800km
497miles

Alouettes

Renegades

Argonauts

Tiger-Cats

Blue Bombers

Roughriders

Eskimos

Stampeders

Lions

   

Canadian Football League team locations: West, East

The2005 CFL season is considered to be the 52nd season in modern-dayCanadian football, although it is officially the 48thCanadian Football League season.

New ownership groups took control of twoCFL franchises in the 2005 season. TheCalgary Stampeders were sold to an ownership group that is led byTed Hellard and former Stampeder legend,John Forzani. After going through ownership in-fighting, theOttawa Renegades announced that a new ownership group led by Bill Smith and formerOttawa Rough Riders owner,Bernie Glieberman, would take over the team.

In April, theToronto Argonauts plans to build a new stadium atYork University had been cancelled due to rising costs. However, the owners of theRogers Centre announced that the Argonauts would be able to remain at the stadium rent-free. Previously, the Argonauts were charged the highest in terms of rent than any other team in the CFL.

Before the season began, the CFL through its partnership withReebok, introduced new home and away uniforms for all nine teams. Third alternate uniforms were created for all of the teams with the exception of the Toronto Argonauts and theHamilton Tiger-Cats.

On June 11, the first ever CFL game inHalifax, Nova Scotia is played for the specialTouchdown Atlantic pre-season game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, which ended in a 16–16 draw atHuskies Stadium.

More than 2,303,455 fans filled the stadiums across the country to catch CFL games in 2005, which was a 4% increase from the2004 season. The 2005 regular season attendance figure also became the all-time highest grossing regular season attendance record in CFL history, by breaking the previous record of 2,229,834 that was set in the 16-game1978 season. In addition, it marked the fourth consecutive year of national attendance increases for the league.

The 2005 season also saw television audience increases onTSN,CBC andRDS. TSN's CFL broadcast drew an average of 395,000 viewers for its 55 regular season games (and one preseason game), the highest average CFL audience in TSN history. The figure eclipsed the 2004average minute audience by 27%, with ratings in the male 18–34 demographic specifically, increasing 30% over last season.CFL on CBC recorded a 6% increase in 2005 with an average audience of 462,000 (versus 437,000 in 2004), despite a 50-dayCanadian Media Guild strike that left the CBC without access to any announcers between August 20 and October 4.^[1] Average audiences in RDS were also on the rise in 2005. With an 18-game schedule, RDS averaged 201,000 viewers (versus 189,000 in 2004), a 6% increase over last season.

On October 28,Saskatchewan linebacker,Trevis Smith was charged withaggravated sexual assault inSurrey, BC for allegedly having unprotected sex while knowing that he isHIV positive. Then on November 18, Trevis Smith was charged with the same offence inRegina, Saskatchewan after another woman came forward alleging that Smith did not tell her that he was HIV positive before they had unprotected sex. A court date has been set for 2006.[1]

On November 27, theGrey Cup game was decided in overtime for only the second time in its 93-year history, as the Edmonton Eskimos defeated theMontreal Alouettes, 38–35 in double OT, atBC Place Stadium inVancouver, B.C.

Winnipeg slotback,Milt Stegall surpassedAllen Pitts' mark for most career receiving TDs with 126.

Eskimos quarterback,Ricky Ray completed 479 passes, which marked the highest single season total for a quarterback.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers punter,Jon Ryan brokeLui Passaglia's single season average punt record of 50.2 yards by averaging 50.6 yards per punt.

After setting the CFL historical precedent of four receivers on one team reaching the 1000-yard mark in one season the previous year, the Montreal Alouettes again accomplished the feat in 2005, this time with Kerry Watkins (1364 yards), Terry Vaughn (1113 yards), Ben Cahoon (1067 yards), and Dave Stala (1037 yards).

TheBC Lions started the season by winning 11 consecutive games and were two wins away of breaking the 12–0 record set by the1948 Calgary Stampeders. The Lions could have broken the record, but eventually lost four straight games and ended their last seven games by going 1–6.

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points

Teams inbold finished in playoff positions.

• Due to the cross-over rule, the Saskatchewan Roughriders play the Montreal Alouettes in the Scotiabank Eastern Semi-Final.

TheEdmonton Eskimos are the 2005Grey Cup Champions, defeating theMontreal Alouettes 38–35 in an overtime thriller played inVancouver'sBC Place Stadium. It was the first Grey Cup game in 44 years to go to overtime.The Eskimos'Ricky Ray (QB) was named theGrey Cup's Most Valuable Player and the Eskimos'Mike Maurer (FB) was theGrey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.

*-Team won in Overtime.

• CFL passing leaders
• CFL rushing leaders
• CFL receiving leaders^[2]

• P –Jon Ryan, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• K –Sandro DeAngelis, Calgary Stampeders
• ST –Corey Holmes, Saskatchewan Roughriders

• P –Jon Ryan, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• K –Sandro DeAngelis, Calgary Stampeders
• ST –Corey Holmes, Saskatchewan Roughriders

• P –Noel Prefontaine, Toronto Argonauts
• K –Noel Prefontaine, Toronto Argonauts
• ST –Jason Armstead, Ottawa Renegades

^[3]

• CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award –Damon Allen (QB), Toronto Argonauts
• CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award –Brent Johnson (DE), BC Lions
• CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award –John Grace (LB), Calgary Stampeders
• CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award –Gene Makowsky (OT), Saskatchewan Roughriders
• CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award –Gavin Walls (DE), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• CFL's Most Outstanding Special Teams Award –Corey Holmes (RB), Saskatchewan Roughriders
• CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award –Danny McManus (QB), Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Rogers Fans' Choice Award –Damon Allen (QB), Toronto Argonauts
• CFL's Scotiabank Coach of the Year –Tom Higgins, Calgary Stampeders
• Commissioner's Award – The Water Boys, Vancouver

• 2005 in Canadian football
• Canadian Football League seasons

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