Nearly 25 years after the team ended Calgary’s multi-decade Grey Cup drought, members of the 1992 Calgary Stampeders returned to the turf at McMahon Stadium to reminisce about their championship season.
“It’s incredible,” said defensive back Darryl Hall who flew from Denver for the reunion. “I love getting us all back together. I love reliving the memories, I love the camaraderie.”
“It’s incredibly fun,” laughed defensive tackle Stu Laird, who now serves as a Battalion Chief with the Calgary Fire Department. “I’m going to have a smile on my face for the entire weekend. Some of these guys live in Calgary so I see them frequently and then some of the guys I haven’t seen since the day after the Grey Cup game 25 years ago.”
The 1992 roster faced immense pressure to bring a title back to Calgary following the team’s heartbreaking loss to the Argonauts in the 79th Grey Cup and the offseason addition of marquee quarterback Doug Flutie.
“We hadn’t won a cup since 1971,” explained Laird. “That ’92 team was very special to finally have another Grey Cup championship here back in Calgary, (the first) in 21 years. These are the guys that helped make it happen.”
The Stampeders proved victorious in their matchup with the Blue Bombers in the 1992 championship game. The 24-10 win secured the Grey Cup and gained the players a permanent spot in the hearts of Stampeders fans.
Flutie says he has warm memories of his time in Calgary. “For me, personally, it was my first championship,” said Flutie. “For the city of Calgary and the team, Calgary hadn’t won in a while. It was important to the city.”
The quarterback, who found success in the CFL, NFL and in the broadcast booth after his time with the Stampeders concluded, seized the opportunity to reunite with his former teammates.
“We picked up where we left off,” said Flutie. “When you go through a championship season together, you build relationships that’ll last forever. We have a lot of great memories, mostly the off-the-field stuff, and it’s been fun.”
Hall continues to have high praise for the players he lined up beside in 1992. “There’s not one player on that team that I didn’t like,” said Hall, who played in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. “It’s rare that you have a team where you like every person involved in the team.”
“For some reason, our big personalities, our different personalities, they all fit together, they all worked.”
Flutie says the reunited roster has been warmly embraced by football fans in Calgary. “The affection that we have felt from the city since being back in town is fantastic.”
The 1992 team will be recognized during Saturday night’s Tiger-Cats – Stampeders matchup at McMahon Stadium. For Laird, the reunion is about celebrating the 25th anniversary alongside the team’s diehard supporters.
“We all owe a debt of gratitude to all the fans in Calgary that support Stampeders football.”
