The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto. The Argonauts compete in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Founded in 1873, the team is the oldest professional sports team in North America still using its original name, as well as the oldest-surviving team in both the modern-day CFL and East Division. The team's origins date back to a modified version of rugby football that emerged in North America in the latter half of the 19th century. The Argonauts played their home games at Rogers Centre (originally known as SkyDome) from 1989 until 2016, when the team moved to BMO Field, the fifth stadium site (on the footprint of their third home Exhibition Stadium) to host the team.
The Argonauts have won the Grey Cup a record 19 times and have appeared in the final 25 times. Most recently, they defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41–24 in the 111th Grey Cup in 2024. The Argonauts hold the best winning percentage in the championship game (.760) and have the longest active winning streak in games in which they have appeared, at eight. The Argonauts have faced every current western CFL team at least once in the Grey Cup, while their most celebrated divisional rivalry has been with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The team was founded and owned by the Argonaut Rowing Club for its first 83 years, and has been owned by a series of business interests since 1956. The Argonauts were a fixture on the Toronto sports scene for decades, with attendance peaking in the 1970s. In May 2015, a consortium of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment's Larry Tanenbaum (via the Kilmer Group) and Bell Canada reached an agreement to acquire the team. The sale included a scheduled move to the MLSE-run BMO Field for the 2016 season, which had long been proposed given poor attendance at Rogers Centre. MLSE announced in December 2017 that it had agreed to purchase the team outright, with the deal finalized on January 19, 2018. The previous owners continue to indirectly own stakes in the Argos, as Bell Canada and the Kilmer Group respectively hold 37.5% and 25% stakes in MLSE.
Given the length of franchise history, dozens of players, coaches, and management have been honoured in some form over the years. The team recognizes a select group of players with retired numbers - early greats Joe Krol and Dick Shatto, stalwart offensive lineman Danny Nykoluk, and Michael "Pinball" Clemons, who has been the most recent face of the team.
Name and colours
Since the team's foundation in 1873, the Argonauts name has been in continuous use, a record in North American professional sports.
The name "Argonauts" is derived from Greek mythology: according to legend, Jason and the Argonauts were a group of heroes who set out to find the Golden Fleece aboard the ship Argo sometime before the Trojan War. Given its nautical theme, the name Argonaut was adopted by a group of amateur rowers in Toronto in 1872. The Argonaut Rowing Club, which still exists today, went on to found the football club with the same name a year later. Given their roots in a rowing squad, the team is often referred to as "the Boatmen" and less often "the Scullers".
In the 19th century, the most renowned rowing teams in the world were from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England. The Toronto rowers, many of whom had associations with the English schools, adopted uniforms incorporating the light blue of Cambridge and the dark blue of Oxford. In turn, the footballers adopted the colours and the phrase "double blue" became synonymous with the team. Blue has become the traditional colour of top-level teams in Toronto, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Blue Jays.
The team's other official colour is white. Its current helmet design features a Cambridge blue background, with the team logo featuring a boat incorporating a football.
History
1873–1906
The first recorded game of what would become known as Canadian football was played in Toronto on November 9, 1861, featuring University of Toronto students. At the time, the game was a modified version of English rugby, which gained popularity throughout the 1860s. Rugby itself was still an infant game having evolved out of association football (soccer) in the 1830s. Seeking a way to keep fit after summer, the Argonaut Rowing Club (ARC) formed their own rugby-football squad on October 4, 1873. The Argonauts Football Club played their first game against Hamilton on October 18 of that year (a victory), beginning a storied rivalry. Varsity became indelibly linked with the Argonauts and the early years of Canadian football; it was the home field of the great Argo dynasties of the 1930s and 1940s. For most of the Argos time at the stadium, its capacity was about 16,000, but this jumped above 20,000 with a renovation in 1950. Although it has not hosted a professional game since 1958, it still holds the record for hosting the most Grey Cups with 30.
Rogers Centre (Skydome before 2004) had provided the Argonauts a marquee venue from 1989 to 2015, but also been criticized for its football sightlines and atmosphere. Even crowds of about 30,000 looked sparse in a stadium that seats up to 50,000 people. The domed environment did, at least, remove the elements and was an advantage to passers and comfortable for fans. Two critical opportunities to find a new home were missed in 2004 and 2005: plans for a revamped Varsity Stadium to accommodate CFL-sized crowds were thwarted by community opposition in 2004, and the Argonauts withdrew from an alternate plan at York University the following year.
It was announced in 2013 that Rogers Centre's artificial turf would be replaced by natural grass within five years to better facilitate Toronto Blue Jays baseball. Replacing the playing surface would require permanently locking Rogers Centre into its baseball configuration, making it impossible to host CFL games. (However, since this time the stadium has retained its artificial turf surface [albeit with a full dirt infield], and it is unclear whether it will be replaced.) The stadium issue generated significant press and raised concerns over the team's long-term viability given that the Argonauts' losses have been estimated anywhere from $2 to $6 million annually. While various stadium rumours swirled over the course of David Braley's tenure (including building a new facility), it became increasingly clear that a move to a renovated BMO Field was the only viable option.
right|thumb|BMO Field with additional temporary seats in the south endzone for the [[104th Grey Cup]]
The BMO Field move became finalized on May 20, 2015, concurrent with the announcement of the team's sale to a consortium of MLSE shareholders Larry Tanenbaum and Bell Canada. The team moved following the completion of stadium renovations for the 2016 season. The $120 million renovation plan had originally been announced in March 2014, and raised the stadium's seating capacity from 21,566 seats to 30,000 for soccer, with 25,000 seats in CFL configuration (due to space and safety issues, the endzones are only 18 yards deep [as opposed to the standard 20 yards], with part of both end zones covered in artificial turf, the remainder of the field has natural grass), and is temporarily expandable with additional endzone seating to 40,000 for big events such as a Grey Cup. The agreement required MLSE to reach a "long-term use (i.e. 20 years)" lease with the Argos for usage of the stadium.
Following the demolition and reconstruction of the 5,000 seat Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto, the Argos returned to the stadium, hosting preseason games from 2013 to 2015. The team also acquired a much-needed training facility in July 2014 when it was announced that MLSE had partnered with the Argonauts to expand KIA Training Ground, Toronto FC's new state-of-the-art academy and training facility.
Since 2018, after Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment became the new owners of the Argonauts, the team has used Lamport Stadium as their practice field, while their weight rooms are at Coca-Cola Coliseum; both locations are within walking distance of BMO Field. Since 2022, the Argonauts have used Alumni Stadium in Guelph as their home stadium for preseason games.
Ownership and management
Ownership history
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="2" style=";"|Ownership of the Toronto Argonauts<br>
|-
! style=";"|Owner
! style=";"|Tenure
|-
|Argonaut Rowing Club || October 4, 1873 – October 1, 1956
|-
|John W. H. Bassett, Charlie Burns, Eric Cradock || October 1, 1956 – January 1, 1960
|-
|John Bassett, Charlie Burns, Len Lumbers || January 1, 1960 – August 31, 1971
|-
|Baton Broadcasting (John Bassett) || August 31, 1971 – February 27, 1974
|-
|William R. Hodgson || February 27, 1974 – June 25, 1976
|-
|William R. Hodgson, Carling O'Keefe || June 25, 1976 – January 12, 1979
|-
|Carling O'Keefe || January 12, 1979 – December 12, 1988
|-
|Harry Ornest, Carling O'Keefe || December 12, 1988 – February 25, 1991
|-
|Bruce McNall, John Candy, Wayne Gretzky || February 25, 1991 – May 5, 1994
|-
|TSN Enterprises (Labatt) || May 5, 1994 – July 26, 1995
|-
|Labatt Brewing Company (Interbrew) || July 26, 1995 – December 20, 1999
|-
|Sherwood Schwarz || December 20, 1999 – July 29, 2003
|-
|Canadian Football League || July 29, 2003 – November 5, 2003
|-
|Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon || November 5, 2003 – February 9, 2010
|-
|David Braley || February 9, 2010 – December 31, 2015
|-
|Kilmer Sports and Bell Canada || December 31, 2015 – January 18, 2018
|-
|Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment || January 19, 2018 – present Bassett was the operating head of the franchise and is often given sole credit for the initial purchase of the Argos, but Cradock was also instrumental in spearheading the drive. He sold his share to Len Lumbers just two years into his tenure in part because of Bassett's controlling nature. Bassett arranged a complete buyout of the other shareholders for $2.31 million in 1971 through his holdings in Baton Broadcasting.
The Bassett years of the late 1950s to early 1970s were marked by mediocrity on the field but consistent success at the turnstiles. An issue that has become a perennial concern in the city also emerged at this time: the possibility of a National Football League team in Toronto. Various machinations were entertained by Bassett including moving the Argos to the NFL, bringing an American expansion team to the city (e.g. the Toronto Northmen of the WFL), or expanding the CFL itself in the opposite direction. Other team owners steadfastly opposed Bassett's moves and almost rescinded his franchise in 1974; angered, he sold the team for $3.3 million to hotel magnate William R. Hodgson in the same year.
Hodgson sold to Carling O'Keefe in 1979, who had been minority owners since 1976. The brewing company's total investment in the team was $5.8 million. At the time it was rapidly ramping up its sports sponsorship (it also owned the Quebec Nordiques before they moved from the World Hockey Association to the NHL) and would become a huge benefactor to the CFL itself, inking television rights deals that reached $11 million annually by 1984. Reports at the time suggest the league became spoiled by the partnership and that when the money dried up in 1987, the transition was difficult. For the Argos, the Carling O'Keefe years were marked by their first modern-era Grey Cup in 1983.
The years following the Carling O'Keefe era were marked by increasingly short ownership stints. Canadian businessman Harry Ornest bought the team off Carling O'Keefe for $5 million at the end of 1988 and then sold to the trio of Bruce McNall (60%), John Candy (20%), and Wayne Gretzky (20%) for the same amount in 1991. Of the three, Candy is best remembered for his emotional investment in the team and a team player award continues in his honour. The era was tumultuous despite a Grey Cup win in 1991, and the last in which the club regularly made front-page headlines. After a little over three years of ownership, McNall concluded he could no longer justify massive losses from an asset 3,000 miles away from his base in Los Angeles. He sold the now money-losing team to the Labatt Brewing Company through its TSN unit in May 1994 for $4.5 million; the closing was delayed by Candy's unexpected death that March. At the time, Labatt also owned the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1995, Labatt was acquired by Interbrew; The Interbrew years saw two championships but also the worst Argo attendance of the modern era.
thumb|upright|left|[[David Braley owned the club from 2010 to 2015]]
After the debacles of the Schwarz era and brief control of the team by the CFL (see above) the Argos were rescued by David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski in 2004. There was optimism surrounding the duo's arrival and attendance figures improved in their six years heading the organization. It was also appreciated that the two were Torontonians after a quarter-century of foreign and/or corporate ownership. But by 2010 losses were great enough that the team was again put on the block and eventually sold to David Braley. There was some controversy surrounding Braley's takeover. He was simultaneously owner of the BC Lions, raising questions of competitive integrity. It was also revealed that Braley had bankrolled half of Cynamon and Sokolowski's initial $2 million buy-in of the Argos in 2004, and covered half their subsequent losses, in exchange for half of the 2007 Grey Cup profits.
By 2014 Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and its chairman and minority owner Larry Tanenbaum had emerged as serious suitors for the team. On May 20, 2015, it was announced that an agreement had been reached for Argonauts to be sold to Tanenbaum's Kilmer Sports and Bell Canada, who both own a stake in MLSE with Rogers Communications. Financial details were not disclosed. Despite its shared stake in MLSE, Rogers was not interested in having an ownership share in the Argonauts because it does not have any media relationships with the CFL (unlike Bell, whose TSN division holds the broadcast rights to the league). Argonauts Holdings Limited Partnership, a holding company which Bell and Kilmer each own 50% of, formally acquired the franchise on December 31, 2015. This sale transferred ownership from Tanenbaum's Kilmer Sports and Bell Media to MLSE, which itself is owned by Tanenbaum, Bell Media and Rogers Communications. The sale was finalized on January 19, 2018
Senior executives
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="5" style=";"|Toronto Argonauts senior executives The GM role was titled as "managing director" from 1957 to 1966, when head coach Bob Shaw was also named "manager" of the team, "with full operating control", and managing director Lew Hayman was named club president. The role of club president had formerly been an honorary position; Hayman was the first president with a salary and executive role. The president role is now included in the title of CEO.
The longest serving executive in the organization is Lew Hayman, who had a five-decade career beginning in the 1930s as coach and administrator. A Jewish-American, Hayman served with both the Argos and Montreal Alouettes and has been called "the architect of Canadian football". He was the team's first president and managing director at the insistence of Eric Cradock in 1957, and would continue in the former role until 1981. Ralph Sazio took over from Hayman and is another hall of fame builder.
After relative stability at the senior executive level for three decades, there has been significant turnover in the positions since the 1990s. The team had eight general managers in eight years, for example, between 1996 and 2003. The current GM is Mike "Pinball" Clemons who was appointed to the position in October 2019. Chris Rudge, former head of the Canadian Olympic Committee, took over as president and CEO from the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2015, when Michael Copeland took over. The most recent president was Bill Manning who was also president of Toronto FC.
Head coaches
Fifty-nine men have been Toronto Argonauts head coach. The most recent coach, Ryan Dinwiddie, was appointed following the end of the 2019 season, and led the team to Grey Cup victories in 2022 and 2024.
The longest total tenure at head coach belongs to Bob O'Billovich, who led the team for 11 years over three stints in the 1980s and early 1990s. Other notable coaching careers include those of Joe Wright, Sr. at the end of the nineteenth century, Ted Morris and Frank Clair in the post-war years, Leo Cahill in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Pinball Clemons after the turn of the millennium.
Since 1961, the Canadian Football League has awarded the Annis Stukus Trophy annually to the league's outstanding coach. (Alongside his playing career, Stukus achieved fame as a coach, promoter, and newspaper columnist.) Argonauts coaches have been honoured nine times: Cahill (1971), O'Billovich (1981 & 1987), Adam Rita (1991), Don Matthews (1997), Jim Barker (2010), Milanovich (2012), Trestman (2017), and Dinwiddie (2023).
Current team
Current roster
Football operations and coaching staff
Broadcasts
Argonauts games are currently carried on TSN's national and regional television channel as part of CFL on TSN broadcasts. Radio coverage is carried on CHUM (AM) or on CFRB 1010 when there is a scheduling conflict and another sport is being carried on TSN Radio.
Notable Argonauts' broadcasters include John Badham, who had three tenures on three separate radio stations and was inducted into the media wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1995, and longtime colour analyst Peter Martin, an Argo linebacker from 1965 to 1972, also inducted into the Hall of Fame's media wing in 2000.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ style=";"|Toronto Argonauts broadcasters
|-
| 1960–1968 || CFRB || Bill Stephenson || Zeke O'Connor ||
|-
| 1969–1975 || CHFI/CFTR || John Badham || ||
|-
| 1976 || CFRB || Dave Hodge || Mel Profit ||
|-
| 1977–1980 || CFRB || Dave Hodge || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 1982–1987 || CFRB || Bob Bratina || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 1988 || CJCL || John Badham || Bill Watters ||
|-
| 1989–1991 || CHUM || Marc Charlebois || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 1992–1994 || CFRB || Bill Stephenson || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 1995 || CHOG || Mark Hebscher || Lance Chomyc ||
|-
| 1996 || CHOG || Mark Hebscher || Wally Zatylny ||
|-
| 1997–1999 || CHOG || Bob Bratina || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2000 || CJCL || Mike Hogan || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2001 || CFMJ || Jim Lang || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2002 || CFMJ || Jim Lang || Brian Warren and Rick Loewen ||
|-
| 2003 || CJCL || Mike Hogan || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2004 || CFMJ || Paul Romanuk or Jaime Stein || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2005–2006 || CFMJ || Jaime Stein || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2007–2010 || CJCL || Mike Hogan || Peter Martin ||
|-
| 2011–2013 || CHUM || Mike Hogan || Sandy Annunziata ||
|-
| 2014–2017 || CHUM || Mike Hogan || Jeff Johnson ||
|-
| 2018–2019 || CHUM || Mike Hogan || Chris Schultz ||
|-
| 2021 || CHUM || Mike Hogan || Natey Adjei ||
|-
| 2022 || CHUM || Mike Hogan || Natey Adjei, Bob Bronk, or Ben Grant ||
|-
| 2023–present || CHUM || Mike Hogan || Ben Grant ||
|}
Rivalries
thumb|right|An Argos game against the Ti-Cats at [[Ivor Wynne Stadium in 2010]]
With few teams, but a long history, it is inevitable that intense rivalries have developed in Canadian football. A commonly known Argonaut rivalry has been with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and its precursor teams. Fittingly, the Argonauts' first game was against a club from Hamilton, The two teams meet in Hamilton every year in the Labour Day Classic, a league-wide tradition in which these two teams have participated since 1950.
To the east, the Argonauts have also faced teams from Montreal and Ottawa since their earliest days. In recent years, the Montreal Alouettes have consistently fielded strong teams which have often run up against the Argos in the playoffs; the teams have met 11 times in the Eastern Final, with Montreal taking six.
In 2014, the Argonauts reignited their historic rivalry with an Ottawa club, the expansion Ottawa Redblacks (earlier rivalries involved the Ottawa Renegades and Ottawa Rough Riders). In games against the current Ottawa franchise, as of the end of 2024 the Argos hold a 19–6 advantage; 20–6 if the 2024 East Semi-Final result is included.
In Grey Cups, the Argonauts have faced an assortment of teams in recent decades rather than any one team regularly. The Edmonton Eskimos, for years a dominant team in the league, have been an occasional rival. The two teams' five Grey Cup matchups include an epic 38–36 Toronto loss in 1987 and most recently, the Snow Bowl victory in 1996 led by the arm of Doug Flutie.
Notable personnel
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="5" style=";"|Toronto Argonauts retired numbers
|-
! width="40" style=";"|No.
! width="150" style=";"|Player
! width="40" style=";"|Position
! width="100" style=";"|Tenure
! width="100" style=";"|Championships
|-
| 22 || Dick Shatto<sup>1</sup>|| RB || 1954–1965 || –
|-
| 31 || Michael "Pinball" Clemons<sup>2</sup> || RB/SB/KR/PR || 1989–2000 || 1991, 1996, 1997
|-
| 55 || Joe Krol || QB/RB/P/K/DB || 1945–1952, 1955 || 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952
|-
| 60 || Danny Nykoluk || OT || 1955, 1957–1971 || –
|-
|colspan=5|<sup>1</sup> General manager from 1976 to 1978.<br><sup>2</sup> Head coach from 2000 to 2007, president from 2001 to 2002, vice-chairman from 2009 to 2019, and general manager 2019–present.
|}
The highest distinction the Toronto Argonauts can accord a player is to retire their number; just four players have received the honour. Starting in 1996, the team began another category of distinction with its list of "All-Time Argos". Twenty-four players have been rewarded so far and a banner in their honour hangs at BMO Field.
Players and management personnel may be separately inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. A total of 56 people who have been part of the team are in the Hall. The All-Time Argos list does not extend back to before the Second War era while the Hall of Fame does. Thus, for instance, Lionel Conacher is in the Hall but not listed as an All-Time Argo.
Finally, players may be honoured on an annual basis through the CFL awards. The most prestigious of these is the Most Outstanding Player Award, awarded since 1953. Seven Argonauts have been recipients: Chad Kelly (2023), Chad Owens (2012), Damon Allen (2005), Doug Flutie (1996 & 1997), Michael "Pinball" Clemons (1990), Condredge Holloway (1982), and Bill Symons (1968).
All-Time and Hall of Fame
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;margin: 1em auto;" width=100%
|-
! colspan="6" style="text-align:center; ;"|Toronto Argonauts Honoured Personnel
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; ;"|Affiliation in Hall of Fame based on team acknowledgement
|-
| colspan=6 align=center|All Time Argonauts
|-
| Damon Allen<br>John Barrow<br>Danny Bass<br>Harry Batstone<br>Paul Bennett<br>Leroy Blugh<br>Ab Box<br>Josh Bourke<br>Joe Breen<br>Jerry Campbell<br>Michael "Pinball" Clemons
| Tommy Joe Coffey<br>Lionel Conacher<br>Royal Copeland<br>Jim Corrigall<br>Larry Crawford<br>Wes Cutler<br>Matt Dunigan<br>Terry Evanshen<br>Cap Fear<br>Dan Ferrone<br>Doug Flutie
| Bill Frank<br>Vince Goldsmith<br>S. J. Green<br>Terry Greer<br>Tracy Ham<br>Condredge Holloway<br>Hank Ilesic<br>Bob Isbister<br>Russ Jackson<br>Bobby Jurasin<br>Ellison Kelly
| Joe Krol<br>Smirle Lawson<br>Neil Lumsden<br>Marv Luster<br>Derrell Mitchell<br>Joe Montford<br>Frank Morris<br>Teddy Morris<br>Ray Nettles<br>Mike O'Shea<br>Chad Owens
| Jackie Parker<br>James Parker<br>Willie Pless<br>Dave Raimey<br>Ted Reeve<br>Rocco Romano<br>Dick Shatto<br>Orlondo Steinauer<br>Don Sutherin<br>Bill Symons
| Ricky Ray<br>Dave Thelen<br>Dick Thornton<br>Andy Tommy<br>Pierre Vercheval<br>David Williams<br>Tom Wilkinson<br>Don Wilson<br>Ben Zambiasi<br>Bill Zock
|-
| colspan=6 align=center|Hall of Fame Builders
Season-by-season results
See also
- Toronto Argonauts all-time records and statistics
- Argonotes, the former Toronto Argonauts band
Notes
Footnotes
Citations
References
Further reading
External links
- Toronto Argonauts all-time roster (Toronto Argonauts alumni website)