2001: A Football Odyssey

[Y2C]

The Grey Cup loss doesn't change the fact that 2001 was a magical season, at least for me personally.  So here we go!

 

 

2001: A Football Odyssey

 

To set the stage, I was right at the age where a big fan really starts to understand the game beyond knowing that the stars of the team were really good. The Bombers had sucked for a looong time before the prior season where a last second Westwood field goal sent the Bombers to the Eastern Final.

 

 

The following week in Montreal that piece of dog s**t Ed Philion took a cheap shot on Khari Jones and the season ended there, but that's besides the point...

 

In '01 the Bombers started 2-0 before even playing a game in Winnipeg with convincing wins in Calgary and Toronto.  You could feel the excitement in the city leading up to the sold out home opener against perennial juggernaut Montreal... And the Als spanked us.

 

The final scoreline says different, but in spite of making the score look pretty in the end, based on my memory of the game Montreal didn't feel a whole lot of pressure throughout the contest.

 

We then went to 2-2 with a loss in Hamilton, but quickly righted the ship with 2 decisive home wins against the Riders and Argos and going back to Hamilton and avenging the loss there not but a month earlier. Unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot of specifics about those games being 13 years ago and all, but if anyone could jog my memory I'd certainly welcome it. That said, the 13 year time frame didn't stop me from vividly recalling every game that season...

 

Montreal Alouettes (6-1) @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-2), Aug. 24, 2001, Canad Inns Stadium

 

So many great Bomber memories over the years, but this game is always one of the first that springs to mind as a personal favourite. Again, facing off with the hated Als in a sold out barn. Again, the entire city buzzing with first place in the east on the line. Aaaaand on the first play from scrimmage Calvillo hits Tyree Davis (I believe?) for a long bomb touchdown pass...  Montreal completely takes the wind out of the sails of 29,503 once again. It was only 17-3 at half time, but believe me, that seemed insurmountable against the Als back then.

 

The second half was unforgettable though for at least one fan in the west side upper deck...

 

Jock Clime fumbling a ball and the crowd going haywire as Tom Europe scooped it up and barreled down the field. That led to Troy Mills pounding in a short yardage Bomber TD getting us right back in it.

 

An insane sideline run by Charles Roberts on a draw play ending with a dramatic leap to the pylon to tie the game! Only to be called back on a penalty shortly after..   Not to worry though, as the game tying score was caught by Milton Stegall not long after.

 

Then in the fourth quarter, Khari Jones finds Stegall again in the south endzone to put the Bombers ahead?! If you hadn't guessed, the stadium was, shall we say rocking by this point.

 

Dying moments of the game. Montreal driving the field. The Bombers had conceded a safety, so a touchdown means an Alouette win. The rain has started to come down.  I've been to 100+ Bomber games easily and this is right in contention for loudest I've ever heard it at a game. The D has them on 3rd down, Calvillo has the snap... My god, the roar as AC was taken down from behind, sealing the Bomber win and first place in the east! (Based on point differential, WPG was technically first place with tied 6-2 records )

 

What a night to have been at the ball park!

 

You'd think a game like that would be impossible to follow, but the next game happened to be at Taylor Field on Labour Day weekend. And I was there! This was the last LDC I have been able to attend live and I do believe the last LDC that wasn't televised.

 

Most importantly though, it was a Bomber WIN!  Not the edge of your seat excitement as the week before against the Als, more of a defensive struggle that was close throughout. I mainly remember a short range Bomber TD by Eric Blount and Dave Donaldson high stepping his way out of the pile in celebration after the final defensive stand to seal the win. To those that have never been, it's true, the drive back from Regina is infinitely better after a Blue win than the alternative...

 

The Bombers followed that up with a dominant performance against the Cats at home. How dominant, you ask?  Dominant to the tune of 63 points. At one point Brian Ah Yat (bonus points if you remember that name!) hit Milt for a big catch and run TD pass. If Brian Ah Yat threw a TD pass you know it was a blow out.

 

What do you know? All of a sudden teams dread playing the blue & gold. The offense could light up the scoreboard and the defense was a brick wall. And the Bombers' winning streak was getting attention across the league.

 

The next game against the Esks was back to a photo finish after the Hamilton drubbing.  Highlights of this one were Arland Bruce III dragging a defensive back 30 yards for a score and Robert Gordon getting destroyed on a clutch first down pass in the final minute. He was slow to get up, but he held on to the ball so the Bombers could kneel down for a 1 point victory.

 

Then came our final game of the season against the Als, who we've been neck and neck with for first place all year, in Montreal. Not a lot of visiting squads came out of there with W's. Again, this was back in the archaic time when not all CFL games were televised and this was one that wouldn't be on TV... Except for RDS.

 

Now we didn't get RDS, but I had caught wind that the game would be shown at Assiniboia Downs, so that Sunday we headed on down there for no other reason than to hang out and watch the Bombers.

 

Another back and forth game that no doubt will bring me closer to grey hairs on my head. In the end, Westwood's close range field goal gave the Bombers the lead late and a HUGE win in Montreal.

 

From there we played at home against the Lions. Close game, but with B.C. needing a field goal to win and driving the field in the final minutes, Winnipeg takes a penalty that pushes the Lions up from decent field goal range to an almost chip shot. Welp, it was a hell of a win streak, and don't lie, if you were watching it as it happened you knew the streak was over... There's the snap, the kick is up...AND IT'S WIDE!!!!! Bombers win 23-22!!!!!! Completely lucky win, and we'll take it!

 

After that the Bombers went into Edmonton and got a big win. The most notable point from this game was Nealon Greene having about as bad of a game as is possible for a quarterback. I think this was the game that still caused some anxiety when Bolden's taunting on an INT return lead to settling for a field goal and some nervous moments towards the end.

 

After this it gets foggy again in terms of specifics. A win v. Hamilton at home and on the road in BC brought us to a 12-0 winning streak.  That ended in game 17 in Toronto in which 1st place had been clinched and starters were resting, Same story in the final regular season game at home v. Calgary.

 

The East final I still remember clearly though. The whole weekend was great.  After school on Friday I went and rented a video game, one of the Tony Hawk games.  See, back then you'd go to the video store and rent games which you would then have to return to said store after a few days. But I digress...

 

Anywho, the game occupied my friends and I.  It worked out perfectly as otherwise I would have gone out of my mind in anticipation of going to the East final.

 

So, Sunday morning of the game comes and we get in our last rounds of Tony Hawk before getting on our multiple layers of  clothing and head to the stadium.

 

The game was, as always felt like the case, far too close for comfort. Troy Mills and Milt Stegall both had shockingly similar looking touchdown passes from Khari Jones but it was still down to the wire before Juran Bolden's interception of Danny McManus that I don't need to remind you of...  Oh, what the hell.

 

 

B)

 

 

The Grey Cup loss sucked. We drove around afterwards and saw the preparations to keep some order down Portage ave. in the event of a win Turned out it wasn't necessary as Portage and Main was a ghost town an hour after the game.

 

That's the point though. Not taking the Cup in '01 was unfortunate, but it doesn't change the fact that experiencing that season first hand was amazing. I'll never forget being along for the incredible ride, and I hope I have done reasonably well in capturing how special that year of Blue Bomber football was in spite of the Grey Cup loss.

[Mike]

Highlights of this one were Arland Bruce III dragging a defensive back 30 yards for a score and Robert Gordon getting destroyed on a clutch first down pass in the final minute. He was slow to get up, but he held on to the ball so the Bombers could kneel down for a 1 point victory.

 

2001 was my first season as a season ticket holder (I would have been 11 at the beginning of the season) and that play still stands out. I was a huge Bruce fan growing up because of that play.

 

I remember Gordon getting clobbered too, I think. I remember him jumping up to catch the ball and getting undercut. Landed hard. Held on.

[Jpan85]

That Eskimo game with Bruce was on a Monday night due to the fact that because of 9/11 Eskimos could not get to Winnipeg for the game. That 2001 season was a great one.

[Mr. Perfect]

I really wish there was more video of that season. A home game against Hamilton we won 63-31 or something to that effect really stands out. The offence was clicking and we got a few breaks to. I remember one particular play we had fumbled the ball and a bunch of Hamilton defenders were booting it around and trying to pick up the ball and run for what must have been 25 yards or so then Jamie Stoddard comes out of nowhere to jump and fall on the ball. Great season.

[Blitzy]

This is one of my earliest memories as a Bomber's fan, I was 9 at the time. When Bolden returned that INT my dad and I were just screaming and jumping up and down in the basement.

 

Thanks for the great write up

[Harbaugh]

I really wish there was an updated CFL stats database accessible on the web.  What gives?

[17to85]

we have dvds with all the games that were broadcast on, it's shitty quality but it is a hell of a lot of fun to go back and watch those games. That season was just something real special, damned shame they didn't finish it off right with a Grey Cup win.

[Atomic]

Great read thanks.  I could go for another season like that.  But I feel like we might be in for one more like the 2000 season???  That's where it all began.

[Arnold_Palmer]

This is a really great thread. I was 10 years at the time and 2001 was the first year I really got into football and the Bombers in particular. I was at the game against BC where BC missed the last second field goal. It was a really special team, to bad they lost the big game. It seemed like fate that they would win it all. It wasn't meant to be. It shows that the window of opportunity is so slim. By 2005 we were the worst team in the league again.

[17to85]

I was 10 years at the time 

 

 (I would have been 11 at the beginning of the season) 

 

****** kids

[Arnold_Palmer]

we have dvds with all the games that were broadcast on, it's shitty quality but it is a hell of a lot of fun to go back and watch those games. That season was just something real special, damned shame they didn't finish it off right with a Grey Cup win.

I don't remember this perfectly but its crazy to think that every game wasn't on TV and that once upon a time not too long ago blackouts meant you had to either be at the stadio or listen to the game on CJOB 68.

[bearpants]

I started really following football in the late nineties so my first fond memories are of the Reinbold era...

 

But anyways, that 2001 Grey Cup loss was crushing... I feel like everything we went through over the past 4 years wouldn't hurt so much if we were only 13 years out of a Cup, not 24.... but here we are.... I think I'm gonna watch highlights of the 1990 Grey Cup on youtube now...

[Mike]

 

I was 10 years at the time 

 

 (I would have been 11 at the beginning of the season) 

 

****** kids

 

 

[Noeller]

I was in my 4th year at Brandon during this season and have vivid memories of watching or listening to every game that season. More than our share of late night noise violations in the dorm during a late game at BC.  I believe we even made the trek to Wpg for one of the games vs Hamilton. That Bolden pick of McManus in the EF is forever etched on my brain.

[17to85]

I was in my 4th year at Brandon during this season and have vivid memories of watching or listening to every game that season. More than our share of late night noise violations in the dorm during a late game at BC.  I believe we even made the trek to Wpg for one of the games vs Hamilton. That Bolden pick of McManus in the EF is forever etched on my brain.

 

best part of that game was calling the game breaking interception by Bolden. And of course watching the BC game in res where the BC kicker preserves the win by nailing the upright... I think I was also at a home game vs. montreal early featuring a hell of a goal line stand, loudest I've ever heard a stadium get when that happened. 

 

I started really following football in the late nineties so my first fond memories are of the Reinbold era...

 

But anyways, that 2001 Grey Cup loss was crushing... I feel like everything we went through over the past 4 years wouldn't hurt so much if we were only 13 years out of a Cup, not 24.... but here we are.... I think I'm gonna watch highlights of the 1990 Grey Cup on youtube now...

 

arguably 2002 they had a better chance to win a grey cup too... but losing Stegall before the playoffs and Roberts on the first play of the west final, doug brown playing on a sprained ankle... just too many key players hurt and they still were within 3 points in that one.