1996 CFL season

The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.

CFL News in 1996

At the CFL's Board of Governors Meetings in February 1996, it was decided to end the league's four-year American experiment.

The league ordered the Shreveport Pirates, Memphis Mad Dogs and Birmingham Barracudas to disband. The Grey Cup champion Baltimore Stallions had opted to move elsewhere rather than face the daunting prospect of competing with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. When it was apparent the CFL was refocusing on Canada, Stallions owner Jim Speros gave up the Stallions franchise and moved his organisation to Montreal as the third incarnation of the Montreal Alouettes. Up until this time, the city of Montreal had been without Canadian football for nine seasons. Speros revived the Als' traditional colour scheme of blue, white, and red. Their logo was an angry bird running with a football; it has been their helmet logo ever since. Unwilling to continue as the lone American team in the league, the San Antonio Texans voluntarily folded.

A dispersal draft was held for the players on four of the five American teams—all except the Stallions. However, all of the Stallions players were released from their contracts. Alouettes general manager Jim Popp, who followed the Stallions organisation to Montreal, managed to re-sign many of them; he was limited to half of the Alouettes roster, since the Stallions as an American team were not subject to the league's requirement that half of a team's roster comprise Canadian citizens, and the Alouettes would be subject to that rule.

With the removal of the American teams, the CFL reverted to its traditional "East-West" alignment. The revived Alouettes were placed in the East Division and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were placed back into the West Division, after 10 seasons.

The BC Lions and the Calgary Stampeders underwent ownership changes.

Regular season standings

Final regular season standings

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points

• Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs.
• Calgary and Toronto both have first round byes.

Grey Cup playoffs

The Toronto Argonauts are the 1996 Grey Cup champions, defeating the Edmonton Eskimos 43–37, at Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Argonauts' Doug Flutie (QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player and Mike Vanderjagt (K) was the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.

Playoff bracket

CFL Leaders

• CFL Passing Leaders
• CFL Rushing Leaders
• CFL Receiving Leaders ^[1]

1996 CFL All-Stars

1996 Western All-Stars

1996 Eastern All-Stars

1996 Intergold CFLPA All-Stars

^[2]

1996 CFL Awards

• CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Doug Flutie (QB), Toronto Argonauts
• CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Leroy Blugh (DE), Edmonton Eskimos
• CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Willie Pless (LB), Edmonton Eskimos
• CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Mike Kiselak (C), Toronto Argonauts
• CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – Kelvin Anderson (RB), Calgary Stampeders
• CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award – Mike "Pinball" Clemons (RB), Toronto Argonauts
• CFL's Coach of the Year – Ron Lancaster, Edmonton Eskimos
• Commissioner's Award - John Tory, Toronto

References