The Ottawa Redblacks, also known as Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa, are a Canadian Football League (CFL) team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The Alouettes play in the East Division of the CFL. Their home venue is TD Place Stadium and the head coach is Bob Dyce.
📜 Ottawa Redblacks History
The first CFL team to play in Ottawa were the Ottawa Rough Riders, who were formed in 1876 and became a founding member of the CFL in 1958. Despite their long and storied history, the Rough Riders franchise collapsed after the 1996 season, and the city had no CFL team for the following 5 years.
In 2002, the Ottawa Renegades were founded under a new ownership, but financial and management problems plagued the new team, and the Renegades only lasted until 2006. The CFL liquidated the team roster and put the Ottawa CFL franchise up for sale.
A business group was awarded the franchise in 2008, and after years of preparations, the new team played its first game in 2014. Although attempts were made to revive the Rough Riders name, objections from the Saskatchewan Roughriders meant the Ottawa team's name was put to an online vote, and they became the Redblacks.
Despite struggling in their first CFL season, the Redblacks improved greatly in 2015, finishing first in the East Division and eventually reaching the 103rd Grey Cup. Ottawa lost to Edmonton on that occasion, but the Redblacks made it to the Grey Cup again the following year and won. That 2016 title was the first for Ottawa in 40 years.
The Redblacks reached the Grey Cup again in 2018, where they were defeated by the Calgary Stampeders.
