1996 CFL season

The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.

CFL News in 1996

At the CFL's Board of Governors Meetings in February 1996, it was decided to end the league's four-year American experiment.

The league ordered the Shreveport Pirates, Memphis Mad Dogs and Birmingham Barracudas to disband. The Grey Cup champion Baltimore Stallions had opted to move elsewhere rather than face the daunting prospect of competing with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. When it was apparent the CFL was refocusing on Canada, Stallions owner Jim Speros gave up the Stallions franchise and moved his organisation to Montreal as the third incarnation of the Montreal Alouettes. Up until this time, the city of Montreal had been without Canadian football for nine seasons. Speros revived the Als' traditional colour scheme of blue, white, and red. Their logo was an angry bird running with a football; it's been their helmet logo ever since. Unwilling to continue as the lone American team in the league, the San Antonio Texans voluntarily folded.