By Jamie Ross
Published in the Times-Transcript on Saturday June 13, 2009
Appeared on Page C4 

Legendary Canadian Football League quarterback Matt Dunigan is in Moncton this weekend, and he's brought a 100-year-old friend with him -- the Grey Cup.

Making stops at Bernice MacNaughton High School and a news conference yesterday, Dunigan, the Cup and three other ex-CFLers celebrated the Moncton Football Association's 50-year anniversary, fueling the hopes that the city might host a couple of CFL regular season games in fall 2010 and possibly be home to a franchise in the future.

Wearing an Edmonton Eskimos jersey, Dunigan, a two-time Grey Cup champion, said he loves the idea of a Maritime team in the CFL.

"The fact is, there is a fan base out here in the Maritimes that is fanatical about the Canadian Football League," he said. "I love the fact that steps are being taken to cater to those desires."

With a $20-million stadium at l'Universite de Moncton that will host the Moncton 2010 World Junior Track and Field Championships next July, Metro will have the perfect venue for CFL games.

Construction of the stadium, which will have 10,000 seats and space for 10,000 more, began in April.

Moncton Deputy Mayor Merrill Henderson said while city council hasn't discussed the idea of bringing a team to the city, he's open to it.

"Anything is possible," he said. "I always keep an open mind. I think there would have to be enough corporate sponsorship to sponsor something like this."

Dunigan, who threw for 48,857 yards passing in his career, was joined by former Toronto Argonaut Jan Carinci and MFA alumnus Stewart Fraser, formerly of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Eugene Belliveau, formerly of the Montreal Alouettes.

The group will be at Rocky Stone Field today between 10:30 a.m and 1 p.m. to show off the CFL championship trophy and practise with players attending the MFA Spring Football Camp.

Members of the public can have their photos taken with the Grey Cup starting at noon.

Carinci said bringing out former MFA players who've played in the pros shows young football players that realizing their dream is achievable.

"It's all about awareness; the opportunity is there," said Carinci, who won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 1983. "The MFA turns out players that can complete at higher levels." He said hosting CFL games will be a litmus test for its potential as a pro football city.

"It's all got to make sense for the league and any potential owner," he added.

Ian Fowler, Moncton's general manager of recreation, tourism and culture department, said while it's a bit premature to be talking about a major undertaking like bringing a CFL franchise to the city, he's optimistic about possibilities regular season games coming here would hold.

"Allowing 20,000-25,000 Atlantic Canadians to see a regular season game in their backyard is a great opportunity for the CFL to grow in this region," he said. "I think starting out with one and building the game to be seen as a coast-to-coast league, it will market the CFL to the people and get them following it."

This weekend marks the first time Dunigan, who's now a football analyst for The Sports Network, has been in Moncton.

He said he recently spent time at the Hamilton Tiger Cats training camp, where he was impressed by Riverview's own Sean Manning, a 25-year-old defensive back who signed with the club as a free agent last year.

As for his predictions on the upcoming CFL season, his early bet is on the defending champion Calgary Stampeders.

"You've got to beat the best to be the best," he said.

Dunigan will give the keynote speech at the MFA's 50th anniversary dinner tonight.

The event is sold out.