Montreal Rouge

The Montreal Rouge is a professional Hybrid Football team located in Montreal, Quebec. They currently compete in the North American Association of Football as a member of the East Division. They play their home games at Mount Royal Stadium in Montreal.

The Rouge was founded in 1895 and began playing in the Ligue de Football du Québec. The team joined the NAAF in 1949 as one of the first four members of the league. The Rouge's name comes from the history of the team as they, for many years, were known as a rough and tough team that often left their opponents battered after games. Eventually, teams would begin to call them the "Rouges Sanglants", or the bloody reds. The team embraced the name but would shorten it to Rouge to be more "classy". The club has had several owners since its founding in 1895. Jena Beaulieu owned the team when they first entered the NAAF, but passed away in 1963. Alvon Martineau took over the team after Beaulieu and has been the owner since 1964.

The Rouge were easily the most dominant team in the LFQ, having won a majority of the league's titles over their history. In the NAAF Montreal was quickly one of the strongest teams to start, appearing in 3 McCallister Cups between 1950 and 1953, winning 2 titles. Recently, the team has continued to be a strong team, making another 2 McCallister Cups in 1962 and 1966. 

STADIUM

Mount Royal Stadium was opened in 1948 and seats 46,500. The Stadium is located on the side of Mount Royal which is located in the middle of the Island of Montreal. The Stadium is a pure bowl with the stands towering in all directions. The stands are a little steeper than most stadiums, but it keeps the sound in the stadium, making it one of the most difficult stadiums to play in on the road.

Mount Royal Stadium has hosted 4 McCallister Cups in total. The first two times in 1950 and 1951 were before hosts were selected and the Rouge were the home team. The most recent years were 1959 and 1970. 

PRE-NAAF HISTORY

NAAF HISTORY

HISTORIC INFORMATION

Head Coaches
Guy Clarke - 1949-1955
Soni Dionne - 1956-1959
Dean Reed - 1960-1963
Perry Powell - 1964-1965
Jimmy Sargent - 1966-1968
Alfred Deniau - 1969-1970
Malachi Knowles - 1971-Pres.

Captains
QB Stanislav Ovechkin - 1957-1959
OL Eugésippe Chalifoux - 1960-1962
DB Quentin Xavier - 1963-1966
OL Mathieu Roy - 1967-Pres.

Hall of Famers
RB Élisée Marchal - 1967
LB Quintin Brewer - 1967
HC/GM Guy Clarke - 1968
OL Cliff Strautzenberger - 1970*
OL Eugésippe Chalifoux - 1970
DL Zakary Turbide - 1971
LB Rusty McVee - 1972
DL Napoléon Chevalier - 1972

Seasons
1949: 6-2 - 2nd in NAAF - Lost Semi-Finals
1950: 6-2 - 1st in NAAF - Lost McCallister Cup
1951: 9-0-1 - 1st in North Division - Won McCallister Cup
1952: 6-4 - 3rd North Division - Missed Playoffs
1953: 8-2 - 1st North Division - Won McCallister Cup
1954: 6-4 - 3rd North Division - Lost New England Division Final
1955: 2-8 - 4th North Division - Missed Playoffs
1956: 2-8 - 4th North Division - Missed Playoffs
1957: 2-8-2 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1958: 5-7 - 4th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1959: 4-8 - 4th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1960: 8-4 - 2nd East Division - Lost East Division Semi-Final
1961: 9-3 - 1st East Division - Lost East Division Final
1962: 7-5 - 3rd East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1963: 6-6 - 3rd East Division - Lost East Division Semi-Final
1964: 8-3-1 - 1st East Division - Lost East Division Final
1965: 5-7 - 3rd East Division - Missed Playoffs
1966: 7-5 - 2nd East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1967: 7-5 - 3rd East Division - Lost East Division Semi-Final
1968: 4-8 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1969: 5-7 - 4th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1970: 4-8 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1971: 12-2 - 1st East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1972: 6-8 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs

Awards
Most Valuable/Outstanding Player:
1949: RB Élisée Marchal
1950: RB Élisée Marchal
1951: RB Élisée Marchal
1967: S Garet deVale

Offensive Player of the Year:
1953: RB Élisée Marchal
1958: RB Scott Mallard-White
1963: RB Scott Mallard-White

Defensive Player of the Year:
1950: LB Quinton Brewer
1951: LB Quinton Brewer
1966: S Garet deVale

Special Teams Player of the Year:
1953: K Arthur Kettinger
1964: K Arthur Kettinger

Coach of the Year:
1951: Guy Clarke
1960: Dean Reed

Rookie of the Year:
1953: LB Rusty McVee

Breakout Player of the Year:
1958: QB Stanislav Ovechkin

Playoff MVP/MOP:
1951: RB Élisée Marchal
1953: RB Élisée Marchal
1962: RB Scott Mallard-White

McCallister Cup MVP/MOP:
1951: RB Élisée Marchal
1953: DL Zakary Turbide

DESIGN

1949-1952

Montreal's first set of uniforms in the NAAF were very simple at home with just a red jersey and silver pants. The road uniforms were pretty simple with just a pair of red stripes. However, the unique part of their look was a white helmet that was used on the road, which was the only time a second helmet colour had been used in the league up until 1969. 

1953-1957

In 1953, the Rouge would make some minor tweaks to their home uniform, adding a red stripe to the pants. The road, on the other hand, was remade with significantly more red. New red pants were added with more red stripes added to the uniform, as well as the removal of the white helmet. 

1958-1964

In 1958, the team simply added TV numbers and nameplates to their recent design.

1965

In 1965, the Rouge eliminated their red pants and only used their silver pants during the season.

1966-1969

In 1966, the Rouge went over a significant change. A new logo featuring a fleur de lis under an "M". The new jerseys would feature the new logo on the helmet. Two white stripes added to the red uniform, which is the first time white stripes have appeared on the red uniform. Matching sleeves were used on the road uniform while keeping the base white.

1967

In 1967 the Rouge, along with the other 4 Canadian teams, added a maple leaf to their jersey for Canada's 100th birthday.

1970-Pres.

With the partnership with Patterson Athletics, the Rouge would simply translate their current look over to the new template, however, they did add a pair of white stripes to their helmet.