Montreal Football Club
Encyclopedia
The Montreal Football Club was a Canadian football
team based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Quebec Rugby Football Union
from 1883 to 1906 and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union from 1907 to 1915. The club was a founding member of the QRFU and played in the first football game in Quebec in 1872. The club was dominant in Quebec, winning 12 of the 24 QRFU titles in the years that they played in that league. Montreal also won the first Canadian Dominion Football Championship
in 1884, a predecessor of the Grey Cup
and again won the championship in their first season in the IRFU in 1907.
, on Saturday, October 12, 1872 against the Quebec City club in Quebec City
at the Esplanade. The two teams would meet again on Saturday, October 26, 1872 at McGill University
where both games would be played to 0-0 ties.
, which was formed on January 16, 1883, and became a dominant and influential force in that league. Games in the QRFU were played on a challenge system, meaning that teams would play an uneven number of games by challenging the top team. Since Montreal would frequently be a top team in the league, they would end up being challenged the most and subsequently would play the most games. Montreal repeated as QRFU champion in 1884, but this time would also play the Ontario Rugby Football Union
champion after the newly formed Canadian Rugby Football Union decided to crown a national champion. Consequently, the Montreal Foot Ball Club would win the very first Canadian Dominion Football Championship
against the Toronto Argonauts
by a score of 30-0 on November 6, 1884.
The Montreal Club would continue their dominance over their QRFU rivals, winning the QRFU title 11 times in the 13 years since the union's inception. However, in the years that a Dominion Championship was held, the club would come home empty-handed when facing their ORFU opponent. In 1892, the QRFU switched to a balanced schedule, where all teams would face each other an equal number of times during the season, and after 1894 it would become a permanent feature of the league. Whether it was because of this or because of increased competition, Montreal lost its grip on its dominance over its opponents, and, as a result, would go ten years without a QRFU title.
It wasn't until 1906 that the Montreal Football Club would regain their prowess, with a first place finish and an undefeated record in the QRFU and their first title since 1895. In order to play in the Dominion championship, the club would have to play the ORFU champion Hamilton Tigers
in order to qualify for the national championship against the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union
champion McGill University
. Montreal would lose the game against the Tigers 11-6, who would go on to defeat McGill and win the Dominion Championship, extending Montreal's drought to 22 years.
of the QRFU and the Hamilton Tigers and the Toronto Argonauts
of the ORFU. Montreal immediately made up for the previous season's disappointment, finishing first in the IRFU, including a win over the Tigers who had eliminated the Montreal Club from the year before. Montreal then went on to defeat the Peterborough club 71-10 on December 1, 1907 to become the first Dominion Champions of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, including their first national championship since their first in 1884.
However, Montreal would never regain that form as the club's fortunes waned severely in the following years. Montreal would finish last six times in the next eight years and finished third in the other two. In this stretch, they won only seven games, losing the other 41 games, including three winless seasons. 1915 was the last season of competition for the team as the Montreal Football Club did not return after the First World War ended and play resumed in 1919. They were instead replaced by the Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers
.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
team based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Quebec Rugby Football Union
Quebec Rugby Football Union
The Quebec Rugby Football Union was a football league consisting of teams from Quebec and formed in 1883. Eastern Ontario teams like Ottawa City and Ottawa College joined in 1894.- League Formation and Play :...
from 1883 to 1906 and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union from 1907 to 1915. The club was a founding member of the QRFU and played in the first football game in Quebec in 1872. The club was dominant in Quebec, winning 12 of the 24 QRFU titles in the years that they played in that league. Montreal also won the first Canadian Dominion Football Championship
Canadian Dominion Football Championship
The Canadian Dominion Football Championship was awarded to the best Amateur Football team prior to the Grey Cup in 1909. Teams from the Ontario Rugby Football Union , Quebec Rugby Football Union , Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union would...
in 1884, a predecessor of 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...
and again won the championship in their first season in the IRFU in 1907.
Founding
The Montreal Foot Ball Club was founded on April 8, 1872 in one of the lower rooms of the Mechanics Hall buildings. Their first game played was also the first football game to be played in the province of QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, on Saturday, October 12, 1872 against the Quebec City club in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
at the Esplanade. The two teams would meet again on Saturday, October 26, 1872 at McGill University
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...
where both games would be played to 0-0 ties.
Quebec Rugby Football Union
Montreal was a founding member of the Quebec Rugby Football UnionQuebec Rugby Football Union
The Quebec Rugby Football Union was a football league consisting of teams from Quebec and formed in 1883. Eastern Ontario teams like Ottawa City and Ottawa College joined in 1894.- League Formation and Play :...
, which was formed on January 16, 1883, and became a dominant and influential force in that league. Games in the QRFU were played on a challenge system, meaning that teams would play an uneven number of games by challenging the top team. Since Montreal would frequently be a top team in the league, they would end up being challenged the most and subsequently would play the most games. Montreal repeated as QRFU champion in 1884, but this time would also play the Ontario Rugby Football Union
Ontario Rugby Football Union
The Ontario Rugby Football Union or ORFU was an early amateur Canadian football league with teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded in 1883 and in 1903 became the first major competition to adopt the Burnside Rules, from which the modern Canadian football code would...
champion after the newly formed Canadian Rugby Football Union decided to crown a national champion. Consequently, the Montreal Foot Ball Club would win the very first Canadian Dominion Football Championship
Canadian Dominion Football Championship
The Canadian Dominion Football Championship was awarded to the best Amateur Football team prior to the Grey Cup in 1909. Teams from the Ontario Rugby Football Union , Quebec Rugby Football Union , Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union would...
against the 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...
by a score of 30-0 on November 6, 1884.
The Montreal Club would continue their dominance over their QRFU rivals, winning the QRFU title 11 times in the 13 years since the union's inception. However, in the years that a Dominion Championship was held, the club would come home empty-handed when facing their ORFU opponent. In 1892, the QRFU switched to a balanced schedule, where all teams would face each other an equal number of times during the season, and after 1894 it would become a permanent feature of the league. Whether it was because of this or because of increased competition, Montreal lost its grip on its dominance over its opponents, and, as a result, would go ten years without a QRFU title.
It wasn't until 1906 that the Montreal Football Club would regain their prowess, with a first place finish and an undefeated record in the QRFU and their first title since 1895. In order to play in the Dominion championship, the club would have to play the ORFU champion Hamilton Tigers
Hamilton Tigers (football)
The Hamilton Tigers were a Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario that played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union from 1883 to 1906 and 1948 to 1949 and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union from 1907 to 1947. The club was a founding member of both the ORFU in 1883 and the IRFU in...
in order to qualify for the national championship against the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union
CIS football
Twenty-six universities across Canada compete in football under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport . The teams are divided into four conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of the CIS: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Quebec...
champion McGill University
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...
. Montreal would lose the game against the Tigers 11-6, who would go on to defeat McGill and win the Dominion Championship, extending Montreal's drought to 22 years.
Inerprovincial Rugby Football Union
The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union was formed on September 13, 1907 in an amalgamation of the Montreal Football Club and the Ottawa Rough RidersOttawa 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...
of the QRFU and the Hamilton Tigers and the 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...
of the ORFU. Montreal immediately made up for the previous season's disappointment, finishing first in the IRFU, including a win over the Tigers who had eliminated the Montreal Club from the year before. Montreal then went on to defeat the Peterborough club 71-10 on December 1, 1907 to become the first Dominion Champions of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, including their first national championship since their first in 1884.
However, Montreal would never regain that form as the club's fortunes waned severely in the following years. Montreal would finish last six times in the next eight years and finished third in the other two. In this stretch, they won only seven games, losing the other 41 games, including three winless seasons. 1915 was the last season of competition for the team as the Montreal Football Club did not return after the First World War ended and play resumed in 1919. They were instead replaced by the Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers
Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers
The Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers were a member of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, a league that preceded the Canadian Football League. It was likely a team from the fabled Montreal AAA founded in 1872 as the Montreal Foot Ball Club. The MFBC joined the Quebec Rugby Football Union in...
.
Seasons
| Season | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | - | 1st, QRFU | - |
| 1884 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | - | 1st, QRFU | Won Dominion Championship Canadian Dominion Football Championship The Canadian Dominion Football Championship was awarded to the best Amateur Football team prior to the Grey Cup in 1909. Teams from the Ontario Rugby Football Union , Quebec Rugby Football Union , Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union would... |
| 1885 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 0 | - | 1st, QRFU | - |
| 1886 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 | - | 1st, QRFU | - |
| 1887 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 15 | - | 1st, QRFU | Lost Dominion Championship |
| 1888 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 5 | - | 1st, QRFU | Dominion Championship 0-0 Draw |
| 1889 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 5 | - | 1st, QRFU | - |
| 1890 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 38 | - | 2nd, QRFU | - |
| 1891 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 24 | - | 1st, QRFU | Lost Dominion Championship |
| 1892 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 29 | 6 | 1st, QRFU | Lost Dominion Championship |
| 1893 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 12 | - | 1st, QRFU | Lost Dominion Championship |
| 1894 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 38 | 6 | 2nd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1895 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 81 | 30 | 6 | 1st, QRFU | Lost Dominion Championship |
| 1896 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 29 | 4 | 3rd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1897 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 2nd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1898 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 84 | 66 | 4 | 2nd, QRFU | Lost QRFU Semi-Final |
| 1899 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 77 | 6 | 3rd, QRFU | - |
| 1900 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 87 | 8 | 2nd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1901 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 99 | 2 | 4th, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1902 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 85 | 4 | 3rd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1903 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 78 | 43 | 8 | 2nd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1904 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 54 | 8 | 2nd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1905 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 87 | 50 | 8 | 2nd, QRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1906 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 54 | 12 | 1st, QRFU | Lost Dominion Semi-Final |
| 1907 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 33 | 10 | 1st, IRFU | Won Dominion Championship |
| 1908 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 101 | 2 | 3rd, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1909 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 91 | 2 | 4th, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1910 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 74 | 87 | 4 | 4th, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1911 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 101 | 2 | 4th, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1912 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 54 | 112 | 0 | 4th, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1913 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 144 | 0 | 4th, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1914 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 62 | 108 | 4 | 3rd, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |
| 1915 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 136 | 0 | 4th, IRFU | Missed Playoffs |