Ottawa Royals

The Ottawa Royals is a professional Hybrid Football team located in Ottawa, Ontario. They currently compete in the North American Association of Football as a member of the East Division. They play their home games at Royals Stadium at Brewer Park in Ottawa.

The Royals were founded in 1908 as the Royal Football Club of Ottawa and began playing in the  Ontario Football Union. The team also spent some seasons in Ligue de Football du Québec in the 1930s. The team joined the NAAF in 1949 as one of the first four members of the league. The Royals' name comes from the original name for the club of Royal Football Club of Ottawa, as many fans and opponents shortened their name to the Royals. The club was founded and owned by Rudolph Wilson. Wilson maintained control for over 40 years, finally passing on the ownership in 1951 to his daughter, Laura McNeil. Laura and her husband, Greg McNeil, run the team. Greg, as an econ professor, handles most of the financial side of the business, while Laura manages the football side and league matters. Overall, most forget that Greg is part owner, but that is because Laura is such an impactful owner on her own, being a leader among the other owners. The pair have owned the team since 1952.

The Royals had some success in the OFU, being one of the few teams to be able to compete with the Toronto Lakers and Hamilton Steelers. However, after grabbing a pair of championships in their first 4 seasons, they would only win 1 more OFU title in 1927. Once, the team got to the NAAF, they would quickly blossom into a powerhouse. Led by one of the greatest players in the league's history, QB Jean Matieau, the Royals would go on a run from 1954-1960 of 7 consecutive McCallister Cup appearances. They would win 4 of those games, including 3 in a row between 1954 and 1956. 

STADIUM

Royals Stadium at Brewer Park was opened in 1955 and seats 45,210. The Stadium is located at Brewer Park which is just south of downtown. The stadium is very simple overall, with an open style. There are no overhangs over the 2nd level, which extend up on both sidelines, while the endzone has only 1 level. With the team's rebrand in 1970, the scoreboard at the stadium's north end is getting a slight renovation to add a crown design to it and the banner design from their new logo.

Royals Stadium at Brewer Park has hosted a couple of McCallister Cups since it opened. The years the stadium hosted were 1961 and 1967. 

PRE-NAAF HISTORY

NAAF HISTORY

HISTORIC INFORMATION

Head Coaches
Otis Ward - 1949-1953
Joseph Curry - 1954-1967
Jean Matieau - 1968-Pres.

Captains
QB Jean Matieau - 1957-1964
DL Olaf Viktorsson - 1965
S Randall Green - 1966-1968
WR Marshall Leonard - 1969-1971
DL Bernhard Hartmann - 1972-Pres.

Hall of Famers
WR Allen Atkins - 1967
TE Jervonte Howell - 1969
QB Jean Matieau - 1970
RB Alexei Volkov - 1970
DL Olaf Viktorsson - 1971

Seasons
1949: 5-3 - 4th in NAAF - Lost Semi-Finals
1950: 4-3-1 - 3rd in NAAF - Lost Semi-Finals
1951: 4-4-2 - 3rd in North Division - Missed Playoffs
1952: 7-3 - 1st North Division - Lost North Division Final
1953: 7-3 - 2nd North Division - Lost North Division Final
1954: 6-4 - 2nd North Division - Won McCallister Cup
1955: 9-1 - 1st North Division - Won McCallister Cup
1956: 8-2 - 1st North Division - Won McCallister Cup
1957: 7-3-2 - 2nd East Divison - Lost McCallister Cup
1958: 12-0 - 1st East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1959: 10-2 - 1st East Division - Won McCallister Cup
1960: 7-4-1 - 3rd East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1961: 5-7 - 4th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1962: 7-5 - 2nd East Division - Lost East Division Semi-Final
1963: 4-5-3 - 4th East Division - Lost West Division Final
1964: 5-7 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1965: 5-7 - 4th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1966: 4-8 - 5th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1967: 5-7 - 6th East Division - Missed Playoffs
1968: 10-2 - 1st East Division - Lost East Division Final
1969: 8-4 - 2nd East Division - Lost McCallister Cup
1970: 7-5 - 3rd East Division - Lost Quarter-Finals
1971: 9-5 - 3rd East Division - Lost Quarter-Finals
1972: 9-5 - 3rd East Division - Lost Semi-Finals

Awards
Most Valuable/Outstanding Player
1952: QB Jean Matieau
1954: WR Allen Atkins
1955: QB Jean Matieau
1958: QB Jean Matieau

Offensive Player of the Year
1950: QB Duane Logan
1954: QB Jean Matieau
1962: QB Jean Matieau

Defensive Player of the Year
1968: DL Bernhard Hartmann
1972: DB Sergio Alvarez

Special Teams Player of the Year
1972: K Ira Foster

Coach of the Year
1958: Joseph Curry
1968: Jean Matieau

Rookie of the Year
1967: DL Bernhard Hartmann
1969: QB Drake Young

Breakout Player of the Year
1952: QB Jean Matieau

Playoff MVP/MOP
1954: WR Allen Atkins
1955: QB Jean Matieau
1956: QB Jean Matieau
1960: DL Olaf Viktorsson

McCallister Cup MVP/MOP:
1954: WR Allen Atkins
1955: QB Jean Matieau
1956: QB Jean Matieau
1959: QB Jean Matieau

DESIGN

1949-1952

The initial look for the Royals in 1949 included a simple purple jersey over gold pants with gold numbers. On the sleeves are 3 stripes one larger one surrounded by two thinner stripes. The logo was also pretty simple with an old English-style "R" with a crown hanging off of it.

1953-1957

In 1953, the Royals made some adjustments. A crown was added to the front of the helmet, becoming the team's first helmet decal. The stripping pattern was widened on both jerseys. The gold was also adjusted to be a little richer. The roads saw the biggest change with the stipes changing to two purple stripes flanking a gold stripe, and purple pants were added to the look for the road uniforms.

1958-1969

The team added TV numbers and a nameplate to their current look for the 1958 update. *The team also had a 50th-anniversary logo which was only used during the 1958 season.* 

1967

In 1967 the Royals, 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 Royals would make a few changes. The first is a new logo with a new font for their "R". The crown still sits on top of the logo but is now separated. The new "R" logo has also been placed onto a banner to complete the new logo. The crown on the helmet was also updated to match the new logo. The home remained pretty much the same with new captain patches matching the font from the logo. The road saw the return of gold pants and the stripes went back to purple, but with gold stripes to interject.