Toronto Argonauts

Toronto Argonauts
Team logo
FoundedOctober 4, 1873 (1873-10-04)
Based inToronto, Ontario, Canada
Home fieldBMO Field
Head coachRyan Dinwiddie
General managerPinball Clemons
Owner(s)Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
LeagueCanadian Football League
DivisionEast Division
ColoursCambridge Blue, Oxford Blue[1][2][3]
   
Nickname(s)Argos, Boatmen, Double Blue, Scullers, Love Boat[4]
Mascot(s)Jason
Grey Cup wins18 (1914, 1921, 1933, 1937, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1983, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2012, 2017, 2022)
Websiteargonauts.ca
Current uniform
Current sports event2023 Toronto Argonauts season

The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, the team is the oldest existing professional sports team in North America still using its original name, as well as the oldest-surviving team in both the modern-day CFL and East Division.[5] The team's origins date back to a modified version of rugby football that emerged in North America in the latter half of the 19th century. The Argonauts played their home games at Rogers Centre (originally known as SkyDome) from 1989 until 2016, when the team moved to BMO Field, the fifth stadium site to host the team.

The Argonauts have won the Grey Cup a record 18 times and have appeared in the final 24 times. Most recently, they defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24–23 in the 109th Grey Cup in 2022. The Argonauts hold the best winning percentage in the championship game (75%)[6] and have the longest active winning streak in games in which they have appeared, at seven. The Argonauts have faced every current western CFL team at least once in the Grey Cup, while their most celebrated divisional rivalry has been with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The team was founded and owned by the Argonaut Rowing Club for its first 83 years, and has been owned by a series of business interests since 1956. The Argonauts were a fixture on the Toronto sports scene for decades, with attendance peaking in the 1970s. In May 2015, a consortium of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment's Larry Tanenbaum (via the Kilmer Group) and Bell Canada were to acquire the team. The sale included a scheduled move to the MLSE-run BMO Field for the 2016 season, which had long been proposed given poor attendance at Rogers Centre.[7] MLSE announced in December 2017 that it had agreed to purchase the team outright, with the deal finalized on January 19, 2018.[8] The previous owners continue to indirectly own stakes in the Argos, as Bell Canada and the Kilmer Group respectively hold 37.5% and 25% stakes in MLSE.[9]

Given the length of franchise history, dozens of players, coaches, and management have been honoured in some form over the years. The team recognizes a select group of players with retired numbers - early greats Joe Krol and Dick Shatto, stalwart offensive lineman Danny Nykoluk, and Michael "Pinball" Clemons, who has been the most recent face of the team.

  1. ^ Argonauts Media Relations (November 16, 2020). "THE BOAT IS BACK!". Argonauts.ca. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  2. ^ CFL.ca Staff (November 16, 2020). "THE BOAT IS BACK: ARGOS SET SAIL WITH MODERN TAKE ON CLASSIC LOGO". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  3. ^ "Toronto Argonauts Club Profile & History" (PDF). 2021 CFL Guide & Record Book (PDF). CFL Enterprises LP. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  4. ^ O'Leary, Chris (November 29, 2017). "O'LEARY: ARGOS ARCHITECTS ENCOURAGE FANS TO JOIN 'THE LOVE BOAT". CFL.ca. CFL Enterprises LP. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Canadian Football League Facts, Figures & Records. (2009). pg. 23
  6. ^ "By the numbers Grey Cup glory". CFL. December 2, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Bell Canada and Kilmer Group to acquire Argonauts". Toronto Argonauts. May 20, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "MLSE completes acquisition of Argos; name Manning as President". January 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Jackson, Emily (December 13, 2017). "MLSE buys Toronto Argos, now owns every major Toronto sports team but the Blue Jays". National Post. Retrieved December 14, 2017.

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