Tag: 1950s in Canadian Football

1955 East-West Game a Success

In the 1950s, the Shriners organization sponsored an East-West all-star game featuring the best players of Canadian football. The game was played the week after the Grey Cup between all-stars from the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). The first such game was played on December 3, 1955, at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.

Front page of the Toronto Star on December 3, 1955 previewing the first-ever East-West game.

There was much anticipation in the lead up to the game. Edmonton had just beaten Montreal handily in the Grey Cup the previous week. It was the second year in a row that the west had prevailed in the national championship. So, bragging rights were up for grabs between the IRFU (aka the Big Four) and WIFU when it came which union was the superior football league in Canada.

A crowd of over 15,000 braved the rain to watch the top names in Canadian football – chosen by the fans – compete in a defensive battle. Playing in muddy conditions at Varsity, the players put on an exciting performance despite the game ending in a 6-6 tie.

Jim Hunt’s account of the 1955 East-West game in the Toronto Star (December 5, 1955).

An account of the game by legendary reporter Jim Hunt in the Toronto Star summed it up perfectly:

They dusted off the return kick, tossed in the forward pass and produced the weirdest, wackiest and most exciting two minutes of the Canadian football season Saturday.

It was old-time Canadian football at its best. It was the comeback game proving it still could operate under almost impossible playing conditions. It was a 6-6 tie in this first East-West All-Star game, sponsored by The Star Weekly and the Shriners of Canada.

The 15,083 fans who braved the rains to watch the thriller saw plays that haven’t been used in Canadian football for years. They saw three return kicks in a two-minute period. They saw Gordie Sturtridge of the Saskatchewan Roughriders dribble a fumble 107 yards. They saw import Jackie Parker play a quick kick.

They also saw a hard-fought game between two teams which obviously were more anxious to show their league was the best in the country.

I’m reminded by the commentary for this game that despite horrible weather, awful field conditions, and a seemingly ho-hum 6-6 score, football can still be very exciting during defensive stalemates when there’s a meaningful game to play. You don’t always have to light up the scoreboard to provide entertaining football. By the way, how neat is it read Jim Hunt’s work from early in his lengthy career?

The inaugural East-West game grossed $88,000. Net proceeds from the game were given to the Shriners’ children’s hospitals in Montreal and Winnipeg. The event was deemed a smashing success and would return the following year.

Some photos of the action, as published in the Toronto Star and Hamilton Spectator:

Final stats:

Sources:

Hamilton Spectator, 5 December 1955
Toronto Star, 3 December 1955
Toronto Star, 5 December 1955
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March 11, 2026
Getting Ready for the Grey Cup’s TV Debut

It’s September 1952 and a new technology – black and white television – is taking the country and much of the world by storm. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) entered the TV business with two flagship stations: CBFT in Montreal and CBLT in Toronto.

Grey Cup Advertisement for Sweet Caps cigarettes in the Toronto Star (27 November 1952)

The decision was soon made to broadcast the upcoming Grey Cup game on CBLT. The Canadian Rugby Union championship was scheduled for Saturday November 29th at Varsity Stadium in Toronto.

Grey Cup Advertisement by Northern Electric in the Toronto Star (27 November 1952)

The novelty factor of the new technology coupled with the popularity of the hometown Toronto Argonauts, who were playing in the championship, helped drive sales for television sets in Toronto. Several ads selling TVs appeared in local newspapers. These didn’t come cheap, but vendors were more than happy to set up affordable payment plans for excited football fans.

Ads promoting TV sales

While the Grey Cup game itself was the first Canadian football game ever televised, broadcast crews did a practice run a few days before in the playoff game between the Argonauts and the Sarnia Imperials of the Ontario Rugby Football Union. In those days, the ORFU still challenged for the Grey Cup. The Toronto-Sarnia Grey Cup semi-final game at Varsity Stadium was used as the dress rehearsal for the big game. The 1952 Grey Cup commentators Norm Marshall and Larry O’Brien were actually chosen after an audition for the roles was held during the Sarnia game.

Notes about the TV practice run done during the Grey Cup semi-final between Toronto and Sarnia (Toronto Star, 27 November 1952)

Pubs in and around Toronto with television sets were packed on the day of the game. Meanwhile, in nearby Hamilton, Westinghouse set up several TVs so that employees and friends could watch the game. The broadcast even included a short pre-game show hosted by Annis Stukus.

In the end, the Argonauts defeated Edmonton by a score of 21-11 in front not only record crowd at Varsity Stadium but also tens of thousands of television viewers in the Toronto area. A new era for the Grey Cup and for Canadian television was here.

Sources:

Patskou, Paul. “The First Televised Grey Cup Game.” Canadian Football Research Society. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.canadianfootballresearch.ca/the-first-televised-grey-cup-game/.

The Toronto Star, 27 November 1952

October 28, 2025
Five Canadian Football Players Lost in 1956 Plane Crash Part II

The 1956 plane crash that claimed the lives of five Canadian football players garnered widespread newspaper coverage across Canada and parts of the United States.

Melvin Becket, Mario DeMarco, Gordon Sturtridge, and Ray Syrnyk of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calvin Jones of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were aboard Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 when it crashed into a remote area of British Columbia.

Here is a sampling of news articles about the tragedy:

Front page of the Regina Leader-Post on December 10, 1956.

Heart-breaking article in the Regina Leader-Post (December 10, 1956) expressing hope that Mario DeMarco and Melvin Becket would somehow survive the disaster.

Front page of the Iowa City Press-Citizen (December 10, 1956) with a focus on Calvin Jones, who was a standout college player at the University of Iowa before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Front page of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix on December 10, 1956.
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September 12, 2025
Five Canadian Football Players Lost in 1956 Plane Crash

On Sunday, December 9, 1956, tragedy struck Canadian football when five professional players lost their lives in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters.

Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 left Vancouver that evening bound for Calgary with 62 passengers and crew onboard. Among the passengers were four members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Melvin Becket, Mario DeMarco, Gordon Sturtridge, and Ray Syrnyk) and Calvin Jones of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They were returning from Vancouver, where the 1956 Canadian Football Council all-star game was played the previous day.

About an hour after takeoff, the plane crashed into Mount Slesse, near Chilliwack, BC. All 62 people aboard the aircraft died. The crash site is in a remote area of British Columbia, which made recovery efforts virtually impossible. The remains of both the plane and the victims remain at the site to this day.

Here is a closer look at the five players who were lost in the disaster:

Melvin Becket was a native of Chicago, Illinois. He was drafted by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers but opted to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. His wife was expecting their child just after Christmas.

Mario DeMarco was an American from New Jersey. He and Melvin Becket were not only teammates; they were also business partners of a local gas station in Regina. The DeMarco–Becket Memorial Trophy is awarded to the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in the CFL’s West Division.

Calvin Jones was an African-American from Ohio who came to Canada to play professional football with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after a standout college career at the University of Iowa. He missed an earlier flight out of Vancouver so was instead put on the ill-fated TCA Flight 810.

Gordon Sturtridge was a native of Winnipeg, where he started his professional football career. He was a three-time western all-star and played four seasons with Saskatchewan. His wife Mildred was also aboard the flight. They left behind three young children.

Ray Syrnyk was a native of Saskatoon and played on the 1953 Saskatoon Hilltops junior championship team. He was the youngest (22) of the five players lost.

Find A Grave Memorial for Trans-Canada Airlines Flight 810 Victims

Sources:
The Province, 10 December 1956
The Regina Leader-Post, 10 December 1956
The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 10 December 1956

September 10, 2025
Windsor AKO a Powerhouse in Canadian Junior Football in the 1950s

In the early to mid 1950s, the Windsor AKO Fratmen were the dominant junior football team in Ontario. They appeared in four consecutive national championships from 1952 to 1955, winning twice.

Windsor AKO 1954 Canadian junior football championship patch
(Photo courtesy of Todd Ternovan)

It wasn’t uncommon for football teams to be owned or sponsored by other organizations. Even some senior teams followed this arrangement. Montreal’s team was operated by the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and the Toronto Argonauts were a property of the Argonaut Rowing Club. It was the AKO (Alpha Kai Omega) Fraternity who owned and operated Windsor’s junior football team at the time.

On November 22, 1952, Windsor won its first national championship in Canadian junior football. Known as the Leader Post trophy at the time, Windsor defeated the Edmonton Wildcats by a score of 15-12 in front of 5,000 fans at Windsor Stadium.

Coverage of the 1952 Canadian junior final in the Windsor Star.

Photos of the 1952 Canadian junior final. (Windsor Star)

The following year, Windsor fell to the Saskatoon Hilltops before making a comeback in 1954. On November 20, 1954, another big crowd came out to see Windsor beat the Winnipeg Rods 13-9. It was Windsor’s second national championship in three years. They would lose to Winnipeg in a rematch in 1955.

Coverage of the 1954 Canadian junior final in the Windsor Star.

Photos of the 1954 Canadian junior final. (Windsor Star)

Windsor’s success in junior football in the 1950s – with two championships – was big news for the southern Ontario city. They were coached by Al Newman, considered by many to be one of the best coaches in Canadian junior football. Bobby Dawson, a standout player in the ’52 championship game, went on to a solid professional career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the IRFU.

The Windsor AKO lineup for the 1954 junior final vs. Winnipeg

Playing on that 1954 championship team was a gentleman named George Ternovan, who would later become a councillor in the nearby municipality of St. Clair Beach in Essex County. He played defensive end. George’s son Todd kindly shared with me some photos of his father’s championship jacket as well as the football cleats he wore in the championship game.

Football cleats worn by George Ternovan of the Windsor AKO Fratmen in 1954.

George Ternovan’s 1954 Canadian junior football championship jacket.

Today, Windsor’s junior football team is known as the St. Clair Saints, having been sold to the St. Clair College’s Student Athletic Association in 2020. The Saints play in the Canadian Junior Football League and are the defending Canadian Bowl champions.

Known as the Little Grey Cup, the Leader Post Trophy (named after the Regina newspaper) was the name of the Canadian junior football championship for many years and was first awarded in 1925. In 1976, it was replaced by the Armadale Cup. Since 1989, the Canadian Junior Football League’s championship has been known as the Canadian Bowl.

Perhaps the most famous of the Windsor AKO football alumni is Tommy Grant who played in the 1955 junior final. He later played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers and played in nine Grey Cup games. Grant was induced into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
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August 20, 2025