Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League . The Toronto , Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and are one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America , after the Chicago Cubs ( 1870 ) and the Atlanta Braves ( 1871 ) of Major League Baseball . They have played their home games at Rogers Centre since the stadium opened in 1989 and prior to that , played in Exhibition Stadium from 1959 to 1988 . The Argonauts have won the Grey Cup championship a record fifteen times , most recently in 2004 . Having appeared in the Grey Cup 21 times , the Argonauts also hold the record for the best winning percentage in the championship game at 71 . 4 % . Additionally , the franchise has the longest current winning streak in the Grey Cup , having won their last four appearances in the Grey Cup game ( 1991 , 1996 , 1997 , 2004 ) . Team facts . The Toronto Argonauts are notable for being the oldest professional football team in North America , and they are also the oldest professional sports franchise in North America to still retain its original name . They have the most Grey Cup wins with 15 in the league ; they have the third most Grey Cup appearances with 21 , behind Edmonton ( 22 ) and Winnipeg ( 23 ) . The Argonauts are one of six professional football teams to feature multiple Heisman Trophy winners on their roster . The 1997 team featured Doug Flutie and Andre Ware , the first time a team has had two Heisman winners at the quarterback position . The 2006 team featured Ricky Williams and Eric Crouch . The five other teams are the Dallas Cowboys , Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League , and the Jacksonville Bulls and New Jersey Generals of the defunct United States Football League . Franchise history . 1873 – 2000 . 1873 – 1989 . The Toronto Argonauts were founded in 1873 by the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club . This also makes them one of the oldest professional sports teams in North America and the oldest to continue under the same name and in the same city . Aside from a few college teams , they are the oldest continuously existing football club of any type in North America . In the 19th century , the most renowned rowers in the world were the teams from Oxford University and Cambridge University in England , and the Toronto rowers adopted uniforms incorporating the two shades of blue used by the English schools . When the Argonauts expanded into football , the " double blue " uniform was used by the football team as well , starting a tradition of top - level Toronto teams wearing blue ( " e . g . " Toronto Maple Leafs , Toronto Blue Jays ) . Because of their roots in the rowing club ( which still exists today ) , the team is often nicknamed the " " Boatmen . " " In Canadian football ' s early years , the Argonauts were the dominant team . They put together a number of Grey Cup dynasties in the 1930s and 1940s . At some time during this period , the phrase " Argo Bounce " came into being . It referred to the Argonauts ' propensity to receive a lucky bounce of the football . However , after the 1952 season the Argos entered a funk that was to last for over 30 years . The team struggled throughout much of the ' 50s , ' 60s and ' 70s despite the presence of greats such as Joe Theismann , Tobin Rote , Jim Corrigall , Bill Symons , Jim Stillwagon and Granville " Granny " Liggins . The Boatmen ' s best chance to end their drought came in 1971 , when they faced the Calgary Stampeders in the 59th Grey Cup , the first to be played on artificial turf . In a defensive struggle at Vancouver ' s soggy Empire Stadium , a late fumble by Leon " X - Ray " McQuay sealed a 14 – 11 Stampeder victory . While the play was ruled a fumble , head coach Leo Cahill suggested that the ground cannot cause a fumble and the ball should have been ruled a dead ball . The Argonaut touchdown or field goal that could have ensued may well have altered the game ' s outcome . The Argos reached an all - time low in 1981 when they finished 2 – 14 ; this despite having such talented players as Condredge Holloway , Cedric Minter , David Newman and Terry Greer . However , with the 1982 season came the hiring of Bob O ' Billovich as head coach and Mouse Davis as offensive co - ordinator . Davis implemented the Run & Shoot offence for that season . The Argos enjoyed an unprecedented turnaround , going 9 – 6 – 1 that year . Condredge Holloway was the CFL ' s most outstanding player and receivers Terry Greer and Emanuel Tolbert were among the class of the CFL . But the team ultimately fell short in their quest for a Grey Cup , losing 32 - 16 to the mighty Edmonton Eskimos in front of a disappointed crowd at Exhibition Stadium . The 1983 season brought renewed success . The Argos finished 12 – 4 and Terry Greer set a CFL record with 2 , 003 receiving yards . Joe Barnes and Condredge Holloway were a potent duo at quarterback . The Double Blue returned to the Grey Cup , this time facing the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver . Despite the hostile crowd , Toronto defeated B . C . 18 – 17 to win their first Grey Cup since 1952 . The Argos enjoyed success through much of the ' 80s ( though 1985 and 1989 were notable exceptions ) , thanks in large part to talented players such as Gil " The Thrill " Fenerty and Darrell K . Smith . However , a return the glory of 1983 proved elusive . 1990 . Bob O ' Billovich left following the 1989 season . Don Matthews took over the head coaching reins , and the new Vice - President and General Manager , Mike McCarthy , rebuilt the franchise around star pivot Matt Dunigan . The Argos put up a record 689 points during the regular season , but had trouble handling the Winnipeg Blue Bombers all season long , and ended up losing the Eastern Final to Winnipeg 20 – 17 on a last - minute field goal . Michael " Pinball " Clemons set a pro football record with 3 , 300 all - purpose yards , and became the third Argo to win the CFL ' s Outstanding Player award . 1991 . Harry Ornest sold the Toronto Argonauts to a group spearheaded by Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall , and NHL great Wayne Gretzky and comedian / actor John Candy . Their acquisition of the team spawned immediate success . The team snatched Heisman Trophy runner - up Raghib “ Rocket ” Ismail from the NFL draft and coach Don Matthews was replaced by Adam Rita . The 1991 Argo squad was one of the most electrifying teams that Toronto had ever seen . A 13 – 5 – 0 regular season record earned the Argos a home playoff game at SkyDome . In front of a club record crowd of over 50 , 000 , the Argos thumped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 42 – 3 en route to a Grey Cup berth . Led by a thrilling 87 - yard kickoff return by Rocket Ismail , the Argos captured the 79th Grey Cup by defeating Calgary 36 – 21 in the coldest championship game on record at Winnipeg . Adam Rita would be named the CFL ’ s Coach of the Year . 1992 . The Cinderella story of 1991 would unfortunately only last one year as 1992 was the beginning of a rough couple of years for the Argos . Popular head coach Adam Rita was dismissed in September as the team struggled to find its way , Matt Dunigan left for Winnipeg as his replacement , Rickey Foggie struggled as the starting QB . Eventually , they finished last in the East with a 6 – 12 – 0 record . Assistant Coach Dennis Meyer took over from Rita after 11 games and finished the season 3 – 4 – 0 and out of the playoffs . The City of Toronto hosted the Grey Cup for the 45th time . 1993 . The CFL made its first venture into the United States with the addition of the Sacramento Gold Miners . Argonauts GM Mike McCarthy pulled off the biggest trade in CFL history that saw Tracy Ham come to Toronto in a blockbuster 16 - player deal with the Edmonton Eskimos . However Ham ' s presence and a great season by rookie receiver Manny Hazard did not stop the slide as the Argos dropped to 3 – 15 – 0 , their worst record since 1981 . Bob O ' Billovich returned to the Boatmen and replaced Dennis Meyer as head Coach on September 10 , 1993 , and was later named GM . 1994 . McNall , Gretzky and John Candy sold the club to TSN Enterprises . Under GM Bob O ’ Billovich , the Argonauts doubled their win total from the year previous and qualified for the CFL playoffs for the first time in three seasons . The Argos new found success was short lived , however , losing to the eventual Grey Cup Finalist Baltimore Stallions . 1995 . 1995 was a transition year for the Argos and change within the franchise was evident . Bob O ’ Billovich remained as the clubs GM , however handed over his coaching whistle to Mike Faragelli . Veteran QB Kent Austin was introduced to lead the club and the familiar “ A ” logo was replaced by a bold shielded warrior . The off - field transformations did little for the club . O ’ Billovich returned to finish the season on the sidelines and the Argos finished a woeful 4 – 14 – 0 . O ' Billovich was dismissed at season ' s end , and left as the club ' s all - time winningest coach with 89 victories , 79 losses and three ties in 11 seasons . 1996 . Toronto Blue Jays Vice President Paul Beeston was named the Argonauts new team President . The Argos went from basement dwellers to the class of the CFL . Don Matthews returned as Head Coach and he surrounded himself with free agent talent that would eventually win him a Grey Cup . Free agents Doug Flutie , Mike O ' Shea and Reggie Givens were perfect complements for Michael Clemons , Robert Drummond and the electrifying Jimmy “ The Jet ” Cunningham . Flutie would lead the Argonauts to a 15 – 3 – 0 season and a berth in the 1996 Grey Cup Championship game . Flutie ’ s Argonauts defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 43 – 37 in a snowy Ivor Wynne Stadium . 1997 . Paul Beeston continued his position as the Argos team President . Repeating as champions is one of the most difficult accomplishments in professional sports . The season saw the emergence of SB Derrell “ Mookie ” Mitchell . The speedy receiver helped lead the Argos to another 15 – 3 – 0 season . At the East Final in Toronto Michael “ Pinball ” Clemons was the hero catching the game - winning TD with just 40 seconds on the clock . The Argonauts easily defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 47 – 23 in the Grey Cup . The team finished the year with 11 players named to the All - Star team and four CFL awards . Doug Flutie won the Most Outstanding Player award , Mike Kiselak as Most Outstanding Lineman , Derrell Mitchell as Most Outstanding Rookie and Don Matthews as Coach of the Year . 1998 . The Argos looked to “ three - peat ” in 1998 , however , roster changes and numerous rookies entering camp , the task was going to be difficult . Star QB Doug Flutie and kicker Mike Vanderjagt left for the NFL and RB Robert Drummond became a member of the B . C . Lions . After starting the year slow , the Argonauts starting pivot Kerwin Bell returned to lead the club to an 8 – 3 – 0 mid - season run . The team fell to 9 - 9 , crept into the playoffs and lost to Montreal East Semi - Final . Derrell Mitchell emerged as one of the best receivers in Argo history following his CFL record 160 reception season and all - star honour . Paul Masotti passed Darrell K . Smith as the team ' s all - time leading receiver after 11 seasons of play . 1999 . Eric Tillman returned to the club as GM after spending a year in television . He hired Offensive Coordinator Jim Barker to replace Don Matthews as Head Coach . Injuries riddled the Argonauts early , but the league ’ s best defence helped the club fight to another 9 – 9 record . The team would qualify for the playoffs but lost to the eventual champions Hamilton Tiger - Cats 27 – 6 . Linebacker Mike O ' Shea became the first Argo player to win the CFL ' s Most Outstanding Canadian Award . 2000 . On December 20 , 1999 , New York businessman Sherwood Schwarz was named the ninth owner in the history of the Argonauts franchise . Schwarz named J . I . Albrecht as the managing director and John Huard as the 37th head coach in Argonauts history . This season also saw the retirement of two Argo all - time greats as receiver Paul Masotti retired in May as the team ' s all - time leading receiver , and on September 15 , Michael Clemons went straight from cleats to the coaching ranks as he retired to take over the coaching reins from a fired Huard after a 1 – 6 – 1 start . The team responded to their former teammate and the Argos battled to a 6 – 4 record the rest of the way , just missing out on a playoff berth after finishing the season with a 7 – 11 – 1 record . The New Millennium . 2001 . With Clemons entering his first full season as a head coach , after 13 seasons as an Argo player and 12 team records to his credit , the Argos went about the business of getting the team back into the post - season . After a difficult 2 – 7 start to the season , which was not helped with injuries to starting quarterback Kerwin Bell , the Argos , led by veteran players Derrell Mitchell , Mike O ' Shea and Adrion Smith , won 4 of the last 6 games to narrowly miss out on the playoffs again , finishing with a 7 – 11 mark . 2002 . With the addition of new head coach Gary Etcheverry , a renowned defensive strategist , and newcomers like former defensive player of the year Joe Montford and quarterback Michael Bishop , hopes were high for 2002 . After a disappointing 4 – 8 start , Etcheverry was relieved of the coaching duties , and Michael Clemons , who was serving as the club ' s president , took over his now - familiar place on the sidelines to put his team back on the playoff track . Clemons ' impact was immediate , and the Argos won 4 of the remaining 6 games , including a dramatic 33 – 32 win over the Calgary Stampeders in the last game of the season , to push the Boatmen into the CFL playoffs for the first time in three years . The Argos proved in the Eastern semi - final that they were not content on just making the post - season and handed the Saskatchewan Roughriders a 24 – 14 loss at SkyDome in a " cross - over " CFL playoff matchup . The Argos then headed down the 401 to face the league - leading Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Final , losing to the eventual Grey Cup champions 35 – 18 in front of a boisterous sell - out crowd at Olympic Stadium . 2003 . The 2003 season began under head coach Mike Clemons and a host of faces both old and new . Noel Prefontaine and Bashir Levingston returned as well as Michael Jenkins , who came back to the CFL after a short absence . With the acquisition of players such as Tony Miles and future hall - of - famer Damon Allen , and the emergence of Marcus Brady as the quarterback to watch , the Toronto Argonauts provided an exciting combination of offence and defence on the field . Finishing the season with a 9 – 9 record , the team advanced to the playoffs defeating the BC Lions in the Eastern Semi - Final , only to lose by a close margin in the Eastern Finals to the defending Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes . The winning touchdown in the Eastern Finals was a controversial one , as quarterback Anthony Calvillo appeared to fumble the ball before crossing the goal line . Instant replay was not available at the time , so the play stood . The 2003 season was also one which saw many CFL records broken by Toronto Argonauts players . Most notably were the records broken by Damon Allen . Moving past Dan Marino into 2nd place in all - time professional football passing yards , Allen also broke records in rushing touchdowns , rushing yards , passing touchdowns and total games played . The season ended with 6 Toronto Argonauts ( Adrion Smith , Noel Prefontaine , Tony Miles , Eric England , Clifford Ivory , Orlando Steinauer ) being named to the CFL All - Star Team — the most of any CFL team . Furthermore , the CFL named Bashir Levingston the Outstanding Special Teams Player for 2003 at the annual CFL Player Awards . In October 2003 , Toronto businessmen David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski became the new owners of the Toronto Argonauts , marking the first time in over 30 years that the team has had local ownership . 2004 . Local businessmen and avid CFL fans David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski purchased the Argonauts and provided financial stability and a passionate , new attitude to the club . Keith Pelley was hired as president and former Argonaut QB Kent Austin was brought aboard as the offensive coordinator . In addition , star running back John Avery , back from the NFL , signed as a free agent . The new enthusiasm spilled over from the front office and onto the football field . The team posted its best record since 1997 ( 10 – 7 – 1 ) and earned yet another home playoff game . The Argonauts went on to defeat the Hamilton Tiger Cats 30 – 7 in front of more than 37 , 000 fans in the East Semi - Final at Rogers Centre . They then headed to Montreal to face the Alouettes for the third consecutive year . The Argos walked into a sold - out Olympic Stadium and stole the East Championship from the Als , 26 – 18 . The ageless wonder , Damon Allen , played his best game as an Argonaut in the 2004 Grey Cup Game in Ottawa . Allen won game MVP honour , but more importantly helped the Argos capture their 15th Grey Cup in a 27 – 19 win over the BC Lions . The Argonauts realized 10 - year attendance highs during the regular - season , and a resurgence occurred within the city of Toronto as Boatmen returned to glory , becoming the city - wide leader in per - game attendance . 2005 . Despite not returning to the Grey Cup game to defend their title , 2005 saw the Argos post their best season of football since 1997 with an 11 – 7 record and first place in the East , earning the right to host the East Championship . Quarterback Damon Allen recorded his best numbers in 21 years as a CFL quarterback , passing for 5 , 082 yards , rushing for 461 more and totalling 37 touchdowns ( both passing and rushing ) . His efforts were rewarded as he was named the CFL ’ s Most Outstanding Player and was voted as the Rogers CFL Fans ’ Choice Award winner . For the first time since 1997 , three Argo receivers caught for more than 1000 yards on the season . Receivers Arland Bruce III , Tony Miles and Robert Baker all recorded career highs in yards , receptions and touchdowns . Defensively , the Argonauts led the league in numerous categories . Kevin Eiben and Michael Fletcher both shattered career numbers generating a combined 200 defensive tackles and received East Player of the Year awards for Outstanding Canadian and Defensive Player respectively . The Special Teams continued to prove that it was among the elite units in football . Bashir Levingston captured his unprecedented 10th Special Teams Player of the Week Award in August and Noel Prefontaine won the East Division Special Teams Player of the Year award . The awards continued to amass as the 2005 season came to a close with a league - high 12 Argos being named to the East Division All - Star team and five players being named CFL All - Stars including Damon Allen , Jonathan Brown , Kevin Eiben , Michael Fletcher and Jordan Younger . However , the biggest highlight of the season may have occurred off the field as regular season attendance in 2005 averaged 30 , 196 fans per game , an increase of 17 % over the 2004 average of 25 , 813 . 2006 . The Argos made a splash just before training camp when they lured high - profile RB Ricky Williams to Canada . Quarterback Damon Allen became professional football ' s all - time leading passer , moving ahead of Warren Moon on Labour Day in Hamilton . The team , however , was decimated by injuries at almost every position and the Argonauts stumbled out of the gate to a 2 – 5 record . Mid - season health bred new promise as the team gained the majority of its starters back including Allen and Williams , who both fell to injury early in the year . Upon his return , Williams joined forces with fellow RB John Avery to deliver a late - season one - two punch out of the backfield . Combined with the stellar play of their dominant defence , the Double Blue was able to turn the season around and win 8 of their remaining 11 regular season games to finish in a first - place tie with the Montreal Alouettes . The CFL tie - break rule landed the Argos in second place , hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a thrilling East Semi - Final at Rogers Centre . With the season on the line , QB Michael Bishop and LB Chuck Winters teamed up to lead the Boatmen to one of the greatest come - from - behind victories in recent Argo memory . The Argos fell to Montreal in the East Championship . Despite their early exit from the playoffs , the Boatmen finished the season with 11 East Division All - Stars and three CFL All - Stars . Kicker / Punter Noel Prefontaine was once again named the East ' s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and elusive receiver Arland Bruce III finished with a division leading 1 , 370 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns . A bright star on defence came in the form of CB Byron Parker . The speedy defender re - joined the Boatmen mid - season and made his mark in both the Argos and the CFL record books in only nine regular season contests . By season ' s end , the Tulane product had accumulated 8 interceptions for a CFL record 348 return yards and 4 touchdowns . Linebacker Mike O ' Shea became just the third player , and first Canadian , in CFL history to record 1 , 000 or more defensive tackles in a career . Ricky Williams would leave the team after the end of the season . 2008 . Toronto started the season off well , winning against the Blue Bombers 23 – 16 , but after that they compiled a 2 – 5 record the next 7 games . After the Bye week , everything went downhill , they won only one game and lost 9 start to finsh the season 4 – 14 and missed the playoffs . On September 9 , Rich Stubler was released as head coach of the Argonauts after posting a 4 – 6 record . There was the belief he could not get along with those he worked with . The Argos hired Don Matthews , the head coach with the most wins in CFL history and head coach during Toronto ' s back - to - back Grey Cup victories in 1996 and 1997 , to return to the club as head coach for the third time in his coaching career . Matthews resigned from the Argonauts a day after the conclusion of the Argonauts 2008 regular season , which saw the Argos fail to win a game in the eight games under his leadership and finishing out of the playoffs for the first time since the 2001 CFL season . Season - by - season records . From 1958 to 2010 , the Argos have a 395 – 459 – 12 regular season record ( . 463 winning percentage ) . The Argos are 23 – 25 ( . 478 ) in the playoffs since 1958 .