List of Canadian Football League retired numbers explained

This is a complete list of Canadian Football League (CFL) retired numbers. A retired number is a jersey number that is no longer issued by a team in order to honour a player that had a significant impact on that franchise. In some cases, a player may have his number retired after his untimely death during or soon after his playing career.

Of the seven current franchises that retire jersey numbers, there have been 52 players to have their numbers officially retired. Ironically, the two youngest franchises, the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes, have retired the most numbers with 10 and 11, respectively. The oldest continuous franchise in the league, the Toronto Argonauts, has the second fewest with four retired numbers. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have the fewest retired numbers, with two. The CFL considers the histories of the Ottawa Rough Riders, Ottawa Renegades, and Ottawa Redblacks as one continuous franchise, so the jersey numbers represented by the Redblacks here include all three of these franchises.^{[1] [2]} The Edmonton Elks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers have never formally retired a jersey number and instead honour numbers and, in some instances, do not re-issue them.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

The most commonly retired number, if one includes Winnipeg's unofficial retired numbers, is the number 75, which has had its usage been discontinued by four teams. No player has had his number retired by multiple teams and, unlike Major League Baseball (who retired Jackie Robinson's number), the National Basketball Association (Bill Russell), and the National Hockey League (Wayne Gretzky), the CFL has never had a jersey number retired in favour of one player league-wide. Due to their short existence, none of the American-based CFL teams ever retired jersey numbers.

Retired numbers

Elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Player	No.	Team	Position	Tenure	Championships	Refs
	5			1976–2000	1985, 1994, 2000	^[7]
	15			1959–1966	1964
	22			1961–1966	1964
	30			1967–1979	–
	38			1954–1964	1964
	52			1972–1986	1985
	60			1987–2002	1994, 2000
	75			1954–1967	1964
	81			2001–2012	2006, 2011
	97			2001–2011	2006, 2011
	5			1948–1952	1948	^[8]
	10			1974–1981	–
	13			1988–2003	1992, 1998, 2001
	18			1990–2000	1992, 1998
	22			1973–1983	–
	55			1961–1972	1971
	75			1984–1996	1992
	10			1957–1964	1957, 1963	^[9]
	68			1958–1959, 1963–1972	1963, 1965, 1967, 1972
	13			1998–2013	2002, 2009, 2010	^[10]
	27			1996–2002	2002
	28			1959–1965	–
	56			1946–1957	1949
	63			1966–1971	1970
	74			1968–1981	1970, 1974, 1977
	75			1954–1960	–
	77			1972–1981	1974, 1977
	78			1946–1954	1949
	86			1998–2010	2002, 2009, 2010
	92			1952–1960	–
	11			1958–1970	1960, 1968, 1969	^[11]
	12			1958–1969	1960, 1968, 1969
	26			1962–1970	1968, 1969
	40			1951–1962	1951, 1960
	60			1974–1980	1976
	62			1958–1974	1960, 1968, 1969, 1973
	70			1950–1962	1951, 1960
	71			1971–1983	1973, 1976
	72			1939–1941, 1945–1950	1940
	77			1975–1981	1976
	23			1963–1978	1966	^[12]
	34			1963–1975	1966
	36			1982–1995	1989
	40			1952–1956	–
	44			1976–1992	1989
	55			1953–1956	–
	56			1956	–
	73			1953–1956	–
	22			1954–1965	–	^[13]
	31			1989–2000	1991, 1996, 1997
	55			1945–1952, 1955	1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952
	60			1955, 1957–1971	–

Unofficially retired numbers

Elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Player	No.	Team	Position	Tenure	Championships	Refs
	1			1978–1983	1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
	21			1971–1980	1975, 1978, 1979, 1980
	98			1951–1961	1954, 1955, 1956
	6			1980–2002	1984, 1988, 1990
	11			1957–1967	1958, 1959, 1961, 1962
	28			1934–1940	1935, 1939
	63			1981–1996	1984, 1988, 1990
	75			1951–1954	–
	85			1995–2008	–

See also

• Edmonton Elks Wall of Honour

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ottawa Redblacks History . ottawaredblacks.com . Ottawa Redblacks. February 26, 2017.
2. Web site: 2016 CFL Rule Book and Facts, Figures & Records Guide . cfl.ca . Canadian Football League. February 26, 2017.
3. Web site: Blue by the numbers . bluebombers.com . Winnipeg Blue Bombers. February 26, 2017.
4. Web site: Time For Bombers To Retire Numbers (Including Brown's 97) . 3downnation.com . 3 Down Nation. February 26, 2017.
5. Web site: Wall of Honour . esks.com . Edmonton Elks. June 3, 2021.
6. Web site: Right number can make a player "complete" . esks.com . Edmonton Elks. June 25, 2018.
7. Web site: Honoured Numbers . bclions.com . BC Lions. February 26, 2017.
8. Web site: Retired Numbers . stampeders.com . Calgary Stampeders. February 26, 2017.
9. Web site: Tiger-Cats officially retire Angelo Mosca's no. 68 . cfl.ca . Canadian Football League. February 26, 2017.
10. Web site: Retired Jerseys . en.montrealalouettes.com . Montreal Alouettes. February 26, 2017.
11. Web site: Retired Numbers . Ottawa Redblacks. February 26, 2017.
12. Web site: Team History. riderville.com. Saskatchewan Roughriders. February 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160616024951/http://www.riderville.com/1254-2/. June 16, 2016. dead.
13. Web site: Retired Numbers. Toronto Argonauts. February 26, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20140519090941/http://argonauts.ca/retired-numbers. May 19, 2014. dead.