Toronto Argonauts running back Ricky Williams runs the ball under pressure from Hamilton Tiger-Cats JoJuan Armour (right) and Tim Cheatwood (left) during pre-season CFL action. The former NFL rushing champ hogged the headlines when he arrived in Toronto on May 28. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

1. Toronto Argonauts sign Ricky Williams

The signing of suspended NFL running back Ricky Williams on May 28th was supposed to make the Toronto Argonauts' offence virtually unstoppable. It was expected that Williams, banished for one year for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, would challenge every single season rushing record the CFL could offer. While Williams ran for 97 yards in his CFL debut against Hamilton, the rest of his season produced only a glimpse of his old form. With opposing defences stacking the line to stop the 29-year-old veteran, Williams gained only 134 yards and one touchdown in his next three games before fracturing his left forearm on July 22nd against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The injury forced Williams to miss seven games and he finished the season rushing for only 526 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Williams's struggles also contributed to the Argos concluding the year posting the second lowest point total (359) in the CFL.

2. Damon Allen reaches historic milestone

As Toronto Argonauts quarterback Damon Allen approached the career yardage record, debates on both sides of the border persisted as to whether the 43-year-old pivot deserved consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Yet no one could debate Allen's greatness as a CFL quarterback. So it was only fitting that on the Labour Day classic matchup between the Argos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Allen would become a football king. With family and friends, including former high school coach Steve Mariucci, in attendance at Ivor Wynn Stadium, Allen completed a 29-yard TD pass to receiver Arland Bruce. The completion gave Allen 70,566 yards for his career, passing CFL legend Warren Moon and making him the most prolific passer in professional football history.

3. Don Matthews resigns

Don Matthews had his Montreal Alouettes in fine form at the beginning of the CFL season. The Alouettes started off winning seven straight games, evoking thoughts of an undefeated season. However, the early momentum disintegrated as Montreal endured a surprising six-game losing skid. Reports surfaced that Matthews, the CFL's all-time winningest coach with 221 victories, was in his final year with Montreal, which the team denied. The speculation ended following a 23-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Matthews, 67, stunned the CFL by leaving team president Larry Smith to announce on Oct. 4 that the coach was resigning due to health problems. Matthews, who joined Montreal four years ago, compiled a 66-28 record with the Alouettes and led them to a Grey Cup championship in 2002.

4. Roy Shivers Fired

Roy Shivers made professional football history when the Saskatchewan Roughriders hired him as the first black general manager in 1999. Under his guidance, the Riders made the playoffs the last four years, including two post-season victories. With the additions of quarterback Kerry Joseph and Jason Armstead, expectations for a big season in 2006 ran high. Despite the glowing praises bestowed on the Riders at the beginning of the year, the team stumbled to a 4-5 start and fired Shivers, 65, on Aug. 22, ending his seven-year run with the organization. The Riders replaced Shivers with CBC football analyst Eric Tillman and went on to finish with a 9-9 record, advancing to the post-season for the fifth straight year.

5. The Hamilton firings

Like the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats envisioned a very successful CFL campaign heading into the 2006 season. The team made key off-season trades to get highly regarded pivot Jason Maas and running back Corey Holmes to bolster the offence. Even with the heralded acquisitions, the Ticats began the season losing their first four games, with many blaming the team's inept offence for the winless start. The early struggles prompted Hamilton management to fire head coach Greg Marshall on July 10 and asked CFL Hall of Famer Ron Lancaster to return on an interim basis. The move made little impact: the Ticats remained cellar dwellers in the East, forcing even more changes. Winning only twice in their next five games, the Ticats continued their housecleaning by firing offensive co-ordinator Joe Paopao and offensive line coach Kani Kauahi on Aug. 28. The dismissals fuelled a frustrating and restless season for the Ticats (4-14), who finished with the worst record in the CFL.

6. The Ottawa saga

When football returned to the nation's capital in 2001, the feeling among its football fans was one of excitement at the prospect of a long and prosperous future. Regardless of the initial honeymoon between the team and its fans, it only took one ownership change and a rapidly increasing debt to stifle the optimism. With no prospective owners on the horizon to purchase the Renegades from Detroit businessman Bernie Glieberman, the CFL announced on April 9 a suspension of the team's operations for a year and held a dispersal draft for the remaining eight teams three days later. Although the CFL is getting limited interest from inquisitive parties, including beer magnate Frank D'Angelo, league officials have yet to receive any concrete offers, forcing an indefinite suspension of operations in Ottawa.

7. Tom Wright out as CFL commissioner

It didn't seem to matter that Tom Wright had been credited for securing ownership groups in Toronto and Hamilton, or that television viewership increased during his four-year tenure as CFL commissioner. It simply wasn't enough for the impatient members of the CFL's board of governors. So, with speculation running rapid that Wright would be ousted, the 11th commissioner in league history informed his employers on July 5th that he would not seek a contract renewal. Despite the growth of the league, Wright came under fire for failing to find an owner for the Ottawa franchise, leaving the team discontinued indefinitely. Wright also struggled during his term as commissioner to get a consensus for a new salary-management system, further alienating him from some CFL owners.

8. Edmonton's historic playoff run ends

During their historic 34 consecutive playoff appearances that began in 1972, the Edmonton Eskimos won 10 Grey Cup championships, including an unprecedented five consecutive titles. In preparing to defend their 2005 crown, few expected the longest North American sports streak would end with such a dismal season. Signs of trouble emerged in the third game of the year when Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Milt Stegall caught an improbable 100-yard touchdown with time expiring to shock the Eskimos. In the wake of Edmonton's 7-11 season, long-time general manager Hugh Campbell ended his 26-year association with the Eskimos on Oct. 26, resigning as team president and CEO. Campbell was the architect of the Edmonton dynasty of the late 1970s and early 1980s that included Hall of Famers Warren Moon and Dan Kepley.

9. Instant replay debuts

For years, the CFL rejected the idea of implementing instant replay as part of its game. The league stated on numerous occasions its satisfaction with the job CFL officials were doing. But with blown calls mounting over the last two years, league officials could no longer ignore the problem, prompting the board of governors to implement instant replay on June 13. Winnipeg coach Doug Berry, in the team's season opener against the Montreal Alouettes, was the first to challenge a call. Berry's challenge of an incompletion ruling was successful and the call on the field overturned. Since then, instant replay has received mixed reviews from players and coaches, with many wanting the system tweaked rather than eliminated.

10. Dick Pound rips CFL drug policy

Continuing his harsh criticism of professional sports leagues, World Anti-Doping Agency boss Dick Pound took dead aim at the CFL. On Oct. 19, Pound, a Montreal lawyer, slammed the league's lack of testing for performance-enhancing drugs and joked that the CFL is "where you spend your jail time," referring to the Toronto Argonuats' signing of suspended NFL running back Ricky Williams. Pound, who has been urging pro leagues for several years to implement a stricter drug policy, said he was shocked to learn the CFL has no testing process in place. Outgoing commissioner Tom Wright shot back at Pound, claiming the league and its players association are in the process of formulating a drug policy.