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Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Elks look to future by embracing past, including former team name
EDMONTON - The winds of change blew through Commonwealth Stadium this winter, bringing in a new regime determined to return Edmonton's once-proud CFL franchise to its green-and-gold glory days. Part of that includes embracing the team's former name, 'Eskimos.' The club rebranded as the 'Elks' in 2021, following a broader movement among sports teams to move away from names considered racist or stereotypical, and amid pressure from sponsors who threatened to cut ties. The change proved divisive among Edmonton supporters. Regardless of which name Edmonton fans prefer, former players Chris Morris, now the team's president and CEO, and Ed Hervey, now general manager, have brought back the franchise motto: 'Once an Eskimo, Always an Eskimo.' A sign bearing the slogan has been restored above the entrance to the Elks' locker room. 'Eskimos or Elks, it is the 'Double E' and we want our fans and the community to understand we are committed to winning and being a part of the community,' Hervey said. And with that, both men are hoping the product on the field, headed by a new coaching staff led by Mark Kilam and an offence firmly in the hands of quarterback Tre Ford, will not only carry the team back into the playoffs but will lure missing fans into the stands. Despite the massive overhaul that began with the sale of the publicly owned franchise to Larry Thompson, Kilam doesn't see any problems with all the new personnel meshing into a winning product. 'It's not if you're vertically aligned, which we are, from ownership on down,' he said. 'When we have the same feelings about the way a professional football team should act, the way we think things should be run on a day-to-day basis, and the way we see things be played out on the field, it's pretty easy. 'There's a fresh, new vibe,' he continued. 'There's been a lot of roster turnover; there's been a lot of turnover on the admin side; obviously the coaching staff has been turned over. So we are the new era of the Double E and we're looking forward to setting that standard.' Doing that has to begin with a better start than the team has endured the last three years, when it began 0-5, 0-7 and 0-8 and suffered through a record 22-game home losing streak. 'It's huge, it means everything,' returning offensive lineman Jake Ceresna said of starting well. 'But even if we stub our toe early, just have faith in us and have our backs because we're going to turn this ship around.' The turnaround may have started last season when Ford got his chance at quarterback after the team started 0-7. The fourth-year Canadian sparked a dramatic turnaround that saw the Elks go 7-4 over their last 11 games. 'We want to just keep going from where we stopped last year,' said kick returner-running back Javon Leake. 'We've got the players, we've got the coaches, now we just have to go out and play.' The Elks are hoping Ford, 9-9 as a starter, will justify their faith in him, but traded for former Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo as a backup, just in case. Off-season roster changes have resulted in major revamping on both sides of the ball. Joining Ceresna on the defensive line are Robbie Smith and Jared Brinkman, members of Toronto's 2024 Grey Cup championship team. Behind them are linebackers Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson along with a host of defensive backs led by Tyrell Ford and Royce Metchie. 'From the top down, this is probably one of the best defences, talent-wise, that I've been around,' said Ceresna. 'We look fast; we look terrifying.' But, he added, 'it's all talk right now. Now it's up to us as players to go out and prove it.' Offensively, Ford finds himself with a trio of top-notch receivers in Kurleigh Gittens, Jr., who led the team in receptions last year, newcomers Steven Dunbar Jr. and Kaion Julien-Grant and returnee Arkell Smith. 'He's explosive,' Kilam said of Smith. 'His body, he looks like he's had a great off-season, he's put some time in, he has some familiarity with Tre.' All-star centre Mark Korte returns and moves to left guard to make room for David Beard on an offensive line that allowed a league-low 29 sacks last season. The Elks led the CFL with 2,365 rushing yards in 2024 and are hoping the combination of Justin Rankin and Leake will offset the loss of Kevin Brown. With the number of major changes on and off the field, there was a high level of energy as the team prepared for its season opener June 7 in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions. 'This is a whole new squad, a whole new era, a whole new tradition,' said Leake. 'Everything is new. I'm excited to finally get out there and show the rest of the CFL.' 2024 record: 7-11, fourth in the West Division. Did you know: The Elks will introduce a new road jersey this week, featuring the Double E logo on the sleeves with gold and green stripes, green numbers with gold outlines and with EDMONTON spelled out on the front. Key additions: DB Royce Metchie (Toronto), DL Robbie Smith (Toronto), DL Jared Brinkman (Toronto), OL David Beard (Hamilton), QB Cody Fajardo (Montreal). Key losses: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Montreal), WR Eugene Lewis (free agency-Ottawa), RB Kevin Brown (free agency) DB Kai Gray (released) Players to watch: QB Tre Ford, RB Javon Leake, WR Kurleigh Gittens, Jr. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Elks look to future by embracing past, including former team name
EDMONTON – The winds of change blew through Commonwealth Stadium this winter, bringing in a new regime determined to return Edmonton's once-proud CFL franchise to its green-and-gold glory days. Part of that includes embracing the team's former name, 'Eskimos.' The club rebranded as the 'Elks' in 2021, following a broader movement among sports teams to move away from names considered racist or stereotypical, and amid pressure from sponsors who threatened to cut ties. The change proved divisive among Edmonton supporters. Regardless of which name Edmonton fans prefer, former players Chris Morris, now the team's president and CEO, and Ed Hervey, now general manager, have brought back the franchise motto: 'Once an Eskimo, Always an Eskimo.' A sign bearing the slogan has been restored above the entrance to the Elks' locker room. 'Eskimos or Elks, it is the 'Double E' and we want our fans and the community to understand we are committed to winning and being a part of the community,' Hervey said. And with that, both men are hoping the product on the field, headed by a new coaching staff led by Mark Kilam and an offence firmly in the hands of quarterback Tre Ford, will not only carry the team back into the playoffs but will lure missing fans into the stands. Despite the massive overhaul that began with the sale of the publicly owned franchise to Larry Thompson, Kilam doesn't see any problems with all the new personnel meshing into a winning product. 'It's not if you're vertically aligned, which we are, from ownership on down,' he said. 'When we have the same feelings about the way a professional football team should act, the way we think things should be run on a day-to-day basis, and the way we see things be played out on the field, it's pretty easy. 'There's a fresh, new vibe,' he continued. 'There's been a lot of roster turnover; there's been a lot of turnover on the admin side; obviously the coaching staff has been turned over. So we are the new era of the Double E and we're looking forward to setting that standard.' Doing that has to begin with a better start than the team has endured the last three years, when it began 0-5, 0-7 and 0-8 and suffered through a record 22-game home losing streak. 'It's huge, it means everything,' returning offensive lineman Jake Ceresna said of starting well. 'But even if we stub our toe early, just have faith in us and have our backs because we're going to turn this ship around.' The turnaround may have started last season when Ford got his chance at quarterback after the team started 0-7. The fourth-year Canadian sparked a dramatic turnaround that saw the Elks go 7-4 over their last 11 games. 'We want to just keep going from where we stopped last year,' said kick returner-running back Javon Leake. 'We've got the players, we've got the coaches, now we just have to go out and play.' The Elks are hoping Ford, 9-9 as a starter, will justify their faith in him, but traded for former Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo as a backup, just in case. Off-season roster changes have resulted in major revamping on both sides of the ball. Joining Ceresna on the defensive line are Robbie Smith and Jared Brinkman, members of Toronto's 2024 Grey Cup championship team. Behind them are linebackers Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson along with a host of defensive backs led by Tyrell Ford and Royce Metchie. 'From the top down, this is probably one of the best defences, talent-wise, that I've been around,' said Ceresna. 'We look fast; we look terrifying.' But, he added, 'it's all talk right now. Now it's up to us as players to go out and prove it.' Offensively, Ford finds himself with a trio of top-notch receivers in Kurleigh Gittens, Jr., who led the team in receptions last year, newcomers Steven Dunbar Jr. and Kaion Julien-Grant and returnee Arkell Smith. 'He's explosive,' Kilam said of Smith. 'His body, he looks like he's had a great off-season, he's put some time in, he has some familiarity with Tre.' All-star centre Mark Korte returns and moves to left guard to make room for David Beard on an offensive line that allowed a league-low 29 sacks last season. The Elks led the CFL with 2,365 rushing yards in 2024 and are hoping the combination of Justin Rankin and Leake will offset the loss of Kevin Brown. With the number of major changes on and off the field, there was a high level of energy as the team prepared for its season opener June 7 in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions. 'This is a whole new squad, a whole new era, a whole new tradition,' said Leake. 'Everything is new. I'm excited to finally get out there and show the rest of the CFL.' 2024 record: 7-11, fourth in the West Division. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Did you know: The Elks will introduce a new road jersey this week, featuring the Double E logo on the sleeves with gold and green stripes, green numbers with gold outlines and with EDMONTON spelled out on the front. Key additions: DB Royce Metchie (Toronto), DL Robbie Smith (Toronto), DL Jared Brinkman (Toronto), OL David Beard (Hamilton), QB Cody Fajardo (Montreal). Key losses: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Montreal), WR Eugene Lewis (free agency-Ottawa), RB Kevin Brown (free agency) DB Kai Gray (released) Players to watch: QB Tre Ford, RB Javon Leake, WR Kurleigh Gittens, Jr. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Quarterback Marcus Crandell signs one-day contract to retire as a Calgary Stampeder
CALGARY - Marcus Crandell has signed a one-day contract with the Calgary Stampeders so the 51-year-old can officially retire a member of the club. Crandell quarterbacked the Stampeders to a Grey Cup victory in 2001 in the first of his four seasons in Calgary. 'To the Calgary Stampeders organization, thank you for taking a young man who was born in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, but raised in the small town of Robersonville, North Carolina, who had big dreams of becoming a professional quarterback,' Crandell said Thursday in a statement from the Stampeders. 'This organization is truly a class act when it comes to professional sports.' Crandell threw for 4,072 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2022, but his play over the final stretch in 2021 was remarkable. The Stampeders were 5-9 in October when Crandell threw nine touchdown passes without an interception in three wins over the final four games of the regular season to snare a playoff berth. In the Grey Cup, Crandell threw for 309 yards and tossed two touchdown passes when Calgary stunned the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-19 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. He was named Grey Cup MVP. 'I'm very happy that Marcus gets this opportunity to retire as a member of the Stampeders,' said club president Jay McNeil, a former Calgary offensive lineman who was Crandell's teammate during the latter's four seasons as a Stampeder. 'I'll never forget Marcus's contributions to our Grey Cup championship in 2001. We had a slow start and had to win the final game of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. 'We believed in ourselves when nobody else in the country gave us a chance but we hit our stride down the stretch and it was Marcus leading the way, capped off by an MVP performance in the Grey Cup game.' Crandell also played for Edmonton from 1997 to 1999 and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2005 to 2008. He was an offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach for Saskatchewan, Edmonton and the Ottawa Redblacks after he retired as a player. Crandell will attend Calgary's first game of the 2025 season Saturday when the Stampeders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will join fellow Grey Cup-winning alumni Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton as the team celebrates its 80th birthday. 'I am grateful for all the time spent in the city of Calgary and performing in the presence of some of the best fans in the league,' Crandell said. 'Another blessing is to have played for a great coaching staff assembled by the legend Wally Buono. 'Many thanks go out to my teammates for the hard work they displayed day in and day out as we strived to achieve success.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Quarterback Marcus Crandell signs one-day contract to retire as a Calgary Stampeder
CALGARY - Marcus Crandell has signed a one-day contract with the Calgary Stampeders so the 51-year-old can officially retire a member of the club. Crandell quarterbacked the Stampeders to a Grey Cup victory in 2001 in the first of his four seasons in Calgary. 'To the Calgary Stampeders organization, thank you for taking a young man who was born in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, but raised in the small town of Robersonville, North Carolina, who had big dreams of becoming a professional quarterback,' Crandell said Thursday in a statement from the Stampeders. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'This organization is truly a class act when it comes to professional sports.' Crandell threw for 4,072 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2022, but his play over the final stretch in 2021 was remarkable. The Stampeders were 5-9 in October when Crandell threw nine touchdown passes without an interception in three wins over the final four games of the regular season to snare a playoff berth. In the Grey Cup, Crandell threw for 309 yards and tossed two touchdown passes when Calgary stunned the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-19 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. He was named Grey Cup MVP. 'I'm very happy that Marcus gets this opportunity to retire as a member of the Stampeders,' said club president Jay McNeil, a former Calgary offensive lineman who was Crandell's teammate during the latter's four seasons as a Stampeder. 'I'll never forget Marcus's contributions to our Grey Cup championship in 2001. We had a slow start and had to win the final game of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. 'We believed in ourselves when nobody else in the country gave us a chance but we hit our stride down the stretch and it was Marcus leading the way, capped off by an MVP performance in the Grey Cup game.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Crandell also played for Edmonton from 1997 to 1999 and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2005 to 2008. He was an offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach for Saskatchewan, Edmonton and the Ottawa Redblacks after he retired as a player. Crandell will attend Calgary's first game of the 2025 season Saturday when the Stampeders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will join fellow Grey Cup-winning alumni Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton as the team celebrates its 80th birthday. 'I am grateful for all the time spent in the city of Calgary and performing in the presence of some of the best fans in the league,' Crandell said. 'Another blessing is to have played for a great coaching staff assembled by the legend Wally Buono. 'Many thanks go out to my teammates for the hard work they displayed day in and day out as we strived to achieve success.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quarterback Marcus Crandell signs one-day contract to retire as a Calgary Stampeder
CALGARY – Marcus Crandell has signed a one-day contract with the Calgary Stampeders so the 51-year-old can officially retire a member of the club. Crandell quarterbacked the Stampeders to a Grey Cup victory in 2001 in the first of his four seasons in Calgary. 'To the Calgary Stampeders organization, thank you for taking a young man who was born in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, but raised in the small town of Robersonville, North Carolina, who had big dreams of becoming a professional quarterback,' Crandell said Thursday in a statement from the Stampeders. 'This organization is truly a class act when it comes to professional sports.' Crandell threw for 4,072 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2022, but his play over the final stretch in 2021 was remarkable. The Stampeders were 5-9 in October when Crandell threw nine touchdown passes without an interception in three wins over the final four games of the regular season to snare a playoff berth. In the Grey Cup, Crandell threw for 309 yards and tossed two touchdown passes when Calgary stunned the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-19 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. He was named Grey Cup MVP. 'I'm very happy that Marcus gets this opportunity to retire as a member of the Stampeders,' said club president Jay McNeil, a former Calgary offensive lineman who was Crandell's teammate during the latter's four seasons as a Stampeder. 'I'll never forget Marcus's contributions to our Grey Cup championship in 2001. We had a slow start and had to win the final game of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. 'We believed in ourselves when nobody else in the country gave us a chance but we hit our stride down the stretch and it was Marcus leading the way, capped off by an MVP performance in the Grey Cup game.' Crandell also played for Edmonton from 1997 to 1999 and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2005 to 2008. He was an offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach for Saskatchewan, Edmonton and the Ottawa Redblacks after he retired as a player. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Crandell will attend Calgary's first game of the 2025 season Saturday when the Stampeders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He will join fellow Grey Cup-winning alumni Doug Flutie, Mark McLoughlin, Nik Lewis, Jeremaine Copeland, Jon Cornish and Alex Singleton as the team celebrates its 80th birthday. 'I am grateful for all the time spent in the city of Calgary and performing in the presence of some of the best fans in the league,' Crandell said. 'Another blessing is to have played for a great coaching staff assembled by the legend Wally Buono. 'Many thanks go out to my teammates for the hard work they displayed day in and day out as we strived to achieve success.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
