The rest of the country can call it Canada Day. But in Edmonton, July 1 is now Tre Day.
Rookie quarterback Tre Ford helped the Edmonton Elks get their first win of 2022, 29-25 over the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field on Friday, in a Canada Day thriller that Elks fans will be talking about for years to come.
Making his first career start, Ford completed 15 of 26 passes for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The 24-year-old rushed for a game-high 61 yards on six carries, breaking off three runs of more than 10 yards for first downs.
Ford showed remarkable poise for someone that has been a pro for less than two months, as the eighth overall pick in the 2022 Canadian draft sparked Edmonton to rally from a 13-point deficit in the second half.
After Hamilton took its biggest lead of the game, 22-9, midway through the third quarter, Ford completed 10 of his final 12 throws for 87 yards. His first career touchdown pass, a 10-yard strike to Kenny Lawler with 11:28 remaining in the contest, came as fireworks could be heard overheard from nearby Canada Day festivities.
Ford’s performance was particularly remarkable, given the historical context and setting. The native of Niagara Falls, Ont., became the first Canadian to start at a quarterback for Edmonton in nearly 44 years. As if that wasn’t monumental enough, it came on the nation’s birthday before a crowd of over 20,000 only an hour from where Ford starred at the University of Waterloo.
What’s more, Ford’s start came one night after Nathan Rourke quarterbacked the B.C. Lions to victory over the Ottawa Redblacks, the first time in 40 years that Canadians started under centre on back-to-back nights in the CFL.
“I think that’s pretty big for the CFL and just Canadians in general,” Ford said, while clutching the well-earned game ball during a post-game interview in TSN. “I want to be a role model to Canadian quarterbacks, especially ones that stay strictly in Canada like I’ve done … just show them that you can come out here, you can compete, you can win games.”
The Beginning of Something Special
Ford is the first Edmonton quarterback to win his first CFL start since James Franklin in 2015. He becomes the latest addition to the list of Edmonton QBs who won their first CFL start, which includes some of the greatest ever in Green and Gold:
Ricky Ray – July 26, 2002
Edmonton 37, B.C. 27
21/28 passing, 277 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
3 carries, 7 yards, 0 touchdowns
Damon Allen – October 12, 1985
Edmonton 39, Montreal 1
18/26 passing, 256 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
10 carries, 59 yards, 1 touchdown
Matt Dunigan – June 30, 1984
Edmonton 32, Ottawa 31
14/33 passing, 254 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
10 carries, 87 yards, 1 touchdown
Warren Moon – September 9, 1979
Edmonton 40, Saskatchewan 0
17/27, 252 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
1 carry, 1 yard, 1 touchdown