If you happened upon the Green and Gold while they were winning round after round en route to the 1993 Grey Cup, there’s a pretty good chance you heard LL Cool J’s classic early 90s hip-hop anthem, Mama Said Knock You Out.
“That’s what we were playing in the locker room,” says quarterback Damon Allen, “because that’s what we wanted to do: Get on the field and knock out our opponents.”
On Sunday when the Edmonton Elks host the Toronto Argonauts on ‘90s Night at Commonwealth Stadium, Allen and several of his teammates will reunite to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Edmonton’s 11th championship title.
Sunday is gonna be totally radical!
See you at 90s night📺#OurTeamOurCity #GoElks #CFL pic.twitter.com/6F2xOGqZLI
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) June 21, 2023
With Allen under centre in 1993, the EE pummelled the Saskatchewan Roughriders 51-13 in the West Division Semi-Final, parried past the Calgary Stampeders 15-12 in the West Final, and delivered a 33-23 TKO to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the 81st Grey Cup.
“You always remember the camaraderie during those times, and that ’93 team had a whole host of characters, but the team was a very close-knit team,” Allen says. “We took pride in winning games and winning our division … and knowing that you represent one of the best organizations during that time.”
While the chorus to Mama Said Knock You Out suited the Green and Gold, even more fitting was LL Cool J’s famous opening lyrics: “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.”
Going into the 1993 season, Edmonton had at least reached the West Division Final for seven straight years. And though they remained the paragon of the CFL, the Green and Gold hadn’t won the championship since 1987 when a young Allen came off the bench and led them to victory at the 75th Grey Cup with a Most Valuable Offensive Player award-winning effort.
RELATED: Damon Allen: a Green & Gold Legacy
In the meantime, Allen had spent the prior four seasons with East Division teams, Ottawa and Hamilton, establishing himself as one of the league’s premier passers. But he, too, had not hoisted the Grey Cup since Edmonton’s triumph six years earlier.
After a heartbreaking loss to Calgary in the 1992 West Final, Edmonton made a blockbuster 16-player trade with the Toronto Argonauts at the 1993 CFL Board of Governors meeting, which included quarterbacks Tracy Ham and Rickey Foggie swapping teams. Not long after, Edmonton acquired Allen from the Ti-Cats.
“That season was very unique for me because it was the return of me coming back to Edmonton,” Allen says. “I was going back and forth with Rickey Foggie the first nine games, and I wasn’t given the total control of the football team until the second half of the year, so there was a lot of dynamics that went on.”
Edmonton was 7-6 at the end of September, before ending its schedule with five straight wins, then winning three more in a row during the postseason.
“It got to the point where we got better in the second half and eventually we ended up winning the Grey Cup,” continues Allen, who was named MOP of the championship game. “This football team stayed together, and we believed, and we got it done.”
Though it’s been nearly 30 years since he played for the Green and Gold, Allen still makes it to Edmonton once every year or so and keeps in touch with many of his old EE teammates, including Henry ‘Gizmo’ Williams, who will also be part of the festivities on Sunday.
“This opportunity came up for me to participate in the reunion of the ‘93 team, and no question, I wanted to come and be a part of it because it was a big part of my career and my life during the time I was in Edmonton,” Allen says. “Those things are very important to me. Edmonton is the foundation of who I am.”
Be there Sunday, June 25 at Commonwealth Stadium when the Edmonton Elks host the Toronto Argonauts for ’90s Night. Being part of the action has never been more affordable, with tickets starting at just $15. Click here to get your tickets now and be part of the tradition.
Elks Football…Our Team. Our City.