In January 1946, Lew Hayman buys the Montreal Hornets Football Club, which he wishes to replace with a new team that would evolve within the Inter-provincial Rugby Football Union (also known as the Big Four) alongside the Toronto Argonauts, the Ottawa Rough Riders, and the Hamilton Tigers. This new team, named The Alouettes, rapidly becomes the darling team of Montrealers, who are always thrilled to support a winning team. The 1946 Alouettes finish their inaugural season in first place of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. They even set a record attendance record for a Canadian football game as 24,000 fans gather inside the Delorimier Stadium on November 16, 1946, to attend our Alouettes’ very first playoff game, which they unfortunately lose 12-6 against the Argonauts.
A SOLID FOUNDATION
On January 16, 1946, Lew Hayman, a popular football coach known for having led several teams to championship wins, is appointed director and coach of Montreal’s football club. Hayman and his associate Eric Cradock almost immediately set out on a quest to find a prominent local sportsman who would help them generate excitement and enthusiasm among the French-Canadian football fans. They reach out to Leo Dandurand, a leading figure known for his implication in the world of hockey and horse racing, and a few weeks later, he confirms his interest in Hayman’s project. After being one of the owners of the Montreal Canadiens from 1921 to 1935, Leo Dandurand becomes one of the founders of the Montreal Alouettes.
In addition to Mr. Dandurand, The executive office of the new team is be composed of Vice-President William Wray, General Manager Lew Hayman, secretary-treasurer Joe Ryan, directors Lucien Beauregard, C.R. et Eric Cradock, and Fred Porter, an Inter-provincial Rugby Football Union representative.
An inaugural dinner is held on May 20th at Club Saint-Denis; It’s the beginning of an exciting adventure that still carries on to this day. At the dinner, they announce that the club will be bearing the name “Alouettes” and that the home games will be held at Delorimier Stadium, home of the Montréal Royals of the International Baseball League.
THE ALOUETTES
Without anyone really knowing what the true story is, two versions circulate about the origin of the team’s name. According to the first, Lew Hayman and Léo Dandurand would have decided to baptize the team “Alouettes” after hearing a group of snowshoers singing the popular song “Alouette, gentille Alouette” in the lobby of Windsor Hotel in Montreal. The second version claims that the name of the team would have been suggested by Lew Hayman in honor of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s first French Canadian squadron, 425th Squadron, which was also known as the “Alouettes”. No matter what the true story is, to the ears of any Montrealer, the name Alouettes is now synonymous with Canadian football
THE FIRST TRAINING CAMP
On July 27, 1946, the Alouettes’ management invites the rugby players of Montreal to participate in the practices that will start at the beginning of August. At the same time, they announce the signature of Pete King, a star player from Queen’s University.
The first training camp takes place on August 5, 1946, on the field of Lower Canada College located in the West end of the city. On August 21, the local newspaper La Patrie reveals the identity of the first two American athletes who showed up at the training camp: Willy Spencer and Virgil Wagner. The latter will eventually become the first star, finishing his first season with 65 points, tied with Argonaut Joe Krol. Our Alouettes play their first two preseason games against the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They lose their opening battle 17-6 but make a few adjustments and take their revenge two days later with a 24-0 win.
FIVE AMERICANS
In 1946, each team is allowed to have only five American players on their roster. In their first season, the Alouettes sign John Moody, Rafe Nabors, Wally Spencer, and their two star players Virgil Wagner and Herb Trawick. Trawick, Moody, and George Edwards are the first African Americans to play football in Montreal.
AN INSTANT SUCCESS
The first regular-season game in the Alouettes team history takes place on Saturday, September 7, 1946, at Oakwood Stadium in Toronto. The face-off between the Argonauts and the Alouettes ends in a 10–10 tie, and Virgil Wagner scores the team’s first-ever touchdown in the second quarter.
After losing 4-0 against Ottawa and experiencing a spectacular first win in Hamilton after defeating the Tigers 24-1, the Alouettes play their first home game on September 29 in front of a crowd of 13,722 spectators at Delorimier Stadium. The fans are delighted as they see a spectacular win unfold before their eyes, as the Alouettes defeat the Tigers for a second time. Slowly but surely, football fever is spreading throughout Montreal.
AN IMPRESSIVE PUSH
Mid-season, the Alouettes show a respectable record of 2 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. That’s when they stun the masses with an incredible 4-win streak during which they defeat the Big Four’s three other teams. Just like that, the Allowed have made their way to the top of the rankings. At the end of the season, the Alouettes and the Argonauts are tied, but our birds move into first place, allowing them to play the Big Four finals in front of their fans.
The Alouettes set the attendance record for Canadian football as 24,000 screaming fans squeeze into Delorimier Stadium, but are ultimately defeated 12-6 by the Argonauts. Despite a disappointing ending, our Alouettes can walk off the field with their head held high. At the end of a thrilling first season, three Alouettes (Streck, Trawick, and Wagner) are named to the Big Four’s All-Star Team.
Retrieved from the book… LA GRANDE HISTOIRE DES ALOUETTES (Pierre Turbis – Pierre Bruneau)
