HOF and long time Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall passes away

Wetenhall owned the Montreal squad from 1997 to 2019 and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder in 2015.

“Bob Wetenhall, like (former BC Lions owner) David Braley, was a true hero of our league,” Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young wrote on Twitter. Bob had a zest for life that brought optimism and happiness to everyone who knew him. We have lost a very good friend. "

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Wetenhall has played a pivotal role in the rebirth of the Alouettes, both administratively, football operations and community involvement.

From his arrival as team owner, he established a winning philosophy that followed the Alouettes throughout the 2000s.

From 2000 to 2010, the Alouettes made eight Gray Cup finals in 11 years, winning the most important trophy in the Canadian Football League three times.

In 22 seasons with Wetenhall at the helm, the Alouettes have won the Eastern Division title on 10 occasions. They also totaled 223 wins.

"Bob Wetenhall loved Montreal, his team and the CFL and he was loved in return," league commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. As a member of the CFL Board of Directors from 1997 to 2013, Bob has always treated other owners with respect and kindness. He treated players, coaches, staff, fans and journalists as if they were owners. Our league is grateful for his many contributions. "

A native of Wisconsin, Wetenhall graduated from Princeton University and was a founding member of the prestigious McConnell Wetenhall & Co. Inc.

Wetenhall became interested in professional football in the late 1960s, when he was part-owner of the Patriots of
Boston, in the American Football League. When the team made the
jump into the NFL, under the New England Patriots name, he remained part-owner of the team.

On May 31, 2019, Wetenhall sold the Alouettes to the CFL.