Elks look to future by embracing past, including former team name

B.C. Lions' Deontai Williams (33) chases Edmonton Elks quarterback Tre Ford (2) during first half CFL pre-season action in Edmonton, on Friday May 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON — The winds of change blew through Commonwealth Stadium this winter, bringing in a new regime determined to return Edmonton’s once-proud CFL franchise to its green-and-gold glory days.

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Part of that includes embracing the team’s former name, “Eskimos.” The club rebranded as the “Elks” in 2021, following a broader movement among sports teams to move away from names considered racist or stereotypical, and amid pressure from sponsors who threatened to cut ties. The change proved divisive among Edmonton supporters.

Regardless of which name Edmonton fans prefer, former players Chris Morris, now the team’s president and CEO, and Ed Hervey, now general manager, have brought back the franchise motto: “Once an Eskimo, Always an Eskimo.”

A sign bearing the slogan has been restored above the entrance to the Elks’ locker room.

“Eskimos or Elks, it is the ‘Double E’ and we want our fans and the community to understand we are committed to winning and being a part of the community,” Hervey said.

And with that, both men are hoping the product on the field, headed by a new coaching staff led by Mark Kilam and an offence firmly in the hands of quarterback Tre Ford, will not only carry the team back into the playoffs but will lure missing fans into the stands.

Despite the massive overhaul that began with the sale of the publicly owned franchise to Larry Thompson, Kilam doesn’t see any problems with all the new personnel meshing into a winning product.

“It’s not if you’re vertically aligned, which we are, from ownership on down,” he said. “When we have the same feelings about the way a professional football team should act, the way we think things should be run on a day-to-day basis, and the way we see things be played out on the field, it’s pretty easy.

“There’s a fresh, new vibe,” he continued. “There’s been a lot of roster turnover; there’s been a lot of turnover on the admin side; obviously the coaching staff has been turned over. So we are the new era of the Double E and we’re looking forward to setting that standard.”

Doing that has to begin with a better start than the team has endured the last three years, when it began 0-5, 0-7 and 0-8 and suffered through a record 22-game home losing streak.

“It’s huge, it means everything,” returning offensive lineman Jake Ceresna said of starting well. “But even if we stub our toe early, just have faith in us and have our backs because we’re going to turn this ship around.”

The turnaround may have started last season when Ford got his chance at quarterback after the team started 0-7. The fourth-year Canadian sparked a dramatic turnaround that saw the Elks go 7-4 over their last 11 games.

“We want to just keep going from where we stopped last year,” said kick returner-running back Javon Leake. “We’ve got the players, we’ve got the coaches, now we just have to go out and play.”

The Elks are hoping Ford, 9-9 as a starter, will justify their faith in him, but traded for former Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo as a backup, just in case.

Off-season roster changes have resulted in major revamping on both sides of the ball. Joining Ceresna on the defensive line are Robbie Smith and Jared Brinkman, members of Toronto’s 2024 Grey Cup championship team.

Behind them are linebackers Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson along with a host of defensive backs led by Tyrell Ford and Royce Metchie.

“From the top down, this is probably one of the best defences, talent-wise, that I’ve been around,” said Ceresna. “We look fast; we look terrifying.”

But, he added, “it’s all talk right now. Now it’s up to us as players to go out and prove it.”

Offensively, Ford finds himself with a trio of top-notch receivers in Kurleigh Gittens, Jr., who led the team in receptions last year, newcomers Steven Dunbar Jr. and Kaion Julien-Grant and returnee Arkell Smith.

“He’s explosive,” Kilam said of Smith. “His body, he looks like he’s had a great off-season, he’s put some time in, he has some familiarity with Tre.”

All-star centre Mark Korte returns and moves to left guard to make room for David Beard on an offensive line that allowed a league-low 29 sacks last season.

The Elks led the CFL with 2,365 rushing yards in 2024 and are hoping the combination of Justin Rankin and Leake will offset the loss of Kevin Brown.

With the number of major changes on and off the field, there was a high level of energy as the team prepared for its season opener June 7 in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions.

“This is a whole new squad, a whole new era, a whole new tradition,” said Leake. “Everything is new. I’m excited to finally get out there and show the rest of the CFL.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.

John Korobanik, The Canadian Press