The Canadian Football League’s push into the United States began with big ambitions and ended in ways few could have predicted. Along the way, one team became embroiled in a car chase over unpaid stadium debts, another accidentally drafted a player who had already died, and the league’s American experiment spiraled into chaos before collapsing entirely. In today’s video, we’ll take a look back at the spectacular failure that was the CFL’s expansion into the United States.
The Road To Expansion
Long before the CFL officially expanded into the United States, the league made several unsuccessful attempts to build an American presence, which it had long sought after. Exhibition and neutral-site games were played south of the border throughout the 1950s and 1960s, while Western Canadian teams increasingly recruited American players and scheduled preseason games in U.S. cities. The league also explored television opportunities, including a one-year deal with NBC in 1954. Despite these efforts, American interest remained modest. Most games drew between 10,000 and 20,000 spectators and were often low-scoring affairs dominated by punting.
Attendance declined further by the late 1960s, and after a 1967 game in Everett, Washington which attracted just over 6,000 fans, the CFL would not return to the United States for another game for several decades. By the early 1980’s, things began to turn around for the CFL. The cable sports television network, ESPN, agreed to broadcast 30 regular-season games, the playoffs, and the Grey Cup in 1980. Which was a huge boost of visibility for the league, since ESPN was available in nearly 5 million homes in 1980, and would double that number by the end of 1981.
But the CFL’s biggest opportunity came in 1982 during the NFL strike. NBC purchased ESPN’s CFL rights for $100,000 per game to fill its football schedule. CFL games were given full network treatment with NFL-level production and announcers. The games aired between September 26 and October 10, including matchups such as British Columbia vs Toronto, Calgary vs Edmonton, and Saskatchewan vs Calgary. Some affiliates near the Canadian border did not carry the broadcasts, and in certain markets the games were blacked out or replaced with alternative programming listings. A final scheduled game between Edmonton and Winnipeg was even set for broadcast on October 17 but was cancelled at the last minute over concerns it could run into NBC’s World Series coverage.
Unfortunately, all of the broadcasts were one-sided contests that failed to attract viewers. In fact, the Saskatchewan vs Calgary game on October 3 was such a lopsided affair, that NBC decided to cut away from the game before it ended in order to show other prime-time programming.
With disappointing ratings, blackouts imposed near the Canadian border, NBC quickly ended the agreement after airing just four games. The TV rights then reverted back to ESPN, where they would stay for most of the decade.
By the early 1990s, the idea of expanding into the United States began to gain serious momentum. For years, the league had faced chronic financial instability and ownership uncertainty from its Canadian teams. A major turning point came in 1987 when brewery giant Carling O’Keefe ended its lucrative sponsorship agreement with the CFL. The deal had provided roughly $11 million annually to league teams. Although the sponsorship had delivered steady revenue, many clubs failed to build sustainable business operations of their own. Longtime commissioner Jake Gaudaur had retired in 1984, and financial problems soon mounted. The Montreal Alouettes folded before the 1987 season despite having been saved just five years earlier.
The situation worsened when CTV, the CFL’s television partner for 26 seasons, decided to drop their coverage of the CFL games after the 1986 season. The league was then forced to manage television distribution itself, which reduced another important source of income. With the exception of the Edmonton Eskimos, nearly every CFL franchise experienced financial difficulties leading into the 1990s. The Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders launched public fundraising campaigns to survive. The BC Lions endured years of ownership turmoil, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers accumulated millions in debt.
In Toronto, the Argonauts struggled through a series of ownership crises, despite being backed by famous owners Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky, and John Candy. Hamilton faced declining attendance and competition from the nearby Buffalo Bills, who were in the midst of four straight Super Bowl appearances. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Rough Riders were plagued by instability under owner Bernie Glieberma. When Larry Smith was hired as commissioner in 1992, it was widely understood that pursuing U.S. expansion would be a priority.
The hope being that by injecting new ownership and American business into the league, it could help stabilize the CFL. While Smith became the public face of the effort, he later emphasized that the push originated with team owners, particularly Bruce McNall and Larry Ryckman, owner of the Calgary Stampeders. Expansion fees offered an attractive solution to the league’s financial problems, since the revenue would be shared among existing franchises. Faced with mounting losses, shrinking revenues, and uncertainty about its future, the CFL increasingly viewed the United States not just as an opportunity for growth, but as a potential lifeline.
The American Gamble
With the owners’ approval, Commissioner Larry Smith began pursuing U.S. expansion in earnest. The first step was a June 1992 exhibition game between Toronto and Calgary in Portland, Oregon, which drew over 15,000 fans. Portland was considered for a franchise, but no ownership group emerged. But, interest from other American cities was significant, with more than twenty markets reportedly explored during the expansion era.
The CFL’s first American franchise was approved in January 1993 when former World League of American Football owner Fred Anderson was awarded the Sacramento Gold Miners. A second franchise in San Antonio was approved at the same time, but ownership issues caused it to collapse before launch. To avoid legal issues under U.S. labor laws, American teams were exempt from the CFL’s Canadian player quota (which required CFL teams to carry at least 20 Canadian players, and no more than 17 foreign born players).
Sacramento became the lone American team in 1993. Playing at Hornet Stadium, the Gold Miners drew respectable crowds of around 17,000 per game but finished last in the West Division with a 6–12 record. League officials later altered the playoff format, allowing a fourth Western team into the postseason. While justified as a competitive measure, some believed it also helped keep Sacramento in contention longer.
The expansion experiment expanded dramatically in 1994, when Sacramento was joined by the Las Vegas Posse, the Shreveport Pirates, and the Baltimore CFL Colts. ESPN and ESPN2 carried selected games in the United States while TSN and CBC continued coverage in Canada. There was another planned franchise in Orlando, but it collapsed before launch, which unfortunately continued a pattern of failed ownership groups.
Of the new teams, Baltimore quickly became the model franchise. Owner Jim Speros originally named the franchise the Baltimore CFL Colts, hoping to capitalize on the city’s lingering attachment to the NFL team that had left for Indianapolis. However, the NFL successfully won a court injunction just hours before Baltimore’s first game, preventing the team from using the “Colts” name. Forced to abandon its branding and merchandise, the club hastily adopted the name Baltimore Football Club, becoming one of the first modern North American professional sports teams to compete without an official nickname.
Speros wisely built the roster around experienced CFL veterans and hired respected coach Don Matthews, and the result was immediate success. Baltimore finished 12–6, and reached the Grey Cup, but narrowly lost to the BC Lions on a last-second field goal. But most importantly, the franchise reportedly turned a profit during its first season.
However, not all of the expansion teams were as successful from the start as Baltimore. For example, the Shreveport Pirates only came into existence due to a settlement which involved the former owner of the Ottawa Roughriders, Bernie Glieberman. After selling the Rough Riders, Glieberman received the rights to a U.S. expansion team, which later became the Shreveport Pirates. Although local enthusiasm existed, the Pirates faced major challenges from the start. Organizational problems, inadequate resources, extreme weather, and poor on-field performance contributed to a disastrous beginning. The team lost its first fourteen games before finishing strongly with three wins in its final four games. Attendance improved late in the season, including a crowd of more than 32,000 for the home finale.
The Las Vegas franchise proved to be the league’s biggest failure. Playing in Sam Boyd Stadium, the Posse suffered from poor marketing, low attendance, and severe financial problems. Crowds dwindled throughout the season, reaching just 2,350 fans for one October game. Owner Nick Mileti suspended operations before the season ended, forcing the league to move the team’s final home game to Edmonton. The Posse finished 5–13 and became the CFL’s first major American expansion casualty.
One of the most memorable moments of the Las Vegas Posse’s lone season had actually nothing to do with football. Before the team’s home debut in July 1994, Las Vegas singer Dennis Casey Park was forced to perform “O Canada” without the accompanying music he had rehearsed with. Losing the melody almost immediately, he unintentionally turned the anthem into an off-key rendition of “O Christmas Tree” instead. His performance drew widespread attention across Canada and even prompted comments from U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
Park later embarked on an apology tour, redeeming himself with successful performances of the anthem at CFL and Blue Jays games. Although the blunder became forever linked to the Posse’s failed season, Park has since looked back on it fondly, saying the incident unexpectedly led to new opportunities, including meeting his future wife.
During the following offseason, league officials were forced to scramble to relocate the Posse. Potential moves to Milwaukee, Mississippi, and Miami all collapsed. Ultimately, the franchise was dissolved.
At the same time, Sacramento improved significantly in its second season. Led by quarterback David Archer, the Gold Miners finished 9–8–1 and narrowly missed the playoffs. However, attendance declined compared to the previous year. Fred Anderson, the owner of the Gold Miners, had grown frustrated with Hornet Stadium and claimed the team had lost roughly $10 million in two years. After failing to secure stadium improvements, he moved the Gold Miners to San Antonio, where they became the Texans for the 1995 season.
Despite the struggles of several franchises, the CFL continued expanding. The Memphis Mad Dogs were announced in late 1994, followed by the Birmingham Barracudas in early 1995. Memphis was especially significant because owner Fred Smith, founder of Federal Express, brought financial strength and credibility. While the CFL finally had five American franchises and appeared to be gaining momentum, the 1995 season would quickly descend into one bizarre story after another.
Question
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The Wheels Come Off
For 1995, the league abandoned its traditional East-West alignment in favor of North and South divisions. The five American teams—Baltimore, Birmingham, Memphis, San Antonio, and Shreveport—formed the South Division, while the Canadian clubs made up the North. ESPN2 also signed the CFL’s first national American television contract, which provided greater visibility.
In maybe the most bizarre event that took place during this period, just before the start of the 1995 season, the CFL held a dispersal draft due to the collapse of the Last Vegas Posse the season prior. One of the Posse’s former players, defensive end Darrell Robertson who never saw any playing time, was drafted by the Ottawa Rough Riders in the fourth round. But there was one problem, Darell Robertson had tragically died in a car crash in December of 1994, right after the CFL season had ended. The Ottawa Rough Riders’ team officials had even consulted former Posse coach Ron Meyer and offensive coordinator Ron Smeltzer, both of whom spoke highly of him but were unaware he had passed away. According to Ottawa coach Jim Gilstrap (GIL-STRAP), neither the league nor the team realized Robertson was deceased until they attempted to contact him and were unable to reach him.
But the story doesn’t end there, because the league made almost the exact same mistake the very next year! During the 1996 CFL Draft, the Montreal Alouettes selected defensive end James Eggink in the fifth round, unaware that he had died of cancer the previous December. The error only came to light after a coach familiar with Eggink contacted the team, prompting owner Jim Speros to apologize to James Eggink’s family. The embarrassing incident allegedly prompted the CFL to institute a rule that teams must verify that players were still alive before drafting them, but no official word has ever been stated on the matter.
While the dispersal draft provided one of the strangest moments of the expansion era, the season itself would bring no shortage of problems for the league’s American franchises. The Birmingham Barracudas were led by future Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback Matt Dunigan and remained competitive throughout the season. However, attendance quickly became a problem. Owner Art Williams feared competition from college football and persuaded the CFL to allow Sunday afternoon home games. Even with the schedule adjustment, attendance collapsed late in the season, and Williams reportedly lost around $10 million.
The Memphis Mad Dogs faced similar challenges, the team struggled to attract fans once college football season arrived. Attendance steadily declined throughout the season despite owner Fred Smith’s marketing efforts. One challenge facing the Memphis Mad Dogs was their home stadium. Because the Liberty Bowl could not accommodate a full-sized CFL field, the end zones had to be shortened from the regulation 20 yards to just 14 yards and reshaped to fit the stadium, creating an unusual and strange playing surface unlike any other in the league. While some believed the reduced end zones made scoring more difficult, league officials insisted the modified field was necessary to preserve the CFL’s rules rather than shorten the playing field itself.
Shreveport’s second season brought more disappointment. The Pirates slipped to 5–13 while attendance declined further. Off the field, the Pirates’ problems only worsened. Owner Bernie Glieberman attempted to relocate the team to Norfolk, Virginia, but negotiations collapsed after local officials discovered the family’s legal and financial troubles. The failed move also spawned the bizarre “Great Tucker Caper,” in which Shreveport officials sought to seize Bernie Glieberman’s rare 1948 Tucker automobile over unpaid stadium debts.
His lawyer attempted to drive the car out of the city, but after running out of gas, police recovered the vehicle and returned it to the museum where it had been on display. Adding further insult to injury, Norfolk had zero interest in working with the Gilbermans due to their shoddy business reputation. San Antonio, by contrast, had finally found success. The Alamodome provided a modern indoor facility capable of accommodating a full CFL field. Behind quarterback David Archer, the Texans finished 12–6 and reached the South Division Final before losing to Baltimore.
Baltimore remained the expansion project’s crown jewel. Now officially known as the Stallions, the team dominated the league. After a slow start, Baltimore won thirteen consecutive games and finished first in the South Division. The Stallions defeated Winnipeg and San Antonio in the playoffs before beating Calgary 37–20 in the 1995 Grey Cup. They became the first and only American team to win a CFL championship and were widely regarded as one of the best expansion teams in North American sports history.
Back To Canada
Yet despite Baltimore’s success, major problems persisted throughout the league. American fan interest remained limited. Differences between Canadian and American football failed to gain broad acceptance, and no major U.S. television deal emerged. Most American teams struggled with the CFL schedule, which forced them to play during summer heat and later compete directly against high school, college, and NFL football.
Tensions also developed between American and Canadian owners. Some American owners pushed for rule changes, shorter end zones, elimination of Canadian player quotas, and even a league name change. Canadian owners largely resisted, unwilling to alter the league’s identity.
Financial losses mounted rapidly. In 1995 alone, American franchises reportedly lost more than $20 million collectively. Birmingham suffered the largest losses, while Memphis, Shreveport, San Antonio, and even the successful Baltimore Stallions all lost money. Also, the Canadian teams didn’t fare much better. Attendance declined throughout the country, and several franchises faced severe financial crises.
Then came the event that effectively ended American expansion. On November 6, 1995, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced he would relocate his NFL team to Baltimore. The move devastated the Stallions. Although they had built a loyal following, competing directly against an NFL franchise would be nearly impossible.
Baltimore’s attendance and marketing efforts immediately suffered. Despite winning the Grey Cup, the Stallions received little local attention as excitement shifted toward the incoming NFL team. Speros soon began exploring relocation options, including Houston and several other cities.
Other American franchises were already collapsing. Memphis folded shortly after the season. Shreveport explored relocation but failed to find a solution. Birmingham was sold to investors hoping to move the franchise, but the plan never materialized.
By early 1996, four of the five American teams had either folded or lacked viable stadium situations. Only San Antonio remained potentially capable of continuing. However, the league concluded that the experiment could not survive. During meetings in February 1996, all remaining American franchises were formally shut down.
At the same time, Speros was awarded a reactivated Montreal Alouettes franchise. Much of the Stallions’ front office, coaching staff, and roster moved to Montreal, effectively transferring Baltimore’s football operation back to Canada.
The CFL entered the 1996 season once again operating entirely within Canada. The league faced new financial challenges without expansion fees to support struggling teams. The Grey Cup struggled to attract sufficient sponsorship money, while Ottawa folded after the 1996 season, and Calgary entered bankruptcy proceedings. Several expansion-era architects, including Bruce McNall and Larry Ryckman, later became embroiled in legal and financial scandals.
Despite the collapse, The American team’s expansion fees provided a temporary financial lifeline. Estimates suggest the CFL collected between $14 million and $15 million through expansion. Those funds helped several franchises survive long enough to reach a more stable future.
The expansion era also indirectly strengthened relations between the CFL and NFL. Concerned about the CFL’s survival, the NFL later provided marketing assistance and a loan in exchange for a player agreement between the leagues.
In the years that followed, the CFL focused exclusively on Canada. Financial stability gradually returned through salary controls, stronger ownership standards, and improved television contracts. Ottawa eventually returned to the league with a new team, the Redblacks, while expansion efforts shifted toward strengthening Canadian markets rather than revisiting the United States.
The most enduring legacy of the American experiment proved to be Montreal. The revived Alouettes quickly became competitive and eventually evolved into one of the CFL’s model franchises. While occasional discussion of U.S. expansion still surfaces, the league has shown little interest in repeating the experiment.
The CFL’s venture into the United States was ultimately the product of decades of ambition, financial pressure, and repeated but limited attempts to break into the American market. From early exhibition games and brief television experiments in the mid-20th century to ESPN coverage in the 1980s and the full-scale expansion of the 1990s, the league consistently searched for a way to make football work in the US. At its peak, the CFL fielded multiple American franchises, produced both success stories and spectacular failures, and even crowned an American Grey Cup champion in Baltimore.
But behind the moments of progress were deeper issues—unstable ownership, financial losses, limited fan engagement, and structural differences between the Canadian and American games. Once those pressures collided with the return of NFL football to Baltimore and the collapse of several franchises, the experiment quickly unraveled. In the end, what began as a long-held vision for growth became a short-lived and turbulent chapter that reshaped the league’s direction, ultimately reinforcing the CFL’s identity as a distinctly Canadian institution.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, check out my other article on the rise and fall of the USFL, where I go deeper into how the USFL once looked to challenge the dominance of the NFL in the 1980s and ultimately failed. Please like and subscribe if you haven’t already, and thanks for watching!
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