Edmonton Eskimos Dunigan broke into the CFL in
1983 with the
Edmonton Eskimos. In his
rookie season, he backed up
Warren Moon. Prior to the
1984 CFL Season, Moon left for the
NFL's
Houston Oilers and the Eskimos became Dunigan's team. That year, he was Edmonton's nominee as Most Outstanding Player. Dunigan was fourth in the CFL in passing, fourth in rushing, and set the CFL record for rushing yardage by a quarterback in a season (732), a record that has since been eclipsed. In
1985, Dunigan was nominated as Edmonton Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year, and was a CFL West All-Star and a CFL All-Star. He led the Eskimos to back-to-back
Grey Cup appearances in
1986 and
1987, winning in 1987. He had to watch most of the game from the bench due to injury. His backup during this time was another CFL legend in the making,
Damon Allen. After the
75th Grey Cup victory, Dunigan tried pursuing a
Major League Baseball career. He worked with a scout from the
California Angels, then showed up in
Florida during
spring training. He was hoping to catch on with the
Montreal Expos. He was signed to a Class A contract, but then released on the last day.
BC Lions While Edmonton held on to his rights, they traded him to the
British Columbia Lions in June
1988 for
Jim Sandusky and future considerations. The future considerations that completed the trade in January 1989 included
Jeff Braswell,
Gregg Stumon,
Reggie Taylor,
Andre Francis, and BC's first round draft choice in the
1989 CFL College Draft,
Leroy Blugh. Dunigan led the Lions third place in the West Division with a 10-8 record. BC defeated Saskatchewan 42-18 in the West Semi-Final. In the West Final, BC beat the team that traded Dunigan in June, the Edmonton Eskimos, 37-19. This was the first time the Eskimos had ever lost a playoff game at Commonwealth Stadium. In the
Grey Cup game, BC lost to
Winnipeg 22–21. BC had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter. Winnipeg was leading 22–19, and BC was scrimmaging at Winnipeg's 7-yard line. Dunigan attempted a pass into the endzone, but it was deflected by
Delbert Fowler, and intercepted by
Michael Gray. In
1989, Dunigan was for the first time on a losing team, and a team that missed the playoffs. BC fell to 7–11. Individually, he threw for a then-career-high 27
touchdowns, and his first 4000 yard season (4,509). He was nominated as BC's Most Outstanding Player. However, new
management came in, and Dunigan would be on the move again.
Toronto Argonauts In March
1990, Dunigan was traded to the
Toronto Argonauts for
Rick Johnson,
Willie Pless,
Tony Visco,
Emanuel Tolbert,
Todd Wiseman, and
Jearld Baylis. When he arrived in Toronto, they made the
playoffs in 1990, but lost in the Division Final. However,
1991 proved to be a memorable year for the CFL and
Argonauts. Canadian actor and comedian
John Candy, along with hockey great
Wayne Gretzky, and
Los Angeles Kings owner
Bruce McNall purchased the Argos. Toronto then made noise by signing
Notre Dame receiver
Raghib "Rocket" Ismail. The Rocket, along with Dunigan and
running back Michael "Pinball" Clemons led Toronto to a 13–5 record. After a
first round bye, the Argos won against Winnipeg in front of a packed out
SkyDome, and advanced to the Grey Cup. However, in that
playoff game, Dunigan broke his
collarbone. He was able to throw the length of a hotel ballroom after doctors deadened his shoulder. In minus 19 degree weather, he threw two
touchdowns and won his second Grey Cup. Dunigan was granted free agency status in February 1992.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers In June
1992, Dunigan signed with the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he spent the next three years. The Bombers went to the Grey Cup in
1992, only to lose to the
Calgary Stampeders. In the game, Dunigan was 6 of 19 for 47 yards passing, and could not generate any points. He was replaced late in the game by
Danny McManus who generated 10 points. The
1993 season was a very productive season for Dunigan. He was a CFL East All-Star, tied for the CFL lead in rushing touchdowns (11), was Winnipeg's nominee as Most Outstanding Player, the East Division Most Outstanding Player, and ultimately the runner-up for the league award to Doug Flutie. He broke the Blue Bomber record by throwing for 36 touchdowns. Winnipeg finished 14–4. Unfortunately, Dunigan tore his
Achilles tendon in the team's sixteenth game of the season, against the Sacramento Gold Miners, and would miss the rest of the season. He was replaced by
Sammy Garza, who guided Winnipeg to the
Grey Cup. Dunigan watched the game on crutches. Winnipeg lost 33–23 to Edmonton. In
1994, Dunigan returned from his achilles tendon injury. On July 14, he made pro football history when he passed for 713 yards in a 50–35 victory over his former team, the Eskimos. He was nominated as an Eastern All-Star for the second consecutive season. Dunigan was granted free agency status in February 1995.
Birmingham Barracudas In
1995, the CFL was entering its third season of
US expansion, and added two teams: the
Memphis Mad Dogs and the
Birmingham Barracudas. Memphis tried pursuing Dunigan, but eventually landed
Damon Allen. Dunigan landed in Birmingham in April. This season was Dunigan's best season statistically, as he passed for 4,911 yards and 34 touchdowns. He was the team's Most Outstanding Player nominee. In the team’s eighth game of the season, Birmingham defeated the Calgary Stampeders in Calgary 31-28. Dunigan threw a touchdown to
Eddie Britton with 9 seconds remaining in the game. This game ended Calgary’s CFL record 27 regular season game home winning and unbeaten streaks dating back to 1992. Also In this game, Dunigan moved past
Tom Clements into second place all-time in CFL passing yardage. In the home finale against Edmonton, Dunigan broke his throwing hand and watched the rest of the season, including the playoffs, from the sidelines. The Barracudas would lose in the playoffs 52–9 to the
San Antonio Texans. All the U.S.-based teams folded except for the Grey Cup champion,
Baltimore Stallions, who relocated to
Montreal. As a result of the Barracudas folding, Dunigan was granted free agency status in February 1996.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats In May
1996, Dunigan signed a two-year contract worth more than $1 million with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Hamilton started 4–1, including Dunigan's 100th win as a starting quarterback in the team's fifth game against BC. In the sixth game of the season, Hamilton was hosting BC, and Dunigan left the game with injury. In the first quarter, he endured hits from
Reggie Carthon and
Shelton Quarles, and was forced from the game with a concussion. Dunigan missed the rest of the season due to injury.
Retirement Dunigan officially announced his retirement on February 18, 1997. His retirement was prompted by chronic head injuries. Upon retirement, Dunigan was the only quarterback to lead four different teams to the Grey Cup game (Edmonton, BC, Toronto, Winnipeg). He also finished second to
Ron Lancaster in the following all-time regular season passing categories: • Touchdowns (303) • Yards (43,857) • Attempts (5,476) • Completions (3,057) He was only the second quarterback, after Lancaster, to reach 100 regular season wins as a starting quarterback. Dunigan ranked fifth in yards rushing by a quarterback (5,031). In 2006, Dunigan was voted one of the CFL's
Top 50 players (#39) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network
TSN. Dunigan was also elected into the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2006. == Professional statistics ==