The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of 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 ...

, the 51st season for the

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 ...

. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the

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 ...

game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL was no longer aired on broadcast television in Canada. As of 2008, TSN was available in approximately 8.8 million of Canada's 13 million

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

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 ...

hosted the

96th Grey Cup The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The East Division champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22–14, with quarterback Henry ...

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 ...

on November 23, when the championship was won by 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 ...

CFL news in 2008

Schedule

On February 21, 2008, the CFL announced the game schedule for the 2008 season. It was a 19-week schedule that included 18 regular-

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

games and one bye week for each team. Bye weeks were taken consecutively by each division, beginning with the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

in Week 8, thus creating two weeks of divisional

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

games. The regular-season schedule began on Thursday, June 26, with an

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

double-header. For the first time since

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

, the season opener took place at

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium (formerly Civic Stadium) was a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was the home of the Hamilton Tiger ...

, with the host Tiger-Cats losing to 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 ...

33–10. The second game of the double-header saw the

at home, where they prevailed 28–18 over the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

. 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 ...

opened by beating the host

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 ...

23–16 the following night, and 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 ...

defeated 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 ...

, in Regina, by a score of 34–13 on June 28. The regular season concluded with a double-header on Saturday, November 1, with divisional playoffs the following weekend. The 2008 season officially ended with the playing of the

Championship on Sunday, November 23, in

Television

2008 marked the first year in which the entire CFL schedule, including the playoffs and the Grey Cup game, was televised by TSN.

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

did not broadcast any games for the first time since CFL games began being televised in 1952, as the CFL and TSN began an exclusive five-year deal. This led some to criticize TSN, because the Grey Cup aired on a cable channel (TSN) while CTV—TSN's majority owner—broadcast regular-season NFL games. Because of obligations to other sporting events, concerns intensified after TSN began relegating some CFL games to its new digital channel

TSN2 TSN2 is a Canadian English language sports specialty channel that acts as the secondary feed of sports-centred channel The Sports Network (TSN) and owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc. It was launched in its current form on August 29, 2008. F ...

(which was not available to analog cable subscribers), while other sports, including the NFL, were broadcast. In addition, TSN severely curtailed high-definition coverage for the final three weeks of the regular season, with only five of the twelve games being made available in HD. Montreal games, as well as the entire playoffs and the Grey Cup game, were televised in French by RDS. In the United States, a last-minute deal was reached between the league and its longtime American syndicator

America One America One was an American television network established in 1995 by USFR Media Group through its America One Television subsidiary.

, which carried two games each week. Internet broadcasts were also aired in the United States on

ESPN360 ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360 and ESPN3.com) is an online streaming service owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (w ...

CFL in Ottawa

On March 25, 2008, the CFL granted a conditional franchise—slated to begin play in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

—to an

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 ...

-based group led by

Jeff Hunt Jeff Hunt is a Canadian businessman who is an owner of the Ottawa Redblacks football club of the Canadian Football League and the Ottawa 67's hockey club of the Ontario Hockey League. He started a carpet-cleaning firm called Canway. His firm wa ...

, owner of the Ontario Hockey League's

Ottawa 67's The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's Canadian Centennial, centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's c ...

, under the condition that the group could secure a lease agreement with the City of Ottawa to allow the team to play at

Frank Clair Stadium TD Place Stadium (originally Lansdowne Park and formerly Frank Clair Stadium) is an outdoor stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rid ...

. The franchise was based on the remnants of 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 ...

, but was to be a separate team. In November, it was announced that the 2014 Grey Cup would be granted to Ottawa, again based on the condition that use of Frank Clair Stadium could be secured.

Competition with the NFL

2008 was the first year in which the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

played a regular season game in Toronto, as part of an agreement reached between the owners of the

Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...

and that league and the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. The NFL accommodated the CFL by playing the regular season game on December 7, after the end of the CFL season, so that the leagues did not directly compete. A preseason game was also played in Toronto, on August 14, between the Bills and the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, one day before the

played in the Rogers Centre, and concurrently with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

' game in Winnipeg. The Bills' preseason game did not sell out, amid reports of exorbitant ticket prices and thousands of tickets being given away.

Marketing and heritage revisited

In an effort to expand the CFL merchandise line, it was announced that RBK would release vintage jerseys for each team, beginning with the

and

. The launch for the new apparel began August 29, 2008, with releases in Toronto and Winnipeg retail stores attended by Argonaut players

Kerry Joseph Kerry Tremaine Joseph (born October 4, 1973) is an American former gridiron football quarterback and current coach. He is the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was born in New Iberia, ...

and

Arland Bruce III Arland Richard Bruce III (born November 23, 1977) is a former Canadian football wide receiver. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, having won in 2004 with the Toronto Argonauts and in 2011 with the Lions. He has played 10 seasons in the CFL wi ...

and Blue Bombers

Kevin Glenn Kevin Glenn, Jr. (born June 12, 1979) is a former American professional Canadian football quarterback. He was originally signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played co ...

and

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 ...

respectively.

Attendance

Attendance in the CFL remained strong in 2008, averaging 28,914 per game and exceeded two million fans for the seventh straight season.

Records and milestones

* On June 26,

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Anthony Calvillo Anthony Calvillo (born August 23, 1972) is the quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was professional football's all-time passing yards ...

surpassed

Danny McManus Danny McManus (born June 17, 1965) is a former professional American football and Canadian football quarterback who passed for over 53,000 yards in seventeen seasons in the Canadian Football League and currently serves as the Assistant General Man ...

to become the second-all-time leading passer in the CFL, in a game against the

. * On July 25,

slotback

Geroy Simon Geroy Simon (born 11 September 1975) is the assistant general manager for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is also a former professional Canadian football slotback who played in 15 seasons in the CFL, twelve of them wit ...

surpassed Jim "Dirty 30" Young as the Lions' all-time receiving yards leader, in a game against the Montreal Alouettes. * On September 12,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

slotback

surpassed

Allen Pitts Allen Pitts (born June 28, 1964) is a former receiver for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1990 to 2000. He attended Cal-State Fullerton and played his entire professional career as a receiver for the Calgary Stampeders. ...

to become the CFL's all-time leader in career receiving yards, with 14,982, against the

. * On September 13, Lions

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

and former Blue Bomber Charles Roberts reached over 10,000 rushing yards in his CFL career in a game versus the

. * On September 19, Stegall became the first-ever CFL player to reach 15,000 yards receiving, during a contest against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. * On October 4, Montreal Alouettes slotback

Ben Cahoon Ben Cahoon (born July 16, 1972) is a former professional Canadian football slotback who spent his entire career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He won the award for the Most Outstanding Canadian in the CFL two years i ...

surpassed

Ray Elgaard Raymond Elgaard (born August 29, 1959) is a former Canadian Football League slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1983 through 1996, including winning the 77th Grey Cup in 1989. A big man, he was noted for his reliability as a receiver ...

to become the leading Canadian receiver in CFL history, with 831 receptions, also against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. * On November 1, BC Lions kick returner

Ian Smart Ian Smart (born February 28, 1980 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a CFL kick returner and running back who is currently a free agent. He attended C.W. Post College and rushed for 2,536 yards in 200 In 2003, Smart attended New York Jets training camp ...

set a new CFL record for most kickoff return yardage. * The CFL experienced its sixth highest scoring season in its history, averaging 56.24 combined points per game, a 14.5% increase from

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and 20.5% from

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Regular season

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points'' ''Teams in bold finished in playoff positions.

Notes

* A team that placed fourth in one division was eligible to "cross over" and claim the third playoff spot in the other division if they had a better overall record than the other division's third-place team. In 2008, this meant the Edmonton Eskimos got the third-place spot in the Eastern Division; however, Winnipeg retained home-field advantage for the Eastern semi-final even though Edmonton had a better win–loss record.

Grey Cup playoffs

The

were the 2008 Grey Cup champions, defeating the

22–14 at Montreal's

. It was the first Grey Cup for the Stampeders since the

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 ...

Championship (a game also held in Montreal). Stampeder quarterback

Henry Burris Henry Armand Burris Jr. (born June 4, 1975) is a gridiron football coach, former professional quarterback, and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He is currently an offensive quality control coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the ...

was named the

Grey Cup 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 pres ...

, and kicker

Sandro DeAngelis Sandro DeAngelis (born May 1, 1981) is a former professional gridiron football placekicker. He last played during the 2013 season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He had also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, ...

was named the

Grey Cup 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 ...

2008 CFL All-Stars

Offence

* QB –

, Montreal Alouettes * WR –

, BC Lions * WR – Jamel Richardson, Montreal Alouettes * WR –

Ken-Yon Rambo Ken-Yon Cedric Rambo (born October 4, 1978) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts. He also was a member of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets i ...

, Calgary Stampeders * WR –

, Montreal Alouettes * RB –

Wes Cates Wes Cates (born October 3, 1979) is a former professional Canadian football running back. College career Cates attended California University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2001 without ever missing a game in his four-year career. He had 5,647 ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * RB –

Joffrey Reynolds Joffrey Roy Reynolds (born November 26, 1979) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He played eight years for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League where he was the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 9,21 ...

, Calgary Stampeders * OT –

Jason Jimenez Jason Jimenez (born May 1, 1980) is a former professional gridiron football offensive tackle. He last played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is a former member of the 2006 Grey Cup champions, the BC Lions of the CFL. He went to The Universi ...

, BC Lions * OT –

Dan Goodspeed Dan Goodspeed (born May 20, 1977) is a former American football offensive tackle whose longest stint was with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also played in the National Football League (NFL) and the XFL (20 ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * OG –

Gene Makowsky Gene Makowsky (born April 17, 1973) is a Canadian politician and former Canadian football offensive lineman who has been a member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly representing the riding of Regina Gardiner Park since 2016 and prior to th ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * OG –

Scott Flory Scott Flory (born July 15, 1976) is the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan's Huskies football team. He is also a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played for 15 years for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian ...

, Montreal Alouettes * 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

Defence

* DE –

Brent Johnson Brent Spencer Johnson (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is curr ...

, BC Lions * DE – Cameron Wake, BC Lions * DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * DT –

Aaron Hunt Aaron Hunt (born 4 September 1986) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent most of his career at Werder Bremen, making his first-team debut at the age of 18. In the Bundesliga, he also repres ...

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

Anton McKenzie Anton McKenzie (January 4, 1981) is an American former player of Canadian football and American football. He played for three seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders before playing for five seasons for the BC Lions of the CFL. He played college f ...

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * LB –

Zeke Moreno Ezekiel Aaron Moreno (born October 8, 1978) is a former professional American football linebacker. Early years Moreno, who is of Mexican descent, attended Castle Park High School in Chula Vista and was a letterman in football and baseball. In ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * DB – Jason Goss, Edmonton Eskimos * DB – Chris Thompson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats * CB –

Brandon Browner Brandon Kemar Browner (born August 2, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and convicted felon. In 2005, Browner signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State. Browner played four seasons with the Calga ...

, Calgary Stampeders * CB – Dante Marsh, BC Lions * DS –

Barron Miles Barron Miles (born January 1, 1972) is a former professional Canadian football player who played for 12 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is the defensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL. Miles finished his career tie ...

, BC Lions

Special teams

* K –

, Calgary Stampeders * P – Nick Setta, Hamilton Tiger-Cats * ST –

Dominique Dorsey Dominique Ramone Dorsey (born May 7, 1983) is a former professional gridiron football running back and kick returner. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was originally signed by the Roughri ...

, Toronto Argonauts

2008 Western All-Stars

Offence

* QB –

, Calgary Stampeders * WR –

Paris Jackson Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson (born April 3, 1998) is an American model, actress, and singer. She is the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe. In 2020, Jackson signed a deal with Republic Records. Her first sing ...

, BC Lions * WR –

Kamau Peterson Kamau Peterson (born September 16, 1978) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and formerly the offensive coordinator for the York Lions football team. He last played for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was ...

, Edmonton Eskimos * WR –

, Calgary Stampeders * WR –

, BC Lions * RB –

, Calgary Stampeders * RB –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * OT –

, BC Lions * OT –

Rob Murphy Robert Albert Murphy (born May 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for 11 seasons in the 1980s and 1990s. Murphy played college baseball for the University of Florida, ...

, BC Lions * OG – Patrick Kabongo, Edmonton Eskimos * OG –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * C – Rob Lazeo, Calgary Stampeders

Defence

* DE –

, BC Lions * DE – Cameron Wake, BC Lions * DT –

, BC Lions * DT – Dario Romero, Edmonton Eskimos * LB –

Javier Glatt Javier Glatt (born October 10, 1981, in Calgary, Alberta) is a retired professional Canadian football linebacker who played for eight seasons in the Canadian Football League. He was most recently a member of the Edmonton Eskimos, but spent seven y ...

, BC Lions * LB –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * LB – Maurice Lloyd, Saskatchewan Roughriders * DB – Korey Banks, BC Lions * DB – Jason Goss, Edmonton Eskimos * CB –

, Calgary Stampeders * CB – Dante Marsh, BC Lions * DS –

, BC Lions

Special teams

* K –

, Calgary Stampeders * P – Paul McCallum, BC Lions * ST –

, BC Lions

2008 Eastern All-Stars

Offence

* QB –

, Montreal Alouettes * WR – Arland Bruce, Toronto Argonauts * WR –

, Montreal Alouettes * WR – Jamel Richardson, Montreal Alouettes * WR – Kerry Watkins, Montreal Alouettes * RB –

Avon Cobourne Avon Cobourne (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional gridiron football running back who was most recently a running back coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was a running back for the West ...

, Montreal Alouettes * RB –

Fred Reid Fred Reid (born March 16, 1982) is the running backs coach for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a former professional gridiron football running back who played primarily for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was orig ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * OT –

Josh Bourke Joshua Nathan Bourke (born October 16, 1982) is a former Canadian football offensive lineman. He spent the majority of his professional career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also spent time with the Toronto ...

, Montreal Alouettes * OT –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * OG –

, Montreal Alouettes * OG –

Paul Lambert Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town. Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...

, Montreal Alouettes * C –

, Montreal Alouettes

Defence

* DE – Jonathan Brown, Toronto Argonauts * DE – Gavin Walls, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * DT –

Keron Williams Keron Donavan Williams (1984) is a retired NFL / CFL defensive tackle. He was originally signed by the Calgary Stampeders in 2006 CFL season, 2006. Williams played college football for the UMass Minutemen football, UMass Minutemen. He also continu ...

, Montreal Alouettes * DT – Doug Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * LB – T. J. Hill, Montreal Alouettes * LB –

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * LB –

Markeith Knowlton Markeith Knowlton (born April 6, 1983, in McKinney, Texas) is a professional Canadian football linebacker who is currently a Free agent, free-agent. He was most recently a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He went ...

, Hamilton Tiger-Cats * DB – Kelly Malveaux, Winnipeg Blue Bombers * DB – Chris Thompson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats * CB –

Mark Estelle Mark Estelle (born July 29, 1981) is a former professional American and Canadian football defensive back. He played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League from 2006 to 2011. He also played for the Houston Texans of the Nationa ...

, Montreal Alouettes * CB –

Davis Sanchez Davis Sanchez (born August 7, 1974) is a former football player who played cornerback in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that c ...

, Montreal Alouettes * DS –

Kenny Wheaton Kenneth Tyron Wheaton (born March 8, 1975 in Phoenix, Arizona) is a former professional American football defensive back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Footba ...

, Toronto Argonauts

Special teams

* K –

Damon Duval Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980) is an American former professional placekicker and punter. Duval played college football for Auburn University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the Jacksonville Jagu ...

, Montreal Alouettes * P – Nick Setta, Hamilton Tiger-Cats * ST –

, Toronto Argonauts

2008 CFLPA Pro Player All-Stars

Offence

* QB –

, Montreal Alouettes * OT – Wayne A. Smith, Saskatchewan Roughriders * OT – Patrick Kabongo, Edmonton Eskimos * OG –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * OG –

, Montreal Alouettes * C –

Marwan Hage Marwan Hage ( ar, مروان حاج, ''Marwān Ḥāja'') (born September 14, 1981) is a former offensive lineman who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Hage played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes. H ...

, Hamilton Tiger Cats * RB –

, Saskatchewan Roughriders * FB – Mathieu Bertrand, Edmonton Eskimos * SB –

, BC Lions * SB – Jamal Richardson, Montreal Alouettes * WR –

, Calgary Stampeders * WR – Kerry Watkins, Montreal Alouettes

Defence

* DE – Cameron Wake. BC Lions * DE –

. BC Lions * DT –

. Montreal Alouettes * DT – Doug Brown. Winnipeg Blue Bombers * LB – Maurice Lloyd. Saskatchewan Roughriders * LB –

Jojuan Armour JoJuan Armour (born July 10, 1976) is a former safety in the National Football League (NFL) and linebacker in the Canadian Football League (CFL). On February 25, 2010, Armour announced his retirement after six seasons in the CFL. He was a high sc ...

. Calgary Stampeders * LB – Ezekiel Moreno. Winnipeg Blue Bombers * CB –

. Calgary Stampeders * CB – Dante Marsh. BC Lions * HB – Jason Goss. Edmonton Eskimos * HB – Korey Banks. BC Lions * S –

. BC Lions

Special teams

* K –

, Calgary Stampeders * ST –

, Toronto Argonauts * P –

, Montreal Alouettes * P – Nick Setta, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Head coach

Marc Trestman Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach ...

, Montreal Alouettes

2008 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), Montreal Alouettes * CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award –

(WR), Edmonton Eskimos *

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. ...

– Cameron Wake (DE), BC Lions *

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 ...

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(OG), Montreal Alouettes *

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 ...

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Weston Dressler Weston Dressler (born June 14, 1985) is an American former Canadian football slotback. Dressler last played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to his being signed by the Blue Bombers organization in 2016, h ...

(SB), Saskatchewan Roughriders *

John Agro Special Teams Award The John Agro Special Teams Award is presented to the CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams player that is voted by his peers. The award is named in honour of John Agro, co-founder (in 1965) of the Canadian Football League Players' Association, with ...

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(RB), Toronto Argonauts *

Tom Pate Memorial Award Tom Pate Memorial Award, selected annually by the Canadian Football League Players' Association, is awarded to a player with outstanding sportsmanship and someone who has made a significant contribution to his team, his community and Association. T ...

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Jeremy O'Day Jeremy O'Day (born August 31, 1974 in Buffalo, New York) is the current general manager and vice president of football operations for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and a former Canadian Football League offensive lineman. He grew up in Lockport, New ...

(C), Saskatchewan Roughriders *

Annis Stukus Trophy The Annis Stukus Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, which is presented annually by the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni Association to the Coach of the Year, as determined by the members of the Football Reporters of Canada. The Trophy is named afte ...

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John Hufnagel John Coleman Hufnagel (born September 13, 1951) is the president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was previously the Stampeders' head coach and played quarterback for fifteen professional seasons ...

, Calgary Stampeders *

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 ...

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Ron Lancaster Ronald Lancaster (October 14, 1938 – September 18, 2008) was an American-Canadian professional football player and coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 16 seasons, he ...

- Outstanding career with several CFL teams as Player, Coach, & CBC broadcaster * Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award - no recipient

CFL news in 2008

Schedule

Television

CFL in Ottawa

Competition with the NFL

Marketing and heritage revisited

Attendance

Records and milestones

Regular season

Notes

Grey Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket

CFL Leaders

2008 CFL All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

2008 Western All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

2008 Eastern All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

2008 CFLPA Pro Player All-Stars

Offence

Defence

Special teams

Head coach

2008 CFL Awards

References

Further reading