Ritchie (diplomat), Australian diplomat * David Ritchie (footballer) (born 1971), former English footballer * David Ritchie (moderator) ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2001 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), Winnipeg Blue Bombers * CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Doug Brown (DT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers *

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. ...

– Joe Montford (DE), Hamilton Tiger-Cats *

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 ...

– Dave Mudge (OT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers *

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 ...

–

(LB), BC Lions * CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Award – Charles Roberts (RB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers * CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award – Rick Walters (SB), Edmonton Eskimos * CFL's Coach of the Year –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers *

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 ...

Robert Wetenhall Robert Carl "Bob" Wetenhall Sr. (February 14, 1935 – September 3, 2021) was an American businessman who owned the Montreal Alouettes Football Club of the Canadian Football League from 1997 through 2018. Biography Robert (Bob) Wetenhall was bo ...

and Larry Smith, Montreal Alouettes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cfl 2001 in Canadian football

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...