By Stampeders.com staff

It was the Year of the Horse. Pure and simple.

What started as a coincidence between the Chinese Zodiac and the enduring symbol of the Calgary Stampeders turned into a rallying cry and, on Nov. 30 at Vancouver’s BC Place, the ultimate celebration.

No matter what you call it — the Year of the Horse or simply 2014 — it was a year to remember. Let’s have a look back, shall we?

Jan. 14: Kevin Glenn, who had started the majority of games at quarterback for the Stamps in 2012 and 2013, was lost in the expansion draft (and subsequently traded to the BC Lions). That left Drew Tate and Bo Levi Mitchell as the incumbent passers on the Calgary roster and on Jan. 14 the Stamps signed both players to contract extensions.

No one knew at that time how the training-camp battle for the starter’s job would turn out but Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel noted at the time that the double signing gave the team stability at a critical position.

Things worked out pretty well. Mitchell was named the starter out of training camp and went 13-2 in 15 regular-season starts and added wins in the Western Final and the Grey Cup, earning MVP honours in the latter game. He led the CFL in QB rating during the regular season.

Tate made four starts — including three while Mitchell was sidelined by knee and ankle injuries — and led the Stamps to three victories. He saw action throughout the year as the Stamps’ short-yardage quarterback and wound up leading the league with 10 rushing touchdowns.

June 1: Training camp gets under way at McMahon Stadium. The feeling in the locker room as a new season begins is one of quiet confidence and an overwhelming desire to avoid the unfinished business of a 14-4 team in 2013 that lost the Western Final.

“Last year, we fell short of our ultimate goal, which left a sour taste in our mouths,” said defensive lineman Junior Turner. “So I’m excited to start things up again and take another shot at reaching our goal as a team.”

July 7: On the surface, it was just another roster move, a transaction no more notable than any of the dozens others made by CFL clubs over the course of the season.

Coming off their first bye week, the Stamps announced that a rangy receiver from an obscure school — California Lutheran — had been added to the practice roster. The pass-catcher would remain on the practice roster for several months, quietly working hard on the practice field and in the meeting rooms to learn the Calgary playbook.

When given the chance to play in late October, Eric Rogers was ready. With a two-touchdown performance in the Stamps’ regular-season finale, Rogers earned a spot on the playoff roster and responded with two more touchdowns in the Western Final win over Edmonton and a 100-yard receiving game in the Grey Cup.

In the end, it was hardly just another roster move.

July 24: Bo Levi Mitchell tied a CFL record as the Stampeders beat the Edmonton Eskimos 26-22 in a battle of unbeaten teams at Commonwealth Stadium. Mitchell improved his record as a starter to 7-0, tying ex-Stamp Jeff Garcia for the most consecutive victories by a quarterback at the start of his career.

Aug. 24: Receiver Joe West played with a heavy heart when the Stamps faced the Redblacks at Ottawa’s TD Place Stadium. He also played with purpose and remarkable courage.

Just a few hours after he’d learned his younger brother Brandon Hobdy, 23, had been fatally shot in Magnolia, Ark., West chose to suit up for the contest. In a performance offensive team captain Rob Cote called inspirational, West made four catches for a game-high 129 yards to help the Stamps beat Ottawa 32-7.

“It crossed my mind (to not play),” said an emotional West in the locker-room after the contest. “But I know my brother, he would love to see me play. That’s all he ever wanted to do is see me play. I did this for him.”

Aug. 24: Sederrik Cunningham did something no Calgary player had accomplished in almost seven years — take a punt return all the way to the end-zone.

Cunningham’s 67-yard touchdown was the Stamps’ first major on a punt return since Markus Howell accomplished the feat on Oct. 7, 2007, which means it was the first punt-return score of the John Hufnagel Era in Calgary.

Sept. 6: Calgary extended its regular-season winning streak over Edmonton to 11 games — including three straight sweeps of the Labour Day series — with a 41-34 victory at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

Bo Levi Mitchell threw for a pair of touchdowns and rushed for two more scores to lead the Stamps.

Sept. 13: Six contributors to the Stampeders legacy are officially added to the team’s Wall of Fame. The group includes offensive lineman Jamie Crysdale, defensive lineman Stu Laird, running back James Sykes and lineman Ron Allbright in the players category and longtime athletic therapist Pat Clayton and veteran equipment manager George Hopkins in the builders category.

Sept. 13: The Stampeders equaled their biggest comeback in franchise history as they rallied for a 40-33 victory over the Toronto Argonauts at McMahon Stadium.

The Stamps trailed the game 29-3 with less than five minutes to play in the first half before scoring seven points late in the second quarter and putting 15 points on the board in both the third and fourth quarters to complete the comeback.

The 26-point comeback matched a rally by the 1987 Stampeders in a road game against the Ottawa Rough Riders as Calgary came back from a 37-11 deficit on that occasion to win 39-38.

Jon Cornish led the comeback with 174 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards as well as a pair of touchdowns and a two-point convert. His big day included a spectacular 79-yard touchdown run.

Oct. 31: It was a sad day in the Stamps family as John Forzani passed away at the age of 67. Forzani was a native Calgarian and a former Stampeders player who was part of a local group that purchased the club in 2005.

The Calgary Flames became majority owners of the Stampeders in 2012 but Forzani retained a minority stake and was the team’s co-chair in 2013.

“I’m very saddened by John’s passing,” said head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. “He was a teammate, a friend and a hunting buddy. John was very instrumental in my return to the Stampeders organization in 2008 and I’m very proud of what we were all able to build here together.”

Nov. 1: Jon Cornish and Matt Walter both ran for more than 100 yards in a home game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. That marked the first time since 1996 the Stampeders had a pair of 100-yard rushers since July 20, 1996, when Kelvin Anderson (132 yards) and Jeff Garcia (100) accomplished the feat in a game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The 100-yard game was the 21st of Cornish’s career while Walter reached that milestone for the first time as a CFLer.

Nov. 7: The Stamps matched the franchise record for regular-season victories by defeating the BC Lions 33-16 at BC Place. The result gave the Stamps a final record of 15-3, tying the 1993, 1994 and 1995 editions of the Red and White for the most wins in a season by a Calgary team.

Slotback Marquay McDaniel made a spectacular return from the six-game injury list, hauling in 12 passes for 165 yards.

Nov. 23: The Stampeders earned a trip to the 102nd Grey Cup with a 43-18 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in the Western Final at McMahon Stadium. Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing score as the Stamps advanced to the Grey Cup for the 14th time in franchise history.

Jon Cornish had a relatively quiet game on the ground by his standards as he was held to 54 yards on 14 carries but he was spectacular as a receiver out of the backfield as he had four catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Nov. 27: It was a hat trick for the Stampeders during Grey Cup week at the CFL awards show at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Running back Jon Cornish became the first player since Tony Gabriel (1976-78) to win the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award.

Centre Brett Jones followed up his rookie award in 2013 by earning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman prize.

And last but not least, veteran long-snapper Randy Chevrier was presented with the CFL Players’ Association’s Tom Pate Memorial Award for “outstanding sportsmanship and someone who has made a significant contribution to his team, his community and Association.”

Nov. 28: Three men with Stampeders ties — Dave Dickenson, Eddie Davis and Bob O’Billovich — are announced as part of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015.

Dickenson, a quarterback for the Stamps from 1997-2000 and in 2008 who is now the team’s offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, is to be inducted in the players’ category along with defensive back Davis, who wore the Red and White from 1996-2000.

O’Billovich, who was Calgary’s assistant general manager and player-personnel director from 2000-02, goes into the builders’ category.

Nov. 30: The Stampeders won their seventh Grey Cup championship in franchise history as they completed the Year of the Horse with a 20-16 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Vancouver’s BC Place.

The offence staked the Stamps to a 17-0 and the defence made several critical stops in the fourth quarter to hold the Tiger-Cats to field goals as Calgary won its first title since 2008. It was also the Stamps’ league-best fifth Grey Cup championship since 1992.

Bo Levi Mitchell earned the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player by throwing for 334 yards while short-yardage quarterback Drew Tate scored two rushing touchdowns.

Dec. 3: John Hufnagel announces that he will coach one more season before stepping aside to concentrate on general manager’s duties.

Offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Dave Dickenson will take over as the head man following the 2015 season.