Most football fans like a lot of scoring. You really can’t beat seeing two teams going back and forth and lighting up the scoreboard. Of course, a good defensive matchup can still make for some entertaining football now and then. But back in 1966, a game between Montreal and Ottawa redefined the meaning of a defensive battle.
On October 30, 1966, the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders by a score of 1-0. No, that’s not a typo. The lone score in this affair came by way of a rouge.
It was the last game of the regular season for both teams, and the game didn’t have any significance when it came to the standings. The Rough Riders had already locked up first place in the CFL’s Eastern Football Conference. And, win or lose, Montreal was going to finish third.
The game, played before about 12,000 fans who braved the cold at Montreal’s Molson Stadium, produced a total offence of just 386 yards collectively. Montreal’s offence came mostly from their ground game with 165 yards rushing. Of note, Montreal running back Don Lisbon surpassed over 1000 yards on the season during this game. On the other hand, most of Ottawa’s offence was produced in the air by star quarterback Russ Jackson, who passed for 132 yards.
With the game scoreless, it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that Montreal kicked the single point. A rouge from a missed 36-yard field goal attempt by Peter Kempf. It was the lowest scoring game in CFL history and, thankfully, the record still stands.
Interestingly, it is suggested that the game tied a previous Canadian football record set in 1948 or 1949 when Winnipeg supposedly defeated Calgary 1-0. But I can’t find any reference to this WIFU game in newspapers or historical statistics. I suspect it was a reporting error in the Montreal Gazette article above that contributed to this incorrect notion.
Sources:
Montreal Gazette, 31 October 1966
Montreal Star, 31 October 1966
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