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 Princess Auto Stadium.
The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division.
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.
The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.
The 1981 CFL season is considered to be the 28th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 24th Canadian Football League season.
Danny McManus is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He passed for over 53,000 yards in 17 seasons. He currently serves as the assistant general manager and director for U.S. scouting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played every season in the league from 1990 to 2006, as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and finally with the Calgary Stampeders. He is a five-time Grey Cup champion, having won three times as a player and twice in a front office capacity. He is fifth all-time in passing yards in the CFL and is the all-time leading passer for the Tiger-Cats. He has also worked as a color commentator for TSN's CFL broadcasts, having previously appeared as a guest analyst on the CFL on CBC late in his playing career.
The 72nd Grey Cup was the 1984 Canadian Football League championship game, played November 18, 1984 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Blue Bombers dominated the Tiger-Cats in a 47–17 victory.
The 99th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the West Division champion BC Lions to decide the champion of the Canadian Football League in the 2011 season. The Lions defeated the Blue Bombers 34–23 and became the first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after starting the season with five straight losses. They also became the first team to win the championship game at home since the 1994 Lions did it in the 82nd Grey Cup, and were only the fourth team in the modern era to do so. This, a rematch of the 76th Grey Cup, was the second time that these two teams met for the championship.
Darvin Adams is an American professional football wide receiver. Adams is a two-time Canadian Football League (CFL) champion, winning the 107th Grey Cup and 108th Grey Cup as part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. First signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Adams has also been a member of the Virginia Destroyers, Toronto Argonauts, and Ottawa Redblacks. He played college football at Auburn, with whom he won the 2011 BCS National Championship.
Mike Miller is a Canadian former professional football player who is currently the special teams coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the CFL as a linebacker and fullback for 11 years. He is a three-time Grey Cup champion, having won with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015 and with the Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021. He is the CFL's all-time leader in career special teams tackles and holds the record for most special teams tackles in one game with seven.
Henry F. Janzen was a Canadian professional football defensive back and kick returner who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1959 to 1965.
Willie Hebert Jefferson III is an American professional football defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Jefferson is a three-time Grey Cup champion, winning with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015 and twice more with the Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021. He was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2019 with the Bombers, and is a five-time CFL All-Star and six-time CFL West All-Star. He has also been a member of the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, and Saskatchewan Roughriders. Jefferson played college football for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the Baylor Bears.
Jake Thomas is a professional Canadian football defensive tackle for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Nic Demski is a Canadian football slotback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Demski won the 107th and 108th Grey Cups with his hometown Blue Bombers, both times defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The 107th Grey Cup decided the champion of the 2019 season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The match was played on November 24, 2019, between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta. Winnipeg defeated Hamilton, 33–12. This was the Blue Bombers' first Grey Cup victory since 1990, ending one of the longest championship droughts in CFL history. Winnipeg's Andrew Harris was named both Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Canadian of the game, which was the first time a player had won both honours in the same game.
The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regina, and the first to be held at the new Mosaic Stadium as opposed to Taylor Field.
The 108th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2021 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled and the start of the 2021 season was delayed, pushing the game to December 12, 2021. The 108th Grey Cup was a rematch of the 107th Grey Cup in 2019 between the defending Grey Cup and West Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. The Blue Bombers defeated the Tiger-Cats 33–25 in overtime for their second straight title, making them the first team in 11 years to win two straight Grey Cups. This game was also the fourth Grey Cup to go into overtime, with the other three instances coming in 1961, 2005 and 2016.
Shayne Gauthier is a professional Canadian football linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion after winning with the Blue Bombers in the 107th Grey Cup game. He played CIS football for the Laval Rouge et Or from 2012 to 2015 where he won two Vanier Cup championships in 2012 and 2013.
The 110th Grey Cup was played to determine the Canadian Football League (CFL) champion for the 2023 season. The game was played on November 19, 2023, at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, between the West Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the East Division champion Montreal Alouettes. The Alouettes defeated the Blue Bombers, 28–24. It was the 12th time that Hamilton had hosted the Grey Cup, the previous having been in 2021.
The 111th Grey Cup was played to decide the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2024 season. The game was played on November 17, 2024, at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41–24 to win their 19th CFL title. It was the 17th time that Vancouver has hosted the Grey Cup, with the most recent being in 2014.