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 due to financial instability, and its players were absorbed by the other teams in a dispersal draft.
After two years in limbo, the Renegades franchise was awarded to Jeff Hunt, best known as the owner of the Ottawa 67's, in March 2008. The new franchise was revived in 2014 and rebranded as the Ottawa Redblacks.[1] For historical purposes, the CFL classifies the Redblacks, Renegades and Rough Riders as one discontinuous franchise.[2]
History
Ottawa Renegades uniform: 2002–2004
The Ottawa Renegades returned Canadian Football League action to Canada's capital in 2002. Ottawa had been without a team since 1996, when the Ottawa Rough Riders folded. The logo chosen draws similarities to the logo used by the Rough Riders for much of their existence up until 1992. The Renegades played four seasons and never qualified for the playoffs. In May 2005, Bernard Glieberman (former owner of the Rough Riders and the CFL USA's Shreveport Pirates) took ownership of the team, and made his son Lonie Glieberman team president, and many of the same names they had employed during the unsuccessful years of Glieberman's ownership of their previous teams started reappearing (for example, Björn Nittmo, by this point severely brain-damaged, almost 39 years old and out of football since 2001, was brought in as a potential kicker in the 2005 season). The team's only head coach was Joe Paopao. On November 7, 2005, the Ottawa Renegades announced John Jenkins as head coach and General Manager for 2006, with Forrest Gregg serving as the team's Executive VP for football. However, this did not occur because of the suspension of the team's operations.
On March 3, 2006, Lonie Glieberman resigned from day-to-day operations of the team, acknowledging that he made mistakes during his tenure.
With the team losing $3.8 million in 2005, and the possibility of losing an additional $2.3 million to $5.8 million in 2006, the organization requested financial assistance from the CFL, which the league was not willing to provide. On March 22, 2006, Bernie Glieberman decided to stop funding the Renegades. While the CFL previously took over operations of the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2003, on April 9, 2006, the CFL's board of governors decided against doing the same for the Renegades, instead choosing to look for a new owner.[3][4] The CFL moved its easternmost-West Division team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, back to the East Division for the third time in its history to take Ottawa's place and to balance out the divisions (the Bombers played in the East from 1987–94, 1997–2001 and this time from 2006–13).
Steelback Brewery president Frank D'Angelo announced in April 2006 that he was exploring opportunities to revive the team. The announcement was not cleared with the Canadian Football League, who indicated that they had had only one informal conversation with D'Angelo, in which no decision was made.[5]
On May 15, 2007, the CFL announced that it had ended discussions with a group led by William Palmer regarding the return of a CFL team to Ottawa for the 2008 season.[6]
CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon stated "[s]everal parties have expressed interest regarding a franchise for Ottawa, and we have decided to concentrate efforts on these new opportunities. The CFL remains committed to the City of Ottawa, and we remain determined to return a franchise to the nation’s capital only at a time and under circumstances that will ensure strength and stability in the long run".[7]
However, in September 2007, the lower south side of Frank Clair Stadium was closed, due to cracks in the concrete structure. Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien was quoted at the time that this was an opportunity to do a review of the usage and the facilities of Lansdowne Park.
On March 25, 2008, the league ended the team's indefinite limbo by awarding the franchise to Jeff Hunt, owner of the Ottawa 67's. The team began play in 2014,[8] and did not retain the name Renegades because of its troubled history (and could not use the Rough Riders name due to objections from the Saskatchewan Roughriders), instead being called the Ottawa Redblacks.
Dan Crowley was the team's first starting quarterback.[10] Throughout 2002, backup quarterbacks Chuck Clements and Oteman Sampson, also saw some starting time.[11][12][13] However, in 2003, Kerry Joseph, was the quarterback to ultimately succeed Crowley.[14] During 2003, Romaro Miller also started at quarterback.[15] During 2004 and 2005, Joseph functioned as the primary starting quarterback. However, backups Darnell Kennedy and Brad Banks also saw time as the starter, in relief of Joseph.[16][17][18]
The Canadian Football League 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 city in Canada. They are divided into two divisions: four teams in the East Division and five teams in the West Division. As of 2024, it features a 21-week regular season in which each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks. This season traditionally runs from mid-June to early November. Following the regular season, six teams compete in the league's three-week playoffs, which culminate in the Grey Cup championship game in late November. The Grey Cup is one of Canada's largest annual sports and television events. The CFL was officially named on January 19, 1958, upon the merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or "Big Four" and the Western Interprovincial Football Union.
The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, in 1994 and 1995. Despite a relatively strong fan base, they were one of the least successful of the CFL's American franchises on and off the field.
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, in which they won five Grey Cups. The team's fortunes waned in the 1980s and 1990s, and they ultimately ceased operations following the 1996 season. Five years later, a new CFL team known as the Ottawa Renegades was founded, though they suspended operations in 2006. The Ottawa Redblacks, which own the Rough Riders and Renegades intellectual properties, joined the league in 2014.
Joe Paopao is a former professional Canadian football quarterback and coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Paopao played 11 seasons in the CFL and was a member of the BC Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders. He began his coaching career with the BC Lions and has coached with five CFL organizations, including stints as head coach with the BC Lions in 1996 and the Ottawa Renegades from 2002–2005. He most recently served as the quarterbacks coach for the Ottawa Redblacks.
The 2006 CFL season is considered to be the 53rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 49th Canadian Football League season.
Bernard "Bernie" Glieberman is an American real estate mogul and the president of Crosswinds Communities. Despite having made his fortune in real estate, Glieberman was perhaps best known for, with his son Lonie, making several unsuccessful and controversial forays into sports team ownership and management in the Canadian Football League.
The Ottawa Redblacks are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The 1994 Shreveport Pirates season was the first season in the teams franchise history. They finished last place in the East division with a 3–15 record and failed to make the playoffs.
Bradley Sinopoli is a former Canadian football wide receiver who played for nine years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally a quarterback with the Calgary Stampeders before being converted to wide receiver in 2013. He then joined the Ottawa Redblacks where he was twice named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian, was named an East Division All-Star three times, and a CFL All-Star in 2018. He won two Grey Cup championships, after winning with the Stampeders in 2014 and with the Redblacks in 2016, the latter of which he was also named the game's Most Valuable Canadian.
The 103rd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game that was played on November 29, 2015 between the East Division champion Ottawa Redblacks and the West Division champion Edmonton Eskimos to decide the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2015 season. The game was played at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shaw Communications was the presenting sponsor of the game; it was the first time in CFL history that the Grey Cup has been sponsored. The Eskimos won the contest 26–20 to claim their 14th Grey Cup championship in franchise history and first since 2005. Mike Reilly was named Most Valuable Player and Shamawd Chambers received the Dick Suderman Trophy as Most Valuable Canadian. It was the Eskimos' first Grey Cup win that did not involve Hugh Campbell in any capacity with the organization since the 1975 Grey Cup. This was Edmonton's last Grey Cup under the "Eskimos" name before the team name was changed to the Edmonton Elks in 2020.
The 2015 Ottawa Redblacks season was the second season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Redblacks improved upon their unimpressive 2–16 record from 2014 after just five games when they collected their third win in week five against the Calgary Stampeders. Ottawa clinched a playoff berth in week 17 with a victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on October 16, 2015. The Redblacks became the first Ottawa-based CFL team to have a winning record since 1979. They were also the first Ottawa-based CFL team to finish first in East Division since the 1978 Rough Riders and the first Ottawa-based team ever to finish with at least 12 regular season wins.
Dan Crowley is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) import quarterback from the United States. He played college football for the Towson Tigers, setting several school records. After college, Crowley professionally debuted in 1995 for the CFL USA team, the Baltimore Stallions. Crowley also played for the Montreal Alouettes in 1996, as well as the Edmonton Eskimos from 1999 until 2001. Known as a career backup, Crowley received his first major starting opportunity with the then-new Ottawa Renegades in 2002, becoming the team's first starting quarterback.
Jonathon Jennings is an American professional Canadian football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He attended Saginaw Valley State University, where he played college football and studied finance. Jennings made his professional debut for the BC Lions in 2015.
The 104th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game that was played on November 27, 2016, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks, that decided the champion for the 2016 CFL season. In an upset, the Redblacks defeated the heavily favoured Stampeders 39–33 in overtime to win a championship in just their third season of existence. This was the third Grey Cup game to go into overtime. This also marked a first that a CFL team won its division with a losing record (8–9–1) and became the 3rd worst team to win the Grey Cup.
The 2016 CFL season was the 63rd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 59th Canadian Football League season. Toronto hosted the 104th Grey Cup on November 27. The regular season began on June 23 and ended on November 5.
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 introduced in the 1990 CFL season.
Thomas Condell is a professional Canadian football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion having won as an assistant coach with the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. He played college football as a wide receiver for the Lock Haven Bald Eagles and Cortland Red Dragons.
Caleb Evans is a professional gridiron football quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Louisiana–Monroe.
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