Long-suffering fans salute returning champs
Eskimos fans have witnessed plenty of crazy moments since last Grey Cup victory
EDMONTON— The Edmonton Eskimos returned home with the Grey Cup Monday in what the team and fans agreed was as much a celebration of excellence as an exorcism of a decade of mediocre football.
“Having been here my entire career . . . those dark years were really personal for me, and we worked tirelessly at trying to make sure that we could deliver something that these fans deserve,” said Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey.
Quarterback Mike Reilly agreed, as behind him fans took pictures of the slightly pockmarked cup as it sat on a table in the airport reception lounge.
“It’s been 10 long years and we’re just excited about having the opportunity to go and take that cup to our fans,” Reilly said.
“We all did it together. They stuck with us through the dark times and that’s what we had to go through to get to the bright times.”
The Eskimos brought home their 14th Grey Cup, landing before noon local time at the Edmonton International Airport in a plane decorated in CFL team logos.
They were greeted by green and gold clad fans, cheering, blowing horns and singing the team’s fight song. With players, their families and fans, there were more than 200 people in the waiting lounge.
The Eskimos defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 26-20 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg for their first Grey Cup win since 2005.
But it wasn’t just the decade-long drought that followed that left a dry taste in fans’ mouths. It was also the chronic mismanagement tinged by moments of melodrama for a team that was once the standard of the league.
Until 2006, the Eskimos had not missed the playoffs for 34 consecutive seasons. They had authored two dynasties, for three years in the mid-1950s and then five in a row starting in 1978.
But since 2006 the Eskimos have not strung together more than two consecutive playoff seasons, missing the post-season four times. When head coach Chris Jones took over in 2014, he inherited a 4-14 ball club. Coaches came and went: Danny Maciocia, Richie Hall, Kavis Reed.
Eric Tillman came in as general manager in 2010, traded franchise quarterback Ricky Ray, frittered away the lifeblood Canadian content on the roster, and was gone by 2012.
Anger often boiled over, like in 2009, when defensive end Xzavie Jackson, after a fight with teammate Aaron Fiacconi in practice, left the field only to return moments later, marching toward Fiacconi with a shovel. Maciocia managed to intervene.
Even Hervey, the famous former Eskimos receiver who took over for Tillman in 2012, was not immune.
Frustration in 2013 over what he was seeing on the field led him to angrily announce roster and playcalling changes that led to questions over whether Reed had become a figurehead coach.
Lori and Seth Noble, season ticket holders since 2008, endured most of that, but said they always believed the team would come around.
“We’ve been hanging in there through the rough years, but we’ve always seen really good potential,” said Lori, one of the fans on hand to greet the team.
Seth said they had come from a long night of celebrating the cup win in Drayton Valley. “It was great. It’s what we’ve been waiting for.”
Jones said the team appreciated the ad hoc party. “It’s awesome. I mean this is why you do it,” he said.
Hervey agreed that the losing years had frayed the fabric between the Eskimos and their fans.
“I think I’m most proud of (the fact that) the culture of the Edmonton Eskimos is back,” Hervey said. “I couldn’t live with myself honestly if that part was lost between the community and the football team.”