Florence Ballard sometimes replaced Ballard on stage with the Andantes' Marlene Barrow. In April 1967, Cindy Birdsong, member of Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, became a stand-in for Ballard. A month later, Ballard returned to the group from what she thought was a temporary leave of absence. In June, Gordy changed the group's name to "The Supremes with Diana Ross", which was how they were billed on the marquee of Las Vegas' Flamingo Hotel. On July 1, the day after her 24th birthday, Ballard showed up inebriated during the group's third performance at the Flamingo and stuck her stomach out from
Harold Ballard the 1986 Grey Cup by beating the Edmonton Eskimos 39–15 and Ballard said it was worth every penny. During his tenure as owner of the Tiger-Cats, Ballard for a short time had the Tiger-Cats logo painted at centre ice of Maple Leaf Gardens in place of the blue Maple Leaf. Ballard sold the team after the 1988 season. During his tenure, he repeatedly threatened to move the franchise to Toronto (45 miles east). He had claimed losses in excess of $20 million over 11 seasons with the Tiger-Cats. In the 1970s, Ballard had also bankrolled a group, headed by Hiram