Winning football IS family business for the Popp clan from North Carolina. Born in Elkin, North Carolina, Jim Popp’s greatest influence was his coaching legend father, Joe. Both are members of the Mooresville (N.C.) High School Hall of Fame where the stadium is named Coach Joe Popp Stadium. When the Argonauts beat the favoured Stampeders in the 2017 Grey Cup Championship during his first season as GM of the Double Blue it represented the fifth CFL title for a Jim Popp squad (to go along with Baltimore in 1995 – the only American-based franchise to win the Grey Cup – and Montreal 2002, ’09 and ’10). It was also the 11th Grey Cup appearance for a Popp-led team (the most ever by a CFL GM) joining his two with Baltimore and eight with Montreal. The Argos’ first-place finish in the CFL East in 2017 marked the 12th time his team topped a CFL division. He ranks second all-time in CFL history with 263 regular-season wins as a GM. That legacy started over the two seasons (1994-95) the Stallions played and carried over to the Alouettes from 1996 to 2016. Now that Jim Popp magic formula belongs to the Argos!