1995 Baltimore Stallions season
Encyclopedia
The 1995
Baltimore Stallions
season was the second in the history of the Baltimore CFL franchise. It would be the final season in Baltimore as the team relocated to Montreal, Quebec. The team ended its existence with a victory in the Grey Cup. The Stallions were the first American based football team
to win the Grey Cup
. Despite the Stallions success, attendance dropped. The club only sold 9,000 season tickets.
and the Calgary Stampeders
at Taylor Field
in Regina, Saskatchewan
. The Stallions won the game by a score of 37–20. It marked the only time that an American-based team won the Grey Cup. Not one television station from Baltimore sent a crew to Regina to cover the Grey Cup game. Only 200 fans showed up for the Stallions Grey Cup celebration.
Divisional Awards
CFL Awards
1995 Southern All-Stars
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
1995 CFL All-Stars
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
owner Art Modell
announced his intention to relocate his NFL
club to Baltimore
, where they would be rechristened the Baltimore Ravens
. This would have made the Stallions the only CFL club ever to directly compete with the NFL, whose season overlaps with the last three months of the CFL season.
In late November, Jim Speros had a Save our Stallions campaign, with January 5 as the deadline to sell 20,000 season tickets. It was revealed that the team was $800,000 in debt.
Stallions owner Jim Speros realized that despite the Stallions' popularity, they could not possibly compete with the NFL. After deals with Norfolk, Virginia
and Houston fell through, Speros moved the Stallions to Montreal and revived the old Alouettes name for the 1996 season.
1995 CFL season
The 1995 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 42nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 38th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1995:...
Baltimore Stallions
Baltimore Stallions
The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team...
season was the second in the history of the Baltimore CFL franchise. It would be the final season in Baltimore as the team relocated to Montreal, Quebec. The team ended its existence with a victory in the Grey Cup. The Stallions were the first American based football team
CFL USA
The term CFL USA refers to the abortive expansion of the Canadian Football League into the United States in the early-to-mid 1990s. The 1993 CFL season saw the addition of the first American team to the league, the Sacramento Gold Miners...
to win the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
. Despite the Stallions success, attendance dropped. The club only sold 9,000 season tickets.
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat, June 17 | vs. Ottawa Rough Riders Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. 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, a... |
45–11 | Win | 20,642 |
| 2 | Sat, June 24 | at Birmingham Barracudas Birmingham Barracudas The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.-In the beginning:... |
37–0 | Win | 31,016 |
Regular season
- After the 1994 season, a name-the-team fan poll was held to decide a new team name. After the team's first week of the season being known as the Baltimore Football Club, the fan poll ended and Jim Speros announced to the Baltimore faithful that their team would be known as the Baltimore Stallions.
- Mike Pringle's rushing totals were 1,791 yards. Compared to his stats in the 1994 season, his yards-per-carry fell by .6 from 6.4 to 5.8. Despite the reduction, his statistics were still the best any backRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
posted in the CFL that year.
Season standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Stallions Baltimore Stallions The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team... |
18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 541 | 369 | 30 |
| San Antonio Texans San Antonio Texans The San Antonio Texans were a Canadian Football League team that played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1995 CFL season. They had relocated from Sacramento, California, where the team had been called the Sacramento Gold Miners... |
18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 630 | 457 | 24 |
| Birmingham Barracudas Birmingham Barracudas The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.-In the beginning:... |
18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 548 | 518 | 20 |
| Memphis Mad Dogs Memphis Mad Dogs The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.... |
18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 346 | 364 | 18 |
| Shreveport Pirates Shreveport Pirates The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995.... |
18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 465 | 514 | 10 |
Season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, June 30 | at BC Lions 1995 BC Lions season The 1995 BC Lions finished in 3rd place in the North Division with a 10–8 record. They appeared in the North Semi-Final but were defeated by the Edmonton Eskimos, denying the team a chance to defend their Grey Cup title.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:... |
34–37 | Loss | 23,999 |
| 2 | Sat, July 8 | vs. San Antonio Texans 1995 San Antonio Texans season The 1995 San Antonio Texans season was the third season for the franchise in Canadian Football League and their first in San Antonio, Texas after their relocation from Sacramento, California. They earned a 12–6 record and finished 2nd in the South Division, allowing the team to advance to playoffs... |
50–24 | Win | 31,016 |
| 3 | Sat, July 15 | at San Antonio Texans | 28–23 | Win | 18,112 |
| 4 | Sat, July 22 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1995 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season The 1995 Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished in 5th place in the North Division with a 7–11 record. They faced the Baltimore Stallions in a South Division Semi-Final match, becoming the first CFL team to use the crossover rule.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:... |
43–7 | Win | 30,641 |
| 5 | Sat, July 29 | at Birmingham Barracudas 1995 Birmingham Barracudas season The 1995 Birmingham Barracudas season was the first and only season in their franchise history. The Barracudas finished 3rd in the south with a 10–8–0 record. The Barracudas signed high profile free agent Matt Dunigan as a free agent in 1995, and he set career bests with 362 completions on 643... |
36–8 | Win | 30,729 |
| 6 | Wed, Aug 2 | at Edmonton Eskimos 1995 Edmonton Eskimos season The 1995 Edmonton Eskimos finished in 2nd place in the North Division with a 13–5–0 record. They appeared in the North Final.- CFL Draft:-Schedule:- Season Standings:-Season schedule:Total attendance: 283,274... |
19–12 | Win | 30,698 |
| 6 | Sun, Aug 6 | at Calgary Stampeders 1995 Calgary Stampeders season The 1995 Calgary Stampeders finished in 1st place in the North Division with a 15–3 record. They appeared in the Grey Cup but lost to the Baltimore Stallions... |
29–15 | Loss | 24,609 |
| 7 | Sat, Aug 12 | vs. Memphis Mad Dogs 1995 Memphis Mad Dogs season The 1995 Memphis Mad Dogs season was the first and only season in their franchise history. Memphis finished 4th in the south division with a 9–9–0 record, but missed the playoffs.-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Season schedule:-References:... |
25–15 | Loss | 31,221 |
| 8 | Sat, Aug 19 | at Memphis Mad Dogs | 16–13 | Win | 18,249 |
| 9 | Sat, Aug 26 | vs. Toronto Argonauts 1995 Toronto Argonauts season The 1995 Toronto Argonauts finished in 7th place in the North Division with a 4–14–0 record and failed to make the playoffs.-Standings:-Schedule:-References:... |
41–14 | Win | 27,853 |
| 10 | Sat, Sept 2 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1995 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 1995 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 4th place in the North division with a 8–10–0 record. They appeared in a North Semi-Final game.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Schedule:-Postseason:-References:... |
41–14 | Win | 23,120 |
| 11 | Sat, Sept 9 | vs. Birmingham Barracudas | 28–20 | Win | 29,013 |
| 12 | Fri, Sept 15 | at Shreveport Pirates 1995 Shreveport Pirates season The 1995 Shreveport Pirates season was the second season in the teams franchise history and would also prove to be the last. They finished last place in the South division with a 5–13–0 record and again failed to make the playoffs.-Preseason:... |
24–17 | Win | 12,445 |
| 13 | Sat, Sept 23 | vs. Shreveport Pirates | 42–32 | Win | 27,321 |
| 14 | Sun, Oct 1 | at Saskatchewan Roughriders 1995 Saskatchewan Roughriders season The 1995 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 6th place in the North Division with a 6–12–0 record and failed to make the playoffs. This season represented the first time that Regina hosted the Grey Cup, when the city hosted the 83rd championship game... |
28–24 | Win | 30,758 |
| 15 | Sat, Oct 7 | vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders | 29–27 | Win | 31,421 |
| 16 | Bye | ||||
| 17 | Sat, Oct 21 | vs. BC Lions | 28–26 | Win | 33,228 |
| 18 | Sun, Oct 29 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 24–17 | Win | 29,310 |
Playoffs
Mike Pringle ran for 484 playoff yards and four touchdowns in three games. The result was that the Baltimore Stallions made their second straight appearance in the Grey Cup.| Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Semi-Final | Sat, Nov 4 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 36–21 | Win | 21,040 |
| South Final | Sun, Nov 12 | vs. San Antonio Texans | 21–11 | Win | 30,217 |
| Grey Cup | Sun, Nov 19 | Calgary Stampeders | 37–20 | Win | 52,564 |
Grey Cup
The 83rd Grey Cup was played between the Baltimore StallionsBaltimore Stallions
The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team...
and the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
at Taylor Field
Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field
Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field is a sports stadium located in Regina, Saskatchewan which is used primarily to play Canadian football. It has been the home of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders in rudimentary form since 1910 and as a complete stadium since 1936...
in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. The Stallions won the game by a score of 37–20. It marked the only time that an American-based team won the Grey Cup. Not one television station from Baltimore sent a crew to Regina to cover the Grey Cup game. Only 200 fans showed up for the Stallions Grey Cup celebration.
Awards and honors
After the season, other Baltimore Stallions' received awards and accomplishments in the CFL, which are:Divisional Awards
- Most Valuable Player of the East DivisionTerry Evanshen TrophyThe Terry Evanshen Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Canadian Football League East Division's Most Outstanding Player, chosen from the nominees of each team in the division...
– Mike Pringle (RB) - Most Outstanding Rookie of the East DivisionFrank M. Gibson TrophyThe Frank M. Gibson Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, given to the most outstanding rookie in the East Division. Each team from the East Division nominates a candidate from which a winner is chosen, and either this winner or the winner of the Jackie Parker Trophy will receive the...
– Chris WrightChris Wright (football player)Chris Wright is a former award winning Canadian Football League kick returner and Grey Cup champion.Wright played college football at Georgia Southern. His first year as a professional was successful, for as kick returner with the Baltimore Stallions he scored 3 touchdowns on punt returns and added...
(WR) - Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award of the East DivisionLeo Dandurand TrophyThe Leo Dandurand Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy is awarded to the Most Outstanding Lineman in the East Division. The winner of this trophy is chosen from a group of nominees, one from each team in the East Division...
– Mike WithycombeMike WithycombeWilliam Michael Withycombe is a former professional American and Canadian football offensive lineman who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Baltimore Stallions. Previously he played four seasons in the NFL for three different teams. He played college football at...
(OG)
CFL Awards
- CFL's Most Outstanding Player AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Player AwardThe Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The Most Outstanding Player award can be compared to the National Football League's Most Valuable Player, otherwise known as the "MVP" award...
– Mike Pringle (RB) - CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman AwardCFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman AwardThe Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually rewarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. This is the fourth-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted...
– Mike WithycombeMike WithycombeWilliam Michael Withycombe is a former professional American and Canadian football offensive lineman who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Baltimore Stallions. Previously he played four seasons in the NFL for three different teams. He played college football at...
(OG) - CFL's Coach of the YearAnnis Stukus TrophyThe Annis Stukus Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, which is presented annually by the Edmonton Eskimos Alumni Association to the Coach of the Year, as determined by the members of the Football Reporters of Canada...
– Don MatthewsDon MatthewsDon Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", is a former head coach of several teams in the Canadian Football League and is the second winningest head coach in CFL history with 231 wins... - Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player – Tracy HamTracy HamTracy Ham is a retired Canadian Football League quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos, Toronto Argonauts, Baltimore Stallions, and the Montreal Alouettes. He was known for his abilities as a dual threat quarterback...
(QB)
1995 Southern All-Stars
Offense
- Mike Pringle (RB)
- Chris ArmstrongChris Armstrong (Canadian football)Chris Armstrong was a Canadian Football League receiver who played 9 seasons for five different teams. In 2008, he was named offensive coordinator of the Maryland Maniacs of the Indoor Football League....
(SB) - Mike WithycombeMike WithycombeWilliam Michael Withycombe is a former professional American and Canadian football offensive lineman who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Baltimore Stallions. Previously he played four seasons in the NFL for three different teams. He played college football at...
(OG) - Shar PourdaneshShar PourdaneshShahriar Pourdanesh is a former American football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Oakland Raiders from 1996 to 2001 when in 2001 a severe knee injury cut his career short.He previously played with the Baltimore...
(OT) - Neal FortNeal FortNeal Fort is a former professional American football player. In college, he played for Brigham Young University. He was an offensive lineman in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and the Canadian Football League for the Baltimore Stallions and Montreal Alouettes for most of his career...
(OT)
Defense
- Jerald BaylisJearld BaylisJearld Baylis was a star defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League.Baylis played college football at University of Southern Mississippi. He had a 10 year career from 1986 to 1995 for four different teams. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in 1993 and was a CFL...
(DT) - Elfrid PaytonElfrid PaytonElfrid Payton was an all-star football player in the Canadian Football League.Payton graduated from Grambling State University.-Career:Payton played with seven different teams over the course of his career....
(DE) - Tracy GravelyTracy GravelyTracy Gravely , a native of Kimball, West Virginia, is a former all star linebacker in the Canadian Football League.A graduate of Concord University, where he was West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1989, he signed with the New York Giants, but never...
(LB) - O. J. BriganceO. J. BriganceO. J. Brigance is a former championship football player in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League.-Football career:...
(LB) - Irvin SmithIrvin SmithIrvin Smith is a former gridiron football defensive back. He played for the Baltimore Stallions in the Canadian Football League. Smith played college football at Maryland....
(CB) - Charles Anthony (DB)
Special Teams
- Josh MillerJosh MillerJosh Miller is a former American football punter and current football analyst.He was signed by the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League as an undrafted free agent in 1994...
(P) - Chris WrightChris Wright (football player)Chris Wright is a former award winning Canadian Football League kick returner and Grey Cup champion.Wright played college football at Georgia Southern. His first year as a professional was successful, for as kick returner with the Baltimore Stallions he scored 3 touchdowns on punt returns and added...
(ST)
1995 CFL All-Stars
Offense
- Mike Pringle (RB)
- Mike WithycombeMike WithycombeWilliam Michael Withycombe is a former professional American and Canadian football offensive lineman who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Baltimore Stallions. Previously he played four seasons in the NFL for three different teams. He played college football at...
(OG) - Neal FortNeal FortNeal Fort is a former professional American football player. In college, he played for Brigham Young University. He was an offensive lineman in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and the Canadian Football League for the Baltimore Stallions and Montreal Alouettes for most of his career...
(OT)
Defense
- Jerald BaylisJearld BaylisJearld Baylis was a star defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League.Baylis played college football at University of Southern Mississippi. He had a 10 year career from 1986 to 1995 for four different teams. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in 1993 and was a CFL...
(DT) - O. J. BriganceO. J. BriganceO. J. Brigance is a former championship football player in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League.-Football career:...
(LB) - Irvin SmithIrvin SmithIrvin Smith is a former gridiron football defensive back. He played for the Baltimore Stallions in the Canadian Football League. Smith played college football at Maryland....
(CB) - Charles Anthony (DB)
Special Teams
- Josh MillerJosh MillerJosh Miller is a former American football punter and current football analyst.He was signed by the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League as an undrafted free agent in 1994...
(P) - Chris WrightChris Wright (football player)Chris Wright is a former award winning Canadian Football League kick returner and Grey Cup champion.Wright played college football at Georgia Southern. His first year as a professional was successful, for as kick returner with the Baltimore Stallions he scored 3 touchdowns on punt returns and added...
(ST)
Relocation to Montreal
In late 1995, Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
owner Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...
announced his intention to relocate his NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
club to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, where they would be rechristened the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. This would have made the Stallions the only CFL club ever to directly compete with the NFL, whose season overlaps with the last three months of the CFL season.
In late November, Jim Speros had a Save our Stallions campaign, with January 5 as the deadline to sell 20,000 season tickets. It was revealed that the team was $800,000 in debt.
Stallions owner Jim Speros realized that despite the Stallions' popularity, they could not possibly compete with the NFL. After deals with Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
and Houston fell through, Speros moved the Stallions to Montreal and revived the old Alouettes name for the 1996 season.