The Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a football team that plays in the Canadian Football League. The team is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and plays its home games at Winnipeg Stadium (I refuse to call it by its new name, CanadInns Stadium). The team colors are blue and gold.
History:
The Winnipeg Football Club was founded in 1930. Originally going under the rather unoriginal nickname the "Winnipegs," the team was renamed the "Blue Bombers" in 1936, as an homage to heavyweight boxer Joe "The Brown Bomber" Louis.
The club fielded its first bonafide star in the late 1940's in quarterback "Indian" Jack Jacobs. Under the leadership of Jacobs, and later coach Bud Grant, the club became a powerhouse in the 1950s. The team, helmed by QB Kenny Ploen, formed a dynasty in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Between 1957-62, the club appeared in five Grey Cup finals -- all against rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats -- winning four (including 1962's Fog Bowl, which is the only Grey Cup game to be played over the course of two days).
In the 1970s and 1980s, a new crop of stars rose to prominence, including quarterbacks Dieter Brock and Tom Clements, receiver Joe Poplawski and lineman Chris Walby. In 1987, the Bombers moved to the CFL's Eastern Division following the collapse of the Montreal Alouettes, only to return to the West with the resurrection of Ottawa's CFL franchise in 2002.
In total, the Blue Bombers have appeared in 21 Grey Cup finals matches, winning 10 championships. Their last appearance was in the 2001 Finals, where they lost to the Calgary Stampeders.
Personal experience:
As with any young boy living in Winnipeg, my spirits rose and fell with the successes and failures of the Blue Bombers (in the summer) and the Winnipeg Jets (in the winter). On occasion, usually when a friend of my father couldn't use his season tickets, I'd get to see a game live. As I got older and began to play football myself (and moved within earshot of Winnipeg Stadium), I would attend games whenever possible.
October football in an open-air stadium in Canada is, to put it nicely, exhilarating. Especially when fueled by "adult" hot chocolate and by good football.
Sources:
The Official Web Site of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers - http://www.bluebombers.com/
The Official Site of the CFL - http://www.cfl.ca/