Canadian Football League

East Division

HAMILTON
TIGER-CATS		 MONTREAL
ALOUETTES		 OTTAWA
REDBLACKS
TORONTO
ARGONAUTS

West Division

B.C. LIONS CALGARY
STAMPEDERS		 EDMONTON ELKS
SASKATCHEWAN
ROUGHRIDERS		 WINNIPEG
BLUE BOMBERS

The Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders are using new helmet designs in 2023 (shown above).

This webpage lists Grey Cup winners back to 1960.

Historical Helmets (currently active teams)

B.C. LIONS

c.mid 1950s - 1961 c.1962 - 1966;
2009 (some games)		 1971
*see note 1 below
1968 - 1970; 1972? - ? ? - 1977 1978 - 1989
1990 - 1995 June 20, 2003 1996 - 2004
August 19, 2005;
August 4, 2006		 2006 - 2007 October 28, 2006
*see note 2 below
'B' 'C'
October 9, 2008 July 10, 2010;
July 16, 2010		 August 7, 2010;
August 27, 2010;
September 11, 2010
*see note 3 below
'D' 'E' 'A'
September 10, 2011 2013 - 2014 2005 - 2015
'F' 'G' 'H'
2016 - 2018 2016 - 2018 2019; 2021
'I' 'J' 'K'
2022 - 2023 - 2023 -

During recent years the Lions used the following sequences of helmet designs:

I believe that the helmets shown above represent most of the historical designs for the Lions for the period covered by this site (1960 to present), but there may be some other stripe variations for some of these helmets, particularly during the 1960s.

*1 The "paw" logo is visible in photographs on helmets from at least as early as the 1962 season. This design was used again during the following games in 2009: July 16 (at Edmonton); July 24 (vs Calgary); August 7 (vs Saskatchewan); September 13 (at Montreal); and November 6 (vs Edmonton).

*2 This design was apparently first used October 6, 2006 during a home game against Calgary, and was used again vs. Montreal during the 94th Grey Cup game (November 19, 2006). A visitor to this web site has reported that it may have been used for an additional game or two in 2006. I believe that it was used for a number of games in 2007, also, with the playoff game vs Sakatchewan being one specific occasion.

*3 A special helmet design was worn in 2008 in memory of former team president Bob Ackles, who died on July 6, 2008.

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CALGARY STAMPEDERS

1960 - 1961 July 25, 1962 1962? - 1967?
1968 - ? c.1970s ? - 1988
1989 - 1994 September 5, 2003 July 17, 2009;
September 11, 2009
'C' 'B' 'D'
August 15, 2010;
October 22, 2010;
2011 		2011 - 2018 1994 - 2018
'A' 'E' 'F'
1995 - 2019 - 2021 -
*see note 1 below
'G' 'H' 'I'
2021 2022 - 2023 -
'J' 'K'
2023 - 2023 -

During recent years the Stampeders used the following sequences of helmet designs:

*1 The 75th anniversary logo is worn on the left side only of this design; the traditional horse logo adorns the right side (as represented below).

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EDMONTON ELKS

c.early 1960s c.1970s - c.1980s c.1980s - c.1990s
'B' 'D'
August 9, 2003 2008; 2011 - 2015 2008
*see note 1 below
'E' 'F' 'A'
2009 August 6, 2010 1996 - 2019
'C' 'G' 'H'
2014 - 2018 2019 2021 -
'I' 'J' 'K'
2021 - 2022 - 2023-

This team was known as the Edmonton Eskimos prior to July 21, 2020.

During recent years Edmonton used the following sequences of helmet designs:

The Eskimos apparently used plain gold helmets during the early 1960s, before adopting some version of the "EE" logo in 1967 (or perhaps as early as 1964, according to other reports that I have received) for the first time.

*1 A logo commemorating the team's 60th season was worn in 2008 beginning with Edmonton's second game, a home game against Calgary; the logo contains the text "60 SEASONS", "EDMONTON ESKIMOS", "1949", and "2008". The team used this design through the end of the season, with the exceptions of the two games during which green helmets were used.

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HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

? - 1964; c.late 1960s 1965? - 1967? 1967
c.late 1960s - c.1971? c.1970s ? - 1984;
August 7, 2010
1985 - 1989? 1990? - 2002 2003 - 2004
September 4, 2006 July 18, 2009 September 7, 2009
September 7, 2013 September 1, 2014;
October 4, 2014;
September 7, 2015		 2012 - 2018
*see note 1 below *see note 2 below
2005 - 2011; 2019 - 2022 -

I have received a great deal of conflicting information regarding the specific dates of use for the various historical Tiger-Cats helmets, but the actual use of each of the designs shown here at some point in the past has at least been verified with photographic evidence. It is possible that two or more of these designs were used in some individual years, particularly during the 1960s and early 1970s.

*1 The logo on this design is that of the Hamilton Wildcats, a professional Canadian football team which merged with another team, the Hamilton Tigers, to form the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1950.

*2 Uniform numerals are present on the left side only of this design; on the right side is the team's logo (as shown below).

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MONTREAL ALOUETTES (including Montreal Concordes 1982-1985)

1960 - 1969 1970 - 1973 1974
1975 - 1981;
August 6, 2010		 1982 1983 - 1985
MONTREAL CONCORDES MONTREAL CONCORDES
1986 1996 - 1997? September 13, 2009;
additional games 2009
'A' 'B' 'C'
1998? - October 29, 2010;
November 7, 2010;
2016 - 		2016 -
'D' 'E'
2018 preseason 2018 2018
'F' 'G' 'H'
2018 2018 2018
'I' 'J'
2019; 2021 2022 -

During recent years the Alouettes have used the following sequences of helmet designs:

The original Montreal Alouettes, the Montreal Concordes, and the "new" Montreal Alouettes are considered to be one franchise for historical purposes by the league, despite the name changes and the nine-year absence of a team in Montreal from 1987 through 1995. The original Alouettes folded after the 1981 season, but were resurrected soon thereafter as the Montreal Concordes, who played from 1982 through 1985. The team name was changed back to Alouettes for the 1986 season, but the team folded again just before the 1987 season was scheduled to begin. When the Baltimore Stallions franchise relocated to Montreal for the 1996 season, the name Alouettes was resurrected for a second time (but the Stallions records are excluded from the Alouettes historical records).

A visitor to this website has reported the "discovery" of an apparently previously-unknown helmet design used by the Alouettes during at least the first two regular-season games of the 1975 season (at Hamilton and vs Saskatchewan); below are some cropped photographs from archival newspapers showing what appears to be an arched word logo (presumably the team name) on the sides of the (presumably) blue helmets. An outline has been added to clarify the location of the helmet shell.

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OTTAWA REDBLACKS (including Ottawa Rough Riders 1960 - 1996 and Ottawa Renegades 2002 - 2005)

1960 1961 1962 only?
OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS
1963 only? 1964 1964 - ?
OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS
? - 1983 1984 - 1987 1988 - 1991
OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS
1992 - 1993 1994 1995 - 1996
OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS
'A' 'B'
2002 - 2005 2014 - 2014 -
OTTAWA RENEGADES OTTAWA REDBLACKS OTTAWA REDBLACKS
'C'
2022 -
OTTAWA REDBLACKS

The Redblacks joined the CFL in 2014. The team has used the following sequences of helmet designs during its history:

I have moved helmet images for the two earlier Ottawa CFL franchises into this section in accordance due to the following passage from the CFL Guide and Record Book, 2016 Edition: "For Canadian Football historical record purposes and in accordance with the club's wishes, the Ottawa Football Clubs are considered to be a single entity under various ownerships with two intervals of non-participation (1997-2001 & 2006-2013)."

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SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

1960? - 1964 1965 1966 - ?
? - 1984 1985 - 1994 September 3, 2007
'A' 'B'
1995 - 2007 2008 - 2009 2009
'C' 'D' 'E'
2009 - 2010 - 2015 July 17, 2010
'F' 'G' 'H'
2012 - 2013 2013 - 2015 2014 - 2015
'I'
2016 -

During recent years the Roughriders have used the following sequences of helmet designs:

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TORONTO ARGONAUTS

c.1960 - 1962 1963 1964
1965 1966 - 1968 1969 -
c.mid 1970s 1976 - ? ? - 1988
1989 - 1990 1991 - 1994 1995 - 2004
2005 September 12, 2008;
October 10, 2008		 2009 (some games)
'B' 'F' 'A'
August 14, 2010;
October 29, 2010;
2011		 2013 2006 - 2016
'C' 'D' 'E'
2013 2017 - 2018 2017 - 2019
'G' 'H' 'I'
2019 2021 - 2021
'J' 'K'
2023 - 2023 -

During recent years the Argonauts have used the following sequences of helmet designs:

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WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

1962 - ? c.1960s? - c.1970s?;
August 13, 2010;
some games in 2011		 c.1970s? - 1994?
*see note 1 below
1995? - 1997 1998 - 2004 October 10, 2005;
November 25, 2007;
July 2, 2010;
November 5, 2010
*see note 2 below
September 12, 2008;
October 10, 2008		 2009 (some games) August 15, 2009
*see note 3 below
'A' 'B' 'C'
2005 - 2011 2011 - 2012 2012 - 2015
'E' 'D' 'F'
2014 2013 - 2021
'G'
2022 -

During recent years the Blue Bombers have used the following sequences of helmet designs:

The Blue Bombers apparently used at least one or two other helmet designs during the very early 1960s: during at least the 1961 season, the helmets were royal blue with white "lightning bolts" (and possibly white uniform numerals, also); this design may also have been used in 1960, or else the team may have been using just the white numerals that year without the bolts. I would appreciate some clear photographs from the 1960 and 1961 seasons.

*1 The 1970s helmet design was brought back for use August 13, 2010 (vs Hamilton), July 8, 2011 (vs Toronto), and July 14, 2011 (vs Calgary).

*2 This design was worn during a 2005 home game against British Columbia, during the Grey Cup game vs Saskatchewan at the end of the 2007 season, and during 2010 home games against Hamilton and Calgary.

*3 Worn during the 2009 home game against Montreal.

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Historical Helmets(defunct teams)

BALTIMORE STALLIONS

1994 - 1995

BIRMINGHAM BARRACUDAS

1995

LAS VEGAS POSSE

1994

MEMPHIS MAD DOGS

1995

SAN ANTONIO TEXANS / SACRAMENTO GOLD MINERS

1993 - 1994 1995
SACRAMENTO GOLD MINERS SAN ANTONIO TEXANS

SHREVEPORT PIRATES

1994 - 1995

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