Editing Montreal Alouettes (section)

=== Original Alouettes (1946–1981) ===
[[Image:Hal Patterson - football player.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Hal Patterson|"Prince" Hal Patterson]] in a [[1958 CFL season|1958]] Alouettes uniform.]]
Canadian football has a long history in Montreal, dating to the 1850s. The Alouettes were first formed in 1946 by Canadian Football Hall of Famer [[Lew Hayman]] along with stockbroker [[Eric Cradock]] and former [[Montreal Canadiens]] part-owner [[Léo Dandurand]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cflapedia.com/nonplayers/bios/craddock_eric.htm|title=Eric Cradock |publisher=CFLapedia |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> They named themselves after ''[[Alouette (song)|"Alouette"]]'', a [[work song]] about plucking the feathers from a [[skylark]], which had become a symbol of the [[French-speaking Quebecer|Québécois]]. The origin of the team's name also comes from the Second World War-era [[425 Tactical Fighter Squadron|No. 425 "Alouette" Squadron]], a bomber squadron operating out of North Africa and later Yorkshire, England. 425 Squadron was also the Royal Canadian Air Force's primarily French-Canadian squadron.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/history/|title=1946: BIRTH AND ORIGIN OF THE NAME "ALOUETTES" |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |access-date=18 August 2018}}</ref>

They won their first [[Grey Cup]] championship in 1949, beating the [[Calgary Stampeders]] 28–15 led by quarterback [[Frank Filchock]] and running back [[Virgil Wagner]].

The 1950s were a productive decade for the Als, with quarterback [[Sam Etcheverry]] throwing passes to [[Red O'Quinn|John "Red" O'Quinn]], [[Hal Patterson|"Prince" Hal Patterson]], and with [[Pat Abbruzzi]] carrying the ball, Montreal fielded the most dangerous offence in all Canadian football. From 1954 to 1956, they reached the Grey Cup in three consecutive seasons, but questionable defensive units led the Alouettes to defeat versus the [[Edmonton Elks|Edmonton Eskimos]] each time.

The team was purchased in 1954 by [[Ted Workman]].<ref>{{cite news |agency=CP |title=Ted Workman gives up co-ownership of Als |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RrwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0uwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3498,3464966&dq |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=13 November 1967|access-date=11 August 2010}}</ref> Like all teams playing in the WIFU and IRFU, the Alouettes joined the newly-formed Canadian Football League in 1958. While the team continued to enjoy success for the rest of the 1950s, that all changed at the end of the 1960 season. To be more specific, the team was shaken by an announcement on November 10 – namely the trade of Hal Patterson and Sam Etcheverry to the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] for [[Bernie Faloney]] and [[Don Paquette]]. Workman had concluded the deal without consulting with general manager [[Perry Moss]]. The deal quickly fell apart because Etcheverry had just signed a new contract with a no-trade clause; as a result, Etcheverry was now a free agent. The deal was reworked and Patterson was traded for Paquette. Sam Etcheverry went on to play in the NFL with the [[Arizona Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] for 2 years (1961 and 1962) followed by the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in 1963. Faloney remained in Hamilton, and teamed with Patterson to form one of the most deadly quarterback-receiver combinations in CFL history.

This episode remains one of the most lopsided trades ever made in the Alouettes history, and it ushered in a dark decade for the team.  During that time, they failed to register a single winning season. From 1968 to 1976 the team played in the [[Autostade]] stadium—which had been built as a temporary stadium for [[Expo 67]]. The stadium's less-than-desirable location on Montreal's waterfront near the [[Victoria Bridge, Montreal|Victoria Bridge]] led to dismal attendance, putting more strain on the team's finances. 

Workman sold half the team to [[Joe Atwell]] in 1965. Atwell bought the remaining shares in 1967. The change in ownership failed to reverse the Als' slide. They finally bottomed out in 1969, finishing 2–12. After that season, Atwell sold the team to the highly capable [[Sam Berger (lawyer)|Sam Berger]], a former part-owner of the [[Ottawa Rough Riders]]. Berger made immediate changes to the team. On December 9, the team announced that Red O'Quinn and Sam Etcheverry were returning to the organization, this time as the team's new general manager and head coach, respectively. The team also unveiled new uniforms—their home jerseys were now predominantly green, with red and white trim. The white helmets with the red "wings" used during the 1960s also disappeared, replaced by a white helmet with a stylized green and red bird's head that formed a lower-case "a." As one might expect from a team that had won only two games in 1969, many new players were brought in.

The changes paid immediate dividends. Although the team finished third in the East, they defeated the [[Toronto Argonauts]] and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the playoffs. The 1970 season culminated when the Alouettes won the 58th Grey Cup, played on November 28 at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium before a crowd of 32,669. Led by quarterback [[Sonny Wade]] (who was named the game's most valuable player, and who would soon become a fan favourite in Montreal—not unlike the status his coach had enjoyed in the 1950s), halfback [[Moses Denson]], receivers Gary Lefebvre and [[Tom Pullen]], along with kicker [[George Springate]], the team defeated the Calgary Stampeders 23–10 for the city's first Grey Cup since 1949, also against the Stamps.

That 1970 victory would herald the beginning of arguably the greatest decade in franchise history. During Berger's tenure as owner, the team played for six Grey Cups and won three (meeting both Alberta teams all of those times, and the Edmonton Eskimos in five of those six games). In 1974, the team changed their colours to match the other Montreal pro sports teams- red, white and blue. They finally moved out of the Autostade and into [[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]] midway through the [[1976 CFL season|1976 season]] and attendance shot up. In [[1977 CFL season|1977]], the Als had a very successful year both on the field and at the box office, winning the Grey Cup at their home field before a Grey Cup-record 68,318 fans (a CFL record that still stands as of 2023). They also averaged 59,595 fans per game at the "Big O" during the regular season, a league record that also still stands.

However, the success ended with Berger's retirement in 1981. He sold the team to [[Vancouver]] businessman [[Nelson Skalbania]]. The flamboyant Skalbania set about signing two first-round picks from the 1981 [[National Football League draft]] and NFL name players such as [[Vince Ferragamo]], [[James Scott (American football)|James Scott]], [[David Overstreet]], [[Keith Gary]] and [[Billy Johnson (American football)|Billy "White Shoes" Johnson]]. Even with all that talent, the Alouettes suffered on the field, finishing with a dismal 3–13 record while attendance plummeted to under 30,000 per game. However, the East was so weak that year (Hamilton was the only team in the East to finish with a winning record) that they actually made the playoffs, finishing third in the East ahead of the 2–14 Toronto Argonauts. In the East Semi-Final, they made a fairly good showing against the second place (and eventual East Division champions) Rough Riders before losing by a final score of 20–16.

This would be the last game that the original Alouettes franchise would play. Skalbania was reported late in 1981 to be selling to oil magnate [[Pat Bowlen]], who would later buy the NFL's [[Denver Broncos]] in 1984. Later in 1981, NFL coach [[George Allen (American football coach)|George Allen]] obtained an option to purchase 51% of the club and was named Alouettes' president. While holding both the option and the post, Allen was surprised by Skalbania arranging a sale of the same controlling stake to [[Harry Ornest]], who would later own the [[St. Louis Blues]] and the Toronto Argonauts. Ornest was reluctant to take control of the Alouettes as a result of the team's high level of debt and extensive commitments to high-profile stars. In early April 1982, Allen looked set to take control of the Alouettes. However, Allen left the club in late April after Skalbania was unable to resolve 1981 debts. With the franchise in collapse, Berger tried to force Skalbania to relinquish the team to him as payment for debt. Skalbania returned from a business trip to Hong Kong in late April and was able to regain control of the team. However, Skalbania's highly leveraged business interests collapsed a month later. Unable to meet his obligations, he was forced to return the team to the league on May 13.

[[File:30.05.2020 20.33.37 REC.png|thumb|Montreal Concordes logo from 1982–1985]]