 The Alouettes were first formed in 1946 by Canadian Football Hall of Famer Lew Hayman along with businessmen Eric Cradock and Léo Dandurand.They named themselves after ""Alouette"", a work song about plucking the feathers from a skylark, which had become a symbol of the Québécois.The origin of the team’s name also comes from the 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron – the Royal Canadian Air Force’s first French Canadian squadron.