Montreal Football Club

Last updated
Montreal Football Club
Founded1872;151 years ago (1872)
Folded1915;108 years ago (1915)
Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Home fieldMontreal AAA Grounds
League QRFU (1883–1906)
IRFU (1907–1915)
Coloursblack, red [1]   

The Montreal Football Club was a Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Quebec Rugby Football Union from 1883 to 1906 and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union from 1907 to 1915. The club was a founding member of the QRFU and played in the first football game in Quebec in 1872. The club was dominant in Quebec, winning 12 of the 24 QRFU titles in the years that they played in that league. [2] Montreal also won the first Canadian Dominion Football Championship in 1884, a predecessor of the Grey Cup and again won the championship in their first season in the IRFU in 1907. [3]

Contents

History

Founding

The Montreal Foot Ball Club was founded on April 8, 1872 in one of the lower rooms of the Mechanics Hall buildings. Their first game played was also the first football game to be played in the province of Quebec, on Saturday, October 12, 1872 against the Quebec City club in Quebec City at the Esplanade. The two teams would meet again on Saturday, October 26, 1872 at McGill University where both games would be played to 0-0 ties. [4]

Quebec Rugby Football Union

Montreal was a founding member of the Quebec Rugby Football Union, which was formed on January 16, 1883, and became a dominant and influential force in that league. [2] Games in the QRFU were played on a challenge system, meaning that teams would play an uneven number of games by challenging the top team. Since Montreal would frequently be a top team in the league, they would end up being challenged the most and subsequently would play the most games. Montreal repeated as QRFU champion in 1884, but this time would also play the Ontario Rugby Football Union champion after the newly formed Canadian Rugby Football Union decided to crown a national champion. Consequently, the Montreal Foot Ball Club would win the very first Canadian Dominion Football Championship against the Toronto Argonauts by a score of 30-0 on November 6, 1884. [5]

The Montreal Club would continue their dominance over their QRFU rivals, winning the QRFU title 11 times in the 13 years since the union's inception. However, in the years that a Dominion Championship was held, the club would come home empty-handed when facing their ORFU opponent. In 1892, the QRFU switched to a balanced schedule, where all teams would face each other an equal number of times during the season, and after 1894 it would become a permanent feature of the league. [6] Whether it was because of this or because of increased competition, Montreal lost its grip on its dominance over its opponents, and, as a result, would go ten years without a QRFU title.

Montreal Football Club in 1905. Montreal Football Club 1905.jpg
Montreal Football Club in 1905.

It wasn't until 1906 that the Montreal Football Club would regain their prowess, with a first-place finish and an undefeated record in the QRFU and their first title since 1895. In order to play in the Dominion championship, the club would have to play the ORFU champion Hamilton Tigers in order to qualify for the national championship against the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union champion McGill University. Montreal would lose the game against the Tigers 11-6, who would go on to defeat McGill and win the Dominion Championship, extending Montreal's drought to 22 years. [1]

Inerprovincial Rugby Football Union

The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union was formed on October 2, 1907 in an amalgamation of the Montreal Football Club and the Ottawa Rough Riders of the QRFU and the Hamilton Tigers and the Toronto Argonauts of the ORFU. Montreal immediately made up for the previous season's disappointment, finishing first in the IRFU, including a win over the Tigers who had eliminated the Montreal Club from the year before. Montreal then went on to defeat the Peterborough club 71-10 on December 1, 1907 to become the first Dominion Champions of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, including their first national championship since their first in 1884. [5]

However, Montreal would never regain that form as the club's fortunes waned severely in the following years. Montreal would finish last six times in the next eight years and finished third in the other two. In this stretch, they won only seven games, losing the other 41 games, including three winless seasons. 1915 was the last season of competition for the team as the Montreal Football Club did not return after the First World War ended and play resumed in 1919. They were instead replaced by the Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers. [1]

Seasons

SeasonWLTPFPAPtsFinishPlayoffs
188330151-1st, QRFU-
1884200352-1st, QRFUWon Dominion Championship
1885200620-1st, QRFU-
1886200276-1st, QRFU-
18872005215-1st, QRFULost Dominion Championship
1888200475-1st, QRFUDominion Championship 0-0 Draw
18893001025-1st, QRFU-
18901114638-2nd, QRFU-
18912109224-1st, QRFULost Dominion Championship
1892310482961st, QRFULost Dominion Championship
18932003512-1st, QRFULost Dominion Championship
1894310923862nd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1895310813061st, QRFULost Dominion Championship
1896220482943rd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1897010131402nd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1898220846642nd, QRFULost QRFU Semi-Final
1899330477763rd, QRFU-
1900420738782nd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1901150239924th, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1902240388543rd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1903420784382nd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1904420615482nd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
1905420875082nd, QRFUMissed Playoffs
190660017054121st, QRFULost Dominion Semi-Final
19075108533101st, IRFUWon Dominion Championship
19081504910123rd, IRFUMissed Playoffs
1909150369124th, IRFUMissed Playoffs
1910240748744th, IRFUMissed Playoffs
19111504910124th, IRFUMissed Playoffs
19120605411204th, IRFUMissed Playoffs
19130602714404th, IRFUMissed Playoffs
19142406210843rd, IRFUMissed Playoffs
19150601013604th, IRFUMissed Playoffs

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2011-06-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) THE QUEBEC RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION 1883–1906 – Part 6
  2. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2012-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) THE QUEBEC RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION 1883–1906 – Part 1
  3. ↑ 2009 Canadian Football League Facts, Figures & Records, Canadian Football League Properties/Publications, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN   978-0-9739425-4-5, p.294
  4. ↑ 2009 Canadian Football League Facts, Figures & Records, Canadian Football League Properties/Publications, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN   978-0-9739425-4-5, p.282
  5. 1 2 https://www.cfl.ca/page/his_teams_mtl History of the Montreal Alouettes
  6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2012-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) THE QUEBEC RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION 1883–1906 – Part 2
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