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Located on the University of Calgary campus with a 35,000-seat capacity, the outdoor artificial-turf stadium made its own mark on history in 1960, when builders completed its construction a scant 103 days after ground was broken.
Before this stadium was even built, the Calgary Stampeders had earned a place in Canadian history.
In 1929, halfback Jerry Seiberling threw the first completed forward pass in senior league play to outside wing Ralph Losie, and the Stampeders ultimately won the game against Edmonton.
Even more historic is the story surrounding the Stampeders’ first Grey Cup win.
When the team met the Ottawa Rough Riders at Varsity Stadium in Toronto to compete for the trophy in November of 1948, the fledgling team from Calgary was not expected to beat its more seasoned rival.
The Calgary fans knew better, descending upon the city in a frenzy of merriment that has transformed the Grey Cup event into week-long festivities and national celebrations ever since.
Accounts of that historic Toronto party mood mention horseback riding through the Royal York Hotel, pancake flipping on City Hall steps, spontaneous dances and parades, and ticket scalping that earned offenders ten days in jail.
The Calgary Stampeders validated their fans’ faith in them by winning their first Grey Cup that November in 1948, and the annual competition so solidified the nation that in 1962 Parliament legislated that televised coverage of the game must be available to all regions.
The Grey Cup remains the most eagerly anticipated sporting event in Canada, with the yearly broadcast of the game still attracting record-breaking audiences.
That first Grey Cup victory may have been the most memorable one, but it was certainly not the last.
To date, the Calgary Stampeders have played at eleven Grey Cup finals, winning a total of five for 1948, 1971, 1992, 1998, and 2001, with the 1971 win in Vancouver’s Empire Stadium marking the event’s first play on artificial turf.
The Stampeders have also won western regular season championships fifteen times, for 1937, 1938, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000, as well as eleven western division titles.
You can become a part of this long history of football sportsmanship by participating in one of the many community activities sponsored by the Calgary Stampeders.
Upcoming events include the Training Camp Opener at McMahon Stadium on Sunday, June 3, 2007 from 8-10 a.m., which gives visitors a chance to look over the new team of talent and watch as they kick off the opening day of the 2007 Training Camp.
Admission is free, and a tasty barbecue will follow on the south parking lot.
There are plenty of other events, so visit the Calgary Stampeders website and find out what’s going on with Calgary Stampeders football.
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