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Winnipeg Blue Bombers team facts
- Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Stadium: IG Field (2013-present; capacity: 33,000)
- Year Founded: 1930
- Grey Cup Titles: 12 (1935, 1939, 1941, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1984, 1988, 1990, 2019, 2021)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers history
The history of the Blue Bombers franchise dates back to 1930, when the team was notably founded as the Winnipeg Rugby Football Club. The “Rugby” was eventually dropped from the official team name, leaving Winnipeg Football Club as the legal organization name still in use today.
There’s a rich championship tradition in Winnipeg as the Blue Bombers, winners of the last two Grey Cups, boast a total of 12 CFL titles overall. No team has made more Grey Cup appearances than the Bombers’ 26, and this franchise also holds the distinction of being the first Western Canada team to win the league championship after a win over the then-Hamilton Tigers in 1935.
The team was still commonly known as the “Winnipegs” at the time of that win, but a local sports writer’s labeling of them as the “Blue Bombers of Western football” led to the current nickname.
There’s a pair of individual statistical professional football milestones that were set by a Blue Bombers player. Quarterback Jack Jacobs, who played six NFL seasons before heading north, became the first pro football signal-caller in any North American league to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark when he racked up 3,248 in 1951, as well as the first to vault the 30-touchdown mark when he compiled 33 that same season.
The Bombers have had a number of accomplished head coaches at the helm over their history, perhaps none more than Bud Grant, who is in both the CFL and NFL Hall of Fame. Grant coached the Blue Bombers from 1957-1966, winning the Grey Cup four times during his tenure following a successful four-year run as a player with the franchise. Grant also coached the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons, winning one NFL title and three NFC championships.
