The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario, and play in the East Division in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The franchise was founded as in 1873 and was a founding member of the Ontario Rugby Football Union in 1883 and of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union in 1907. In their long history, the team has appeared in 23 Grey Cup finals, and has won a league-high 17 championships. The franchise has had 59 head coaches in its history. [1] The current Argonauts head coach is Ryan Dinwiddie, the current general manager is Michael Clemons, and the current owner is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. [2] [3]
Symbol | Description |
---|---|
GC | Games coached |
W | Wins |
L | Losses |
T | Ties |
W% | Winning percentage [b] |
PGC | Playoff games coached |
PW | Playoff wins |
PL | Playoff losses |
PW% | Playoff winning percentage |
† | Elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in the builders category [4] |
Note: Statistics are current through the end of the 2024 CFL season.
# | Name [a] | Term [b] | GC | W | L | T | W% | PGC | PW | PL | PW% | Achievements [5] [6] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | H. T. Glazebrook | 1873–1874 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
2 | Harold Lambe | 1875 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
3 | W. H. Perram | 1876–1877 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
4 | Bedford | 1878 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
5 | Orville Murphy | 1880–1881 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
6 | Hume Blake (1st stint) | 1882 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
7 | A. H. Campbell | 1883 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
- | Hume Blake (2nd stint) | 1884 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
8 | Rupert Muntz | 1885–1886 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
9 | Hugh Smith | 1887–1890 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
10 | R. Bayley | 1891–892 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
11 | Billy Wood | 1893 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
12 | Joe Wright, Sr. | 1894–1900 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
14 | Pud Kent | 1901–1903 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
15 | Fred Thompson | 1904–1905 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
16 | Chaucer Elliott (1st stint) | 1906 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | — | — | — | — | |
17 | Fred Russell / Art Kent | 1907–1909 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Chaucer Elliott (2nd stint) | 1910 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | |
18 | Billy Foulds † (1st stint) | 1911 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
19 | Jack Newton † | 1912 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
20 | Ross Binkley | 1913 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Billy Foulds † (2nd stint) | 1914 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 6th Grey Cup championship |
21 | Billy Foulds † (2nd stint)/ Warren Coryell | 1915 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | — | — | — | — | |
22 | Sinc McEvenue (1st stint) | 1919 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | |
23 | Mike Rodden † (1st stint) | 1920 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
- | Sinc McEvenue (2nd stint) | 1921 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 9th Grey Cup championship |
24 | Jack O'Connor | 1922–1925 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | .646 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
- | Mike Rodden † (2nd stint) | 1926 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | |
25 | Frank Knight | 1927–1928 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | |
26 | Buck McKenna | 1929–1932 | 24 | 13 | 10 | 1 | .563 | — | — | — | — | |
27 | Lew Hayman † | 1933–1941 | 57 | 40 | 15 | 2 | .719 | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | 21st Grey Cup championship 25th Grey Cup championship 26th Grey Cup championship |
28 | Ted Morris | 1945–1949 | 54 | 29 | 21 | 4 | .574 | 11 | 10 | 1 | .909 | 33rd Grey Cup championship 34th Grey Cup championship 35th Grey Cup championship |
29 | Frank Clair † | 1950–1954 | 64 | 31 | 31 | 2 | .500 | 11 | 8 | 3 | .727 | 38th Grey Cup championship 40th Grey Cup championship |
30 | Bill Swiacki | 1955–1956 | 26 | 8 | 10 | 0 | .444 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
31 | Hamp Pool | 1957–1959 | 32 | 9 | 23 | 0 | .281 | — | — | — | — | |
32 | Steve Owen | 1959 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | |
33 | Lou Agase | 1960–1962 | 31 | 17 | 13 | 1 | .565 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |
34 | Nobby Wirkowski | 1962–1964 | 39 | 11 | 28 | 0 | .282 | — | — | — | — | |
35 | Bob Shaw | 1965–1966 | 28 | 8 | 20 | 0 | .286 | — | — | — | — | |
36 | Leo Cahill (1st stint) | 1967–1972 | 84 | 45 | 38 | 1 | .542 | 10 | 6 | 4 | .400 | 1971 Annis Stukus Trophy winner |
37 | John Rauch | 1973–1974 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 2 | .524 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
38 | Joe Moss | 1974 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | .389 | — | — | — | — | |
39 | Russ Jackson | 1975–1976 | 32 | 12 | 18 | 2 | .406 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Leo Cahill (2nd stint) | 1977–1978 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 0 | .360 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
40 | Bud Riley | 1978 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | — | — | — | — | |
41 | Forrest Gregg | 1979 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | — | — | — | — | |
42 | Willie Wood | 1980–1981 | 26 | 6 | 20 | 0 | .231 | — | — | — | — | |
43 | Tommy Hudspeth | 1981 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | |
44 | Bob O'Billovich † (1st stint) | 1982–1989 | 136 | 78 | 55 | 3 | .585 | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | 1982 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 1987 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 71st Grey Cup championship |
45 | Don Matthews † (1st stint) | 1990 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
46 | Adam Rita | 1991–1992 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 0 | .552 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1991 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 79th Grey Cup championship |
47 | Dennis Meyer | 1992–1993 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Bob O'Billovich † (2nd stint) | 1993–1994 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 0 | .346 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
48 | Mike Faragalli | 1995 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Bob O'Billovich † (3rd stint) | 1995 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Don Matthews † (2nd stint) | 1996–1998 | 54 | 39 | 15 | 0 | .722 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | 1997 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 84th Grey Cup championship 85th Grey Cup championship |
49 | Jim Barker (1st stint) | 1999 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
50 | John Huard | 2000 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | .189 | — | — | — | — | |
51 | Wally Highsmith (interim) | 2000 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | |
52 | Michael Clemons (1st stint) | 2000–2001 | 26 | 12 | 14 | 0 | .462 | — | — | — | — | |
53 | Gary Etcheverry | 2002 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | |
Michael Clemons (2nd stint) | 2002–2007 | 96 | 55 | 40 | 1 | .578 | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 92nd Grey Cup championship | |
54 | Rich Stubler | 2008 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Don Matthews † (3rd stint) | 2008 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | |
55 | Bart Andrus | 2009 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | |
- | Jim Barker (2nd stint) | 2010–2011 | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0 | .417 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2010 Annis Stukus Trophy winner |
56 | Scott Milanovich | 2012–2016 | 90 | 43 | 47 | 0 | .478 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2012 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 100th Grey Cup championship |
57 | Marc Trestman | 2017–2018 | 36 | 13 | 23 | 0 | .361 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2017 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 105th Grey Cup championship |
58 | Corey Chamblin | 2019 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | .286 | — | — | — | — | |
59 | Ryan Dinwiddie | 2020–present | 68 | 46 | 22 | 0 | .676 | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 2023 Annis Stukus Trophy winner 109th Grey Cup championship |
Rank | Coach | Wins |
---|---|---|
1 | Bob O'Billovich | 89 |
2 | Michael "Pinball" Clemons | 67 |
3 | Leo Cahill | 54 |
4 | Don Matthews | 49 |
5 | Ryan Dinwiddie | 46 |
Rank | Coach | Playoff Wins |
---|---|---|
1 | Lew Hayman | 12 |
2 | Ted Morris | 10 |
3 | Frank Clair | 8 |
T-4 | Leo Cahill | 6 |
T-4 | Michael "Pinball" Clemons | 6 |
T-4 | Bob O'Billovich | 6 |
Rank | Coach | Games |
---|---|---|
1 | Bob O'Billovich | 171 |
2 | Michael "Pinball" Clemons | 122 |
3 | Leo Cahill | 109 |
4 | Scott Milanovich | 90 |
5 | Don Matthews | 80 |
Rank | Coach | Games |
---|---|---|
1 | Lew Hayman | 20 |
2 | Bob O'Billovich | 13 |
T-3 | Leo Cahill | 11 |
T-3 | Frank Clair | 11 |
T-3 | Michael "Pinball" Clemons | 11 |
T-3 | Ted Morris | 11 |
Coach | Grey Cup Championships | Year(s) |
---|---|---|
Ted Morris | 3 | 1933, 1937, 1938 |
Lew Hayman | 3 | 1945, 1946, 1947 |
Don Matthews | 2 | 1996, 1997 |
Frank Clair | 2 | 1950, 1952 |
Michael "Pinball" Clemons | 1 | 2004 |
Ryan Dinwiddie | 1 | 2022 |
Billy Foulds | 1 | 1914 |
Scott Milanovich | 1 | 2012 |
Sinc McEvenue | 1 | 1921 |
Bob O'Billovich | 1 | 1983 |
Adam Rita | 1 | 1991 |
Marc Trestman | 1 | 2017 |
Coach | Coach of the Year Awards | Year(s) |
---|---|---|
Bob O'Billovich | 2 | 1982, 1987 |
Jim Barker | 1 | 2010 |
Leo Cahill | 1 | 1971 |
Ryan Dinwiddie | 1 | 2023 |
Don Matthews | 1 | 1997 |
Scott Milanovich | 1 | 2012 |
Adam Rita | 1 | 1991 |
Marc Trestman | 1 | 2017 |
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, the team is the oldest existing 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 from 1989 until 2016, when the team moved to BMO Field, the fifth stadium site to host the team.
Michael Lutrell "Pinball" Clemons 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 is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most famous Argonauts players of all time, as well as one of the most popular professional athletes in the history of Toronto.
Frank James Clair was an American gridiron football player, coach, and executive. Nicknamed "the Professor" for his ability to recognize and develop talent, he served as a head coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Toronto Argonauts from 1950 to 1954 and the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1956 to 1969. Clair ranks third all-time in CFL history with 147 regular season wins and first in postseason victories with 27. He is also tied for the most Grey Cup championships won by a head coach with five. He won the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL's coach of the year in 1966 and 1969.
Michael O'Shea is the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a former Canadian football linebacker and former special teams coordinator of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL from 2010 to 2013, winning the Grey Cup in 2012. O'Shea played 16 seasons in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts from 1993 to 2008. He retired second all-time in career tackles with 1,154 and is one of only three players to record over 1,000 tackles. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 1999 after recording 84 tackles, 13 special teams tackles and three interceptions that year. O'Shea is a three-time Grey Cup champion as a player, having won all three with the Argonauts in 1996, 1997, and 2004. He is also a two-time Grey Cup winning head coach, having won with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021; O'Shea also won the Grey Cup previously as a special teams coach with the Toronto Argonauts in the 100th Grey Cup.
Anthony Calvillo is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was professional football's all-time passing yards leader from 2011 to 2020, and is first in all-time CFL passing yards. In his career, he passed for 79,816 yards and is one of ten professional quarterbacks to have completed over 400 touchdown passes. His passing-yards reign ended in 2020 when Brees surpassed his record.
Adam Rita is a gridiron football coach & general manager, most notably in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has served as the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders, and BC Lions and as general manager of the Lions and Argonauts. Since leaving the CFL in 2012, Rita has been coaching American football in Europe. Coaching the Bergamo Lions in the Italian Football League (IFL), Calanda Broncos in Switzerland, Prague Panthers in Czech, Berlin Adler Germany, Barcelona Dragons in Spain, in the newly formed European League of Football (ELF) in 2021 and returned again to the Bergamo Lions in 2022.
Leo Cahill was an American head coach and general manager in the Canadian Football League (CFL), much of it spent with the Toronto Argonauts.
Kevin Eiben is a Canadian former professional football linebacker who is currently the defensive co-coordinator and linebackers coach for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 26th overall by the Argonauts in the 2001 CFL Draft and spent the first 11 years of his playing career with the team, followed by one season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played college football for the Bucknell Bison.
Ryan Dinwiddie is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played as a quarterback in the CFL. After playing college football for the Boise State Broncos, he went undrafted and signed with the Chicago Bears, however he was cut from their training camp. Dinwiddie later went on to play professionally for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe, and also played for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
James Barker is a football executive and coach. He is currently employed by TSN as a CFL panelist. His most recent employment in Canadian football was a senior advisor for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Barker has been the general manager of the Calgary Stampeders from 2005–07, and the Argonauts from 2011-2016. He was also the head coach of the Argonauts in 1999, with the Stampeders in 2003, and then again with the Argos in 2010-11. He has also been a sports analyst for the CFL on TSN. Barker has also served as a football operations consultant and assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is a four-time Grey Cup champion having won twice as an assistant coach and twice as a football administrator.
The 2008 Toronto Argonauts season was the 51st season for the team in the Canadian Football League and 136th season overall. The Argonauts attempted to win their 16th Grey Cup, but they failed to make the playoffs ending the season on a nine-game losing streak.
Allan Byron (Teddy) Morris was a Canadian Football Hall of Fame player and coach for the Toronto Argonauts.
Henoc Muamba is a Congolese-Canadian former professional football linebacker who played in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was a two-time CFL All-Star, three-time CFL Divisional All-Star, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2017. In 2022, he won the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) and Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian, becoming the second player in history to earn both awards. He was also a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Indianapolis Colts, Montreal Alouettes, Dallas Cowboys, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 1933 Toronto Argonauts season was the club's 47th season since its inception in 1873 and its 24th season in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. The team finished tied with the Montreal Football Club for first place in the IRFU with an identical record of four wins and two losses, resulting in a two-game, total-points tiebreaker series which the Argos won by an aggregate score of 20-9. By virtue of this victory, the club secured its 7th IRFU championship and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1922. The ten-year drought was, and continues to be, the longest playoff drought in franchise history.
The 2020 Toronto Argonauts season was scheduled to be the 63rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 148th year of existence. This would have been the first full season with Michael Clemons as general manager following his appointment mid-way through the 2019 season. This would have also been the first season for head coach Ryan Dinwiddie.
The 2021 Toronto Argonauts season was the 63rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 148th year of existence. The Argonauts improved on their 4–14 record from their previous season in 2019 with a win in week 10 against the Ottawa Redblacks on October 6, 2021. The team qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017, on October 30, 2021, with a win over the BC Lions. The Argonauts then clinched first place in the East Division after defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on November 12, 2021. However, the Argonauts lost to the same Tiger-Cats in the East Final after holding a 12–0 halftime lead, but were unable to score a touchdown and lost 27–19.
The 2022 Toronto Argonauts season was the 64th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 149th year of existence. The Argonauts won the 109th Grey Cup over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 24–23. This was the 18th time the Argonauts have won the championship, a league record. The Argonauts held their training camp on the campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.
The 2023 Toronto Argonauts season was the 65th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 150th year of existence. The Argonauts entered the season as defending champions following their victory in the 109th Grey Cup. The team attempted to win their league-leading 19th Grey Cup championship, but were defeated by the Montreal Alouettes in the East Final.
The 2024 Toronto Argonauts season is the 66th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 151st year of existence. The Argonauts qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year with a win on October 11 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The team will attempt to win their league-leading 19th Grey Cup championship.