Edmonton Eskimos celebrate Grey Cup win with party of thousands

Thousands of Edmontonians of all ages packed Sir Winston Churchill Square on Tuesday to welcome the homecoming of the Eskimos and the Grey Cup.

At a noon rally, the team walked out of a giant inflatable Eskimos helmet at the south side of the square and then made their way through a sea of fans, all there to catch a glimpse of the team and the Grey Cup, carried by offensive lineman Tony Washington.

Tony Traficante has been a season ticket holder for more than 30 years. He was decked out in green and gold to cheer the boys on.

"We're season ticket holders so just seeing all the players up close and seeing that Grey Cup get hoisted just made it all," Traficante said. 

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the crowd looked on as players took turns speaking from the stage.

Some fans, like Jaswant Rai, were surprised by how many ended up turning out.

"More than I expected," he said. "The best thing I got was a picture with Reilly."

And it wasn't just the fans who were excitedly taking pictures. Many of the players also whipped out phones to take pictures and video of the massive crowd. 

QB thanks fans for years of support

Flanked by his teammates Odell Willis, JC Sherritt and Adarius Bowman, quarterback and Grey Cup MVP Mike Reilly paid tribute to the team's faithful followers. 

"I told Odell a couple of years ago, when we could only win four games, I said 'Remember that because there's going to be a time when it's all worth it.' "  

"And these three guys up here and a lot of these other guys battled through that year just like you guys battled through it with us the whole time," he told the crowd. 

"We always believed and so did you guys. I want these three dudes to grab this cup and let's raise this damn thing in front of you guys because we brought it back to you," he said.

A long time coming

The Edmonton Eskimos last won the Grey Cup in 2005. 

Since then, it was one losing season after another as the team went through three coaches, including Danny Maciocia, Richie Hall and Kavis Reed.

The hiring of Chris Jones changed all that. 

Some fans at Tuesday's rally even went so far as to suggest Sunday's win could be the start of a string of Grey Cups for the team.  

Others, like 65-year-old Larry Zack, simply hope this year's win will bring some respectability back to the organization. 

"I'd like them to put back that sign that says 'The City of Champions' when you come into the city," Zack said.