July 4th, 2025

Inside the CFL: Slinging ropes and now passes with Stamps, Bombers entering the Stampede Bowl chute

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 3, 2025.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Tonight is the inaugural game of the Stampede Bowl with the greatest outdoor show on Earth meeting the greatest outdoor show on turf.

The event on the eve of the big fair and rodeo will have everything, including rock star Bret Michaels performing at halftime, and Canadian country artist Dawson Gray doing the pre-game honours. At the end of what should be a dandy game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the hometown Stampeders there will be a huge fireworks display. “Yahoo! We’re going to have a lot of fun, you betcha.”

The winner of the first Stampede Bowl will receive a beautiful red and silver trophy shaped like a horse’s head, created by MST Bronze Ltd., the company that designed the Four Nations hockey award. The losing team will also have to contribute $25,000 to the Purolater Tackles Hunger charity.

This marks the first time the football team will play at home during the Stampede. It was always believed that having a football game during the city’s biggest event would be a gate killer. Neither the Elks nor Roughriders will play at home during this year’s Klondike Days and Queen City Ex.

Visionary president Jay McNeil thought combining the two would be a perfect fit, with the proud citizens in the mood to celebrate everything Calgary. After hurricane-like conditions for the Ottawa game washed away any walk-up sales, the team really needs a good turnout tonight.

Certainly this is a marketing ploy. McNeil makes no apologies for that. Since taking over as president last year, he has turned McMahon Stadium into a fun place to be with fan friendly activities every game.

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth was first staged in 1912. At that time, the Calgary Tigers were defending their first Western championship. Wearing black and yellow, long woolen socks, canvas pants and leather helmets, (or bare-headed) they played at Hillhurst Park beside where SAIT College is today. After vanquishing the YMCA team and the then Edmonton Eskimos, they lost their title 4-3 to the Winnipeg Rowing club.

Fans will witness an aerial circus tonight staged by quarterbacks Vernon Adams Jr. and Zach Collaros. That would not have been the case in 1912. The forward pass wasn’t allowed until 1929. In 1912, teams fielded 14 players. The game they played was called rugby football, the emphasis on foot. The game featured running, punting and drop kicking. The ball was put into play by a lineman kicking it back to the quarterback with his heel. Often the ball was lateraled out and then punted with the outside wings and backs racing down field to recover it. That’s what made football exciting before the forward pass.

Winnipeg comes into McMahon undefeated with two wins over B.C. and the other against Edmonton. After convincing victories over Hamilton and Toronto, the red and white were as bad as the weather in losing to the woeful Ottawa Red Blacks. The Stamps have had a lot of trouble with the Bombers the last few years, with a record of 3-10 since capturing the Grey Cup in 2018.

Both teams have had to cope with injuries, the Bombers losing running back Brady Oliveira, the Stamps two starting linebackers, Gary Johnson Jr. and Marquel Lee. They signed future hall-of-famer Lion and Bomber middle linebacker Adam Vighill, but he’s not ready, and Ti-Cat Kyle Wilson. Missing are receivers Reggie Begleton and Malik Henry, as well as OL Bryce Bell. Both clubs have lost their long snappers. The teams are ranked first or second in most statistical categories. Zach Collaros was as hot as a pistol last week against B.C., Adams Jr., not so much.

The Bombers are a formidable opponent. But it doesn’t get any easier for the stamps with trips to Saskatchewan and Winnipeg up next followed by a home engagement with Montreal. This month of July is a real litmus test for them. We’ll find out how much progress the rebuilding Stamps have made.

Meanwhile, congratulations to the former king of the corral Bo Levi Mitchell who became the fastest quarterback in CFL history to reach the 100 win mark, when his Ti-Cats downed Montreal 35-17 last Friday, surpassing Ron Lancaster.

And kudos also to Mitchell’s successor in Calgary, the much maligned Jake Maier, who performed well keeping Saskatchewan undefeated with a 37-18 win over the Lions.

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 53 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.

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