Winnipeg's #7 Troy Westwood looks at scoreboard during second quarter CFL action, in Hamilton, Ontario, Saturday, September 15, 2007. (CFL PHOTO- Dave Chidley)
The Winnipeg Football Club has 90 years of history to celebrate, dating way back to the days of leather helmets and the Great Depression.
Over that time there have been countless great plays authored by superstar players… and average Joes, too. There have been memorable games featuring iconic moments and, dating back to 1930, this franchise has captured a Grey Cup championship 11 times.
Each week bluebombers.com cracks open the record book, dusts off the archives and dives deep into our collective memory banks for our Top 10 Exclusive list.
This week: Top 10 Scorers
Our list this week is about consistency, durability and longevity.
It takes all of the above to have earned a spot on the Blue Bombers Top 10 scorers, a group which includes icons, hall of famers and legends all.
Here are the Top 10 scorers in Blue Bomber history:
1. Troy Westwood, 1991-2007, 2009 – 2,748 points
The Bomber hall of famer stepped in after the retirement of Trevor Kennerd and kept the gig for eons. He was twice named the Bombers Most Outstanding Canadian and was named the team’s top special-teams player in 2003 – an award which wasn’t established until 2000.
All this from a guy selected in the sixth round, 48th overall, of the 1991 CFL Draft.
2. Trevor Kennerd, 1980-91 – 1,840 points
Undrafted, Kennerd was signed as a free agent out of the University of Alberta and retired as the club’s all-time leading scorer. He was twice named a CFL All-Star, was part of three Grey-Cup champions in 1984, 1988 and 1990 and inducted into the WFC Hall of Fame in 1998.
3. Milt Stegall, 1995-2008 – 890 points
Dominant numbers for a non-kicker. The CFL’s all-time TD leader and a member of both the WFC and Canadian Football Hall of Fame. A six-time CFL all-star, Stegall also holds the record for most touchdowns in a season with 23, set in 2002.
4. Justin Medlock, 2016- — 802 points
He’s been so good for the Bombers from the moment he first stepped on the field in 2016 – tying a club record with a 58-yard field goal that game. Medlock’s one of the most-accurate kickers in CFL history and, as he proved in the 2019 Grey Cup when he tied a record with six field goals, he’s also able to get it done in rain, snow, heat and cold.
5. Bernie Ruoff, 1975-79 – 673 points
The Bombers had three first-round draft picks in 1975, selecting Steve Scully first overall, Don Bowman fourth and a kicker out of Syracuse – Bernie Ruoff – eighth overall. Ruoff immediately earned a spot on the roster as the kicker as a specialist. He was traded after the 1979 season to Hamilton following an off-field incident for guard Larry Butler
6. Gerry James, 1952-63 – 601 points
He was one of this country’s greatest athletes, having suited up for the Blue Bombers and also playing in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It says something of his contributions that decades after his last game he still ranks in the club’s Top 10 in scoring and in touchdowns.
7. Charles Roberts, 2001-08 – 474 points
The club’s all-time leading rusher found the end zone 79 times – second only to Stegall and during his days in Bombers colours was as dangerous and as consistent as any player in the entire CFL.
8. Justin Palardy, 2010-13 – 462 points
He sported a career field-goal percentage of 82, which ranks second only to Medlock among Bomber kickers. He was replaced amid concerns about his range, but there are kickers everywhere who would kill for that kind of success rate.
9. Leo Lewis, 1955-66 – 450 points
Canadian Football Hall of Famer, WFC Hall of Famer, ‘The Lincoln Locomotive’ was also inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Game in 2018 – five years after his death. Was the Bomber all-time leading rusher for years before being suprassed by Roberts.
10. James Murphy, 1983-90 – 372 points
So dominant during his days with the Bombers, Murphy is in the CFHOF and WFC HOF and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 1986. He name is still prominent throughout the Bombers record book in receiving, touchdowns and points.
