The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian Football League team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The Eskimos are the most successful CFL franchise of the modern era (1949-present), having won the league's Grey Cup championship thirteen times, including an unmatched five consecutive wins between 1978 and 1982, and most recently in 2005. The Eskimos play their home games at Commonwealth Stadium.

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Team facts

Ownership

The Edmonton Eskimos Football Club is one of three remaining "community owned" teams in the CFL (owned by local shareholders). This was once the most common type of ownership in the CFL. ^[1] The current board of directors as of the 2008 annual general meeting includes Diane Brickner (president and CEO of Peace Hills Insurance), Harold Roozen (chairman and CEO of CCI Thermal Technologies Inc.), Douglas Goss, and Allan Sawin, Terry O'Flynn, John Moquin and Bruce Bentley. Goss is the chairman, Sawin is the treasurer, and Bentley is secretary. The club's president and CEO is Rick LeLacheur.

For the 2008 year, the club announced revenue of $14.868 million, and a profit on the football side of the franchise, but a net loss of $504,049 because of loss of investments in the stock market due to the economic recession. ^[2]

Franchise history

Edmonton played its first series of organized games with the formation of the Alberta Rugby Football Union in 1895. In 1897 the name Esquimaux was adopted. In 1910 the club was officially named the Edmonton Eskimos. Since 1978 the Eskimos have played their home games in Commonwealth Stadium, which is now the only grass field in the CFL. They are one of the most successful teams in Canadian football history, having won the Grey Cup more than any other team except the Toronto Argonauts, and being the run-away leader in attendance for many years.

The team holds many impressive records, including five consecutive Grey Cup wins (1978 to 1982), and 34 consecutive years in the playoffs (1972 to 2005), a record no other North American professional team (regardless of sport) has equalled. Former Eskimos have figured prominently in Alberta political life: past players include two former provincial premiers (E. Peter Lougheed and Donald Getty), a former mayor of Edmonton (Bill Smith), and a lieutenant-governor (Norman Kwong).

During the glory years of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Edmonton Eskimos won five Grey Cup championships in a row. No other team in the CFL, since Edmonton re-entered the CFL in 1949, has even won three in row, let alone five. Their achievements were documented in the book, Decade of Excellence , with photographs by Bob Peterson. The Eskimos have also enjoyed great attendance in the stands as they lead the league.

Origin of the uniform

The current uniform colours, green and gold, were adopted when the Eskimos received uniforms from the University of Alberta Golden Bears football team, which was dormant due to a lack of competition in 1949. The colours have remained since that time, and the Golden Bears maintain them to this day as well. Overall, the jersey and colours have remained relatively the same over the years with only minor modifications made every so often. Along with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, they are one of the few teams to alternate the pants and jersey combinations of their uniforms within a season.

Wall of Honour

The Eskimos have a policy of honouring the players who have best represented the team on the field; similar to a team retiring a number, the Eskimos keep the number in circulation, although the number is hung on the edge of the concrete separating the upper and lower decks of Commonwealth Stadium.

'''Numbers so honoured s of {{MONTHNAME 2008 ^[]:'''

Team Song

During each home game fans stand and sing the Edmonton Eskimos Fight Song:

We're cheering fight, fight fight on Eskimos
We're marching right, right, right on Eskimos
We're charging down the field for all to see
and shouting rah, rah, rah, fight on to victory
We're fighting on 'til every game is won
The Green and Gold is bold and when we're done
we'll tell the world we're proud of Edmonton
and the Edmonton Eskimos!

Players of note

Canadian Football Hall of Famers

Current squad

Quarterbacks 17 12 15 Running Backs 30 FB 22 FB 34 RB 19 FB 31 RB 35 RB Receivers 71 SB 84 WR 86 SB 88 WR  8 SB 82 SB  2 WR		Offensive Linemen 59 G 64 C 67 G 62 C 51 G 66 T 56 G Defensive Linemen 90 DE 92 DE 97 DE 42 DE 41 DE 94 DT 79 DT 93 DT		Linebackers 39 MLB 24 MLB 23 OLB 44 OLB 48 OLB Defensive Backs 25 CB/HB  4 HB 38 CB 16 DB 28 FS  9 HB 26 CB Special Teams 52 LS  7 K/P 29 K/P		Inactive List 32 RB (9 Game) 91 DE (9 Game) 20 CB (1 Game) 96 DE (1 Game) 45 OLB (1 Game) 43 DB (9 Game) 63 T (1 Game) 80 WR (9 Game) 83 WR (9 Game) Practice Roster 57 OL 27 DB 89 WR 5 RB 95 DE 10 DB 85 WR Italics indicate Import player updated 2008-10-11 • 46 Active, 10 Inactive, 7 PS ? More rosters

Head coaches

See also

• Canadian Football Hall of Fame
• Canadian football
• Comparison of Canadian and American football
• List of Canadian Football League seasons

References

1. cfl.ca
2. Eskimos release annual financial results