1997 Montreal Alouettes season
Encyclopedia
The 1997
Montreal Alouettes
finished in 2nd place in the East Division
with a 13–5 record. Their season came to a close as the Doug Flutie
-led Toronto Argonauts
defeated the Alouettes in the Eastern Final. The 1997 team saw major head office changes as Jim Speros
sold the team to Bob Wetenhall and Larry Smith assumed the role of president and chief executive officer after resigning as CFL commissioner.
1997 CFL season
The 1997 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 44th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 40th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1997:...
Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
finished in 2nd place in the East Division
Canadian Football League East Division
The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.- Pre-1907 :...
with a 13–5 record. Their season came to a close as the Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
-led Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
defeated the Alouettes in the Eastern Final. The 1997 team saw major head office changes as Jim Speros
Jim Speros
Jim Speros is an American businessman and former American football player and coach from Great Falls, Virginia, best known for his ownership of teams in the Canadian Football League and United Football League.-Early career:...
sold the team to Bob Wetenhall and Larry Smith assumed the role of president and chief executive officer after resigning as CFL commissioner.
CFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Steve Charbonneau Steve Charbonneau Steve Charbonneau was a Canadian Football League defensive tackle who played eleven seasons for two different teams.-External links:*... |
DL | New Hampshire |
| 2 | 11 | Jeerom Pathon | WR | Washington |
| 2 | 14 | Ryan Coughlin | OL | McGill McGill University Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university... |
| 3 | 21 | Bruno Heppell | RB | Western Michigan |
| 4 | 29 | Derek Krete | LB | Western Ontario University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and... |
| 4 | 30 | Ryan Carruthers | SB | Calgary University of Calgary The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently... |
| 5 | 38 | Andy Brereton | SB | Western Michigan |
| 6 | 45 | Francis Bellefroid | LB | Bishop's Bishop's University Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language... |
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Result | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | June 8 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium... |
Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada... |
30–14 | Win | 9,311 | 1–0 |
| C | June 18 | Toronto Argonauts Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta... |
Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium (Montreal) The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics... |
40–0 | Loss | 6,394 | 1–1 |
Season Standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Argonauts Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta... |
18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 660 | 327 | 30 |
| Montreal Alouettes Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions... |
18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 509 | 532 | 26 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded... |
18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 443 | 548 | 8 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium... |
18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 362 | 549 | 4 |
Season Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Result | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 27 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1997 Hamilton Tiger-Cats season The 1997 Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished in 4th place in the East division with a 2–16–0 record and failed to make the playoffs.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Schedule:-References:... |
Olympic Stadium Olympic Stadium (Montreal) The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics... |
27–17 | Win | 7,380 | 1–0 |
| 2 | July 3 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1997 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season The 1997 Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished in 3rd place in the East division with a 4–14 record and failed to make the playoffs.-CFL Draft:-Season standings:-Season schedule:-References:... |
Winnipeg Stadium Canad Inns Stadium Canad Inns Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located north of Polo Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Stadium, named for hotel chain Canad Inns, and originally completed in 1953, seats 29,533 for football... |
27–24 | Win | 20,497 | 2–0 |
| 3 | July 9 | Calgary Stampeders 1997 Calgary Stampeders season The 1997 Calgary Stampeders finished in 2nd place in the West Division with a 10–8–0 record. They appeared in the West Semi-Final but lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Season schedule:... |
Olympic Stadium | 34–28 | Win | 7,669 | 3–0 |
| 4 | July 17 | Edmonton Eskimos | Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton) Commonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.- History :... |
32–0 | Loss | 27,811 | 3–1 |
| 5 | July 24 | Edmonton Eskimos | Olympic Stadium | 34–24 | Loss | 10,025 | 3–2 |
| 6 | July 31 | Toronto Argonauts 1997 Toronto Argonauts season The 1997 Toronto Argonauts finished in 1st place in the East Division of the 1997 CFL season with a 15–3–0 record and won the Grey Cup.- CFL Draft:-Preseason:- Season Standings:-Regular season:-Postseason:-Grey Cup:-Awards and records:... |
SkyDome | 46–8 | Loss | 16,218 | 3–3 |
| 7 | Aug 9 | BC Lions 1997 BC Lions season The 1997 BC Lions finished in 4th place in the West Division with a 8–10 record. Because of the "crossover" rule, they appeared in the East Semi-Final... |
BC Place Stadium BC Place Stadium BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer . Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the... |
45–31 | Win | 19,106 | 4–3 |
| 8 | Aug 16 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Olympic Stadium | 36–26 | Win | 10,039 | 5–3 |
| 9 | Aug 22 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Winnipeg Stadium | 26–21 | Win | 19,930 | 6–3 |
| 10 | Aug 30 | BC Lions | Olympic Stadium | 34–33 | Win | 11,050 | 7–3 |
| 11 | Sept 6 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada... |
38–18 | Win | 9,253 | 8–3 |
| 12 | Sept 12 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Olympic Stadium | 29–28 | Win | 10,259 | 9–3 |
| 13 | Sept 21 | Saskatchewan Roughriders 1997 Saskatchewan Roughriders season The 1997 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 3rd place in the West division with a 8–10 record and lost in the 85th Grey Cup game to the Doug Flutie-led Toronto Argonauts. Despite finishing the season tied with the BC Lions, the Roughriders were placed above the Lions after winning the season... |
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... |
24–22 | Win | 25,570 | 10–3 |
| 14 | Sept 28 | Calgary Stampeders | McMahon Stadium McMahon Stadium McMahon Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society.... |
43–22 | Loss | 27,153 | 10–4 |
| 15 | Oct 3 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Olympic Stadium | 30–29 | Win | 12,322 | 11–4 |
| 16 | Oct 11 | Toronto Argonauts | SkyDome | 28–21 | Loss | 17,355 | 11–5 |
| 17 | Oct 19 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Olympic Stadium | 41–34 | Win | 6,721 | 12–5 |
| 18 | Oct 26 | Toronto Argonauts | Olympic Stadium | 43–38 | Win | 10,801 | 13–5 |
Roster
| Montreal Alouettes roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running Backs Receivers |
Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen Defensive Backs Special Teams Practice Roster |
|||||
East Semi-Final
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Lions BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
? | ? | ? | ? | 35 |
| Montreal Alouettes Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions... |
? | ? | ? | ? | 45 |
East Final
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Alouettes Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions... |
? | ? | ? | ? | 30 |
| Toronto Argonauts Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta... |
? | ? | ? | ? | 37 |
1997 CFL All-Star Selections
- 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...
– Offensive Tackle - Uzooma OkekeUzooma OkekeUzooma Okeke was a Canadian Football League tackle for the Montreal Alouettes. He won a Grey Cup with Montreal in 2002...
– Offensive Tackle - 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....
– Defensive End - Doug Petersen – Defensive Tackle
- Mike Pringle – Running Back
- Pierre VerchevalPierre VerchevalPierre Vercheval is a former all star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League.Vercheval played his university football at the University of Western Ontario, where he won the J.P. Metras Trophy top lineman in Canadian university football in 1987...
– Offensive Guard
1997 CFL All-Star Selections
- Neal Fort – Offensive Tackle
- Uzooma Okeke – Offensive Tackle
- Elfrid Payton – Defensive End
- Doug Petersen – Defensive Tackle
- Mike Pringle – Running Back
- Pierre Vercheval – Offensive Guard