Photo: Gord Weber/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
The Ottawa Redblacks are in the depths of despair at 0-9, but their challenging start to the CFL season isn’t unprecedented.
According to the CFL record book, eight other teams have begun the year with nine consecutive losses since the league was officially founded in 1958. None of those teams qualified for the postseason.
The 2026 Redblacks currently sit tied with the 1989 Ottawa Rough Riders and the 2023 Edmonton Elks at 0-9. The Rough Riders, quarterbacked by a young Damon Allen, eventually finished 4-14, while the Elks stumbled to that same record under head coach Chris Jones.
The 1998 Winnipeg Blue Bombers and 1958 B.C. Lions both opened the year with 10 consecutive losses. The Bombers, who were coached by current Ottawa defensive coordinator Jeff Reinebold, wound up with a 3-15 record, while the Lions fired head coach Clem Crowe and later his replacement Dan Edwards after a 3-13 finish.
The 1981 Toronto Argonauts stand alone as the only team to notch 11 losses before their first victory. That season cost Willie Woods, the first Black head coach in CFL history, his job after the 10th defeat. Notably, the Boatmen came within a game of reaching the playoffs despite a 2-14 record, as Montreal snuck in at 3-13 and did not possess the head-to-head tiebreak.
The 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the 1979 Saskatchewan Roughriders both began their seasons with 12 straight defeats. Poor Ron Lancaster found out that not having himself as the quarterback was a significant hurdle in Regina, as he went 2-14 in his first season as head coach for his former team. 24 years later, Lancaster was also in charge of the Tabbies as they stumbled to a 1-17 record, becoming arguably the worst team in CFL history.
The 1994 Shreveport Pirates set the benchmark for the worst start in CFL history. While Ottawa has since broken their modern-era record of 14 straight defeats, it took the Redblacks two years to do what the Pirates did in their first season. After firing head coach John Huard in training camp and hiring Pro Football Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg to replace him, the Gliebermans’ ill-fated American expansion team wouldn’t record a victory until halfway through October. They won three of their final four games to finish 3-15.
Two teams prior to the official formation of the Canadian Football League also lost at least nine consecutive games to start a season. The 1952 Montreal Alouettes began 0-9, while the 1948 Hamilton Wildcats started 0-12.
The 2026 Redblacks still have a long way to go before they can challenge Shreveport for the title of the worst start in the annals of Canadian football. Even so, they are already in rare historical company.
Ottawa won’t have to wait long for their next opportunity to break the streak, as they’ll visit the Montreal Alouettes (8-1) on Thursday, August 20. Kickoff at Percival Molson Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
