After seven years at the helm, Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie has announced his retirement as soon as the board of governors hire his successor.
“Working together, we have put the CFL on a much sounder foundation, with strong new owners, improved attendance, growing TV ratings, superbly fun and entertaining football, and noteworthy progress in our larger markets,” Ambrosie said in a statement.
“There is always more to be done, and I look forward to welcoming the next commissioner who will seek to take our league to even greater heights. Until that person has been chosen and is ready to take over, I will continue to work hard on behalf of the CFL. When I do step aside sometime next year, I will do so with a profound sense of achievement, satisfaction and gratitude. I want to thank our Governors, team presidents, players and coaches and staff, and our valued business partners. I especially want to thank our great fans from coast to coast, and particularly my wonderful wife Barb and our smart and beautiful daughters, for their support.”
The chair of the CFL board of governors praised Ambrosie for his passion for Canadian football, boundless energy, tireless work ethic and strong leadership, which he said was a major factor in the league’s current stability and growth.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Randy for his leadership and for providing us with as much notice as possible of his intention to retire. His willingness to stay on until his successor is named will allow for a seamless and successful transition likely sometime in 2025,” Scott Banda said in a statement.
“Randy has shepherded the league through some very difficult challenges, including the pandemic and leadership changes at the team level. To meet those challenges and build a stronger brand with growing fandom, a new digital marketing strategy, effective ownership and leadership across the league, and rule and procedure changes that have delivered fun, fast, and entertaining football, is a positive legacy indeed. Randy has built the foundation on which the league can move to the next level.”
Announced as the CFL’s 14th commissioner on July 5, 2017, the Grey Cup champion and business leader is one of the longest serving top executives in the league’s history. The late Jake Gaudaur, who served from 1968 to 1984, was in the office longer than any other commissioner.
“My goal has always been to leave the league in better condition than I found it, and I am proud that the CFL has grown stronger in the past seven years,” Ambrosie said in a statement. "Serving as Commissioner is a tremendous honour. It is also a job that requires total dedication, seven days a week, almost 365 days a year. After more than seven years, I feel the time is right for a transition, once a successor is named, and I will do everything in my power to help the next Commissioner achieve even more. Until then, it is business as usual."
