Category: Ontario Rugby Football Union

  • Tigers Quit the Big Four

    In the Spring of 1948, the Hamilton Tigers shocked the Canadian football world when they announced their withdrawal from the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. A founding member of the league also known as the Big Four, the Tigers traced their roots back to 1869. They were undoubtedly the face of Hamilton football.

    Hamilton Spectator article about the Tigers’ leaving the IRFU (22 March 1948).

    Like other teams in the IRFU, the Tigers temporarily disbanded during the Second World War. However, the Ontario Rugby Football Union, one of the other three major football leagues at the time, carried on. Hamilton had a team in the ORFU, as well – the Hamilton Wildcats. The Wildcats helped fill the void for Hamilton football fans in the absence of the Tigers.

    Once the war ended and a sense or normalcy returned, the IRFU resumed operations. Suddenly, Hamilton had not one but two top tier football teams to root for. But sometimes more is not necessarily merrier.

    Faced with competition from the ORFU’s Wildcats and being at odds with fellow IRFU clubs when it came to revenue sharing, the Tigers found themselves in a precarious financial position. The team did make money but had a harder time competing against the larger clubs in Toronto and Montreal. The Tigers advocated for a scheme that would have IRFU teams split revenue by giving the visiting team up to a third of game day receipts. The other IRFU teams rejected the idea and instead offered up a $10,000 “share the loss” fund that would, in effect, reimburse teams operating in the red up to $10,000.

    The IRFU’s “share the loss” scheme to assist smaller clubs (Hamilton Spectator, 22 March 1948)

    The Tigers and IRFU found themselves at a stalemate. At an IRFU meeting held at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa on Saturday March 20, 1948, the Tigers announced they were quitting the Big Four. Tigers President J.G. Langs suggested the IRFU was becoming too professional and that the rising costs of competing couldn’t be offset without a more generous revenue sharing model. The Tigers’ abrupt withdrawal set off a chain reaction that would create some rather interesting drama in the days ahead.

    Almost immediately, reports began to circulate that the Wildcats would join the IRFU as Hamilton’s Big Four replacement team. At the time, they were arguably the best team in the ORFU and felt a jump to the IRFU would be a seamless transition. (Unfortunately, they struggled in the IRFU and won only a single game in their two seasons of play in that league.)

    IRFU officials met again in Toronto to formally admit the Wildcats into the Big Four. Faced with mounting pressure from Hamilton fans, the Tigers withdrew their withdrawal and insisted on staying in the Big Four circuit. Their re-entry was approved. However, in a seemingly comedy of errors, it turns out that the IRFU had already admitted the Wildcats previously when the Tigers originally quit. So, the Big Four now had five teams, two in Hamilton.

    Two Hamilton teams in the Big Four?

    Although there were rumours of admitting a sixth team (likely Toronto Balmy Beach) to create a “Big Six” the IRFU executive team insisted on maintaining a four-team loop. They were adamant that one of the Hamilton teams had to go.

    Hamilton Wildcats were finally confirmed into the IRFU (Hamilton Spectator, 1 April 1948).

    IRFU president Eddie Emerson was tasked with finding a solution. The “ideal” solution, it appeared, was for the Wildcats and Tigers to unite as one team in the Big Four. But the notion was nixed by both teams. In the lead up to what could have been one of the more dramatic football meetings the country has ever seen, the Tigers announced that they would no longer seek to stay in the IRFU, saving a potential showdown with football executives. Eddie Emerson was surely relieved. Instead, the Tigers would take the Wildcats’ place in the ORFU.

    Hamilton Tigers joined the ORFU for the 1948 season (Hamilton Spectator, 3 May 1948)

    So, for two seasons – 1948 and 1949 – the Wildcats and Tigers played football in their new respective leagues. As mentioned earlier, the Wildcats struggled significantly in the Big Four. The Tigers fared better, at least on the field, finishing in first place in the ORFU. Off the field was another matter altogether. It was abundantly clear that Hamilton just couldn’t support two football teams in the increasingly professional era. As financial losses mounted, a group of Hamilton citizens revisited the idea of merging the two teams. In 1950, the original “ideal” solution was finally realised – the Tigers and Wildcats amalgamated and became the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    Articles in the Hamilton Spectator about the Tigers wanting to stay in the IRFU and the the meetings that ended with both Hamilton teams briefly being in the Big Four.

    Sources:
    The Hamilton Spectator, 22 March 1948
    The Hamilton Spectator, 24 March 1948
    The Hamilton Spectator, 25 March 1948
    The Hamilton Spectator, 1 April 1948
    The Ottawa Citizen, 31 March 1948

    Fediverse Reactions

  • The ORFU Adopts the Burnside Rules

    ORFU Adopts the Burnside Rules

    An observer today would simply shrug his shoulders after reading the contents. “What’s the big deal?” he would ask. But around the turn of the 20th century the Burnside Rules would revolutionize Canadian football. Named after Thrift Burnside, who captained the University of Toronto varsity football team, the so-called Burnside Rules helped transform Canadian football from a rugby-style game to the modern gridiron game we recognize today.

    Proponents of the Burnside Rules promoted the idea that they made the game more open, more exciting, and easier to follow. Opponents argued they changed the very essence of Canadian football and risked the Americanization of the game. In hindsight, both sides were probably right.

    So, what the heck were the Burnside Rules anyway? And how did they change the game of Canadian football so much? Let’s take a quick look.

    Perhaps the biggest difference in Mr. Burnside’s rules compared to traditional Canadian rugby at the time was the introduction of the downs system. The team with possession would now have three chances (or downs) to advance the ball ten yards. The other significant difference was adoption of the snap-back formation. Instead of a rugby scrum where players heeled the ball backwards, the offence would now line up along a fixed line of scrimmage and have the centre player on the line “snap back” the ball. Both the downs system and the snap-back formation were already being used in American football at the time.

    Other rule changes included the reduction of the number of players from fifteen to twelve, scrimmaging instead of throw-ins from the sideline, and capping the number of players on the line of scrimmage at six. They also made some minor kicking and scoring adjustments.

    A Fine Exposition of New Rugby

    The first use the Burnside Rules was the first game of the Toronto city championship between the University of Toronto and the Toronto Argonauts on November 15, 1902. The rules received rave reviews from the Toronto Star, which hailed the game a “fine exposition of new rugby.”

    Praising the Burnside Rules that were used in the Varsity-Argonauts game.
    (“Fine Exposition of New Rugby.” Toronto Star, 17 November 1902, p. 10.)

    Still, the Burnside Rules were considered so radical by purists that their adoption divided clubs and unions and threatened to wreak havoc on Canadian football. On December 13, 1902, the Ontario Rugby Football Union formally adopted the Burnside Rules for the 1903 season. The Canadian Rugby Union and its other unions refused to adopt them initially. This led to the three CRU unions in Ontario and Quebec to play by three different sets of rules.

    Adoption of the Burnside Rules article in the Toronto Star
    Article in the Toronto Star explaining the Burnside Rules after being adopted by the ORFU.
    (“Adoption of the Burnside Rules.” Toronto Star, 15 December 1902, p. 10.)

    By the way, the Quebec Rugby Football Union probably had the most radical rule of all. While it didn’t adopt the snap-back formation it did implement its own version of a downs system. Basically, teams had to gain at least five yards on their third down, regardless of yards gained on the previous first or second down.

    Comparing three styles of Canadian football being played in 1903
    Comparing the three sets of rules in Canadian football for 1903
    (Toronto Star, 22 December 1902, p. 9.)

    Ottawa Opposed the Burnside Rules

    The Ottawa Rough Riders lead the opposition to the ORFU’s adoption of the Burnside Rules. A column appearing in the Ottawa Citizen made abundantly clear Ottawa’s stance on the new rules and took to personally attacking Thrift Burnside. Such was the passion and divisiveness surrounding these sweeping changes.

    Ottawa Citizen column critical of the Burnside Rules
    A column in the Ottawa Citizen critical of Thrift Burnside and his rules.
    (Ottawa Citizen, 16 December 1902, p. 6.)

    After unsuccessfully trying to convince the CRU to adopt the Burnside Rules, the ORFU opted to switch back to CRU rugby-style football in 1906. But in the years ahead, the down system and snap-back formation were eventually adopted across the country.

    By the 1920s Canadian football had evolved and started to resemble the game we play and watch today. The Burnside Rules played a pivotal role in this evolution. By incorporating popular aspects of American football into the traditional Canadian game, the ORFU’s early adoption of the Burnside Rules helped shape the future of Canadian football.

    More praise of the Burnside Rules by the Toronto Star.
    (Toronto Star, 17 November 1902, p. 10.)

  • Tigers, Wildcats Merge to Form the Tiger-Cats

    Depending on the criteria chosen and who you ask (relax, Argo fans!) the city of Hamilton boasts Canada’s oldest football club. The Hamilton Foot Ball Club was founded on November 3, 1869. Yes, they spelled football with two words back then. The team played in the Ontario Rugby Football Union from 1893 to 1906 before joining the new Interprovincial Rugby Football Union in 1907.

    A news article in the Hamilton Spectator announcing the founding of the Hamilton Foot Ball Club
    A news article announcing the founding of the Hamilton Foot Ball Club
    (The Hamilton Spectator, 4 November 1869, p 2.)

    The team wore black and orange and later black and yellow uniforms and were known as the Tigers. It was this Tigers team that played in the second Grey Cup in 1910.

    In 1941, the Tigers suspended play as a result of the Second World War. The IRFU itself shut down a year later. To fill the void, the Hamilton Wildcats were formed and played in the ORFU, winning the Grey Cup in 1943. Due to the high number of air force personnel playing for the team, the club was known as the Flying Wildcats during the war years.

    After the war ended, the IRFU and the Hamilton Tigers resumed play. Unfortunately, the Hamilton market couldn’t support two football teams. Both the Tigers and the Wildcats found themselves competing for business and facing financial challenges. After a dispute with the IRFU, the Tigers and Wildcats actually swapped leagues for a couple of seasons with the Tigers playing in the ORFU and the Wildcats joining the IRFU in 1948.

    Article announcing merger of the Hamilton Wildcats and Hamilton Tigers
    “Merger of Wildcats, Tigers, Completed.” The Hamilton Spectator, 31 January 1950, p 24.

    Finally, a group of Hamilton citizens pushed for the amalgamation of the Tigers and Wildcats. It was clear that Hamilton could sustain only one team, especially with the growing professionalization of the game of football.

    Thus, in 1950, the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats merged into one club and became the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    1950 Hamilton Tiger-Cats team photo
    The 1950 amalgamated Hamilton Tiger-Cats
    (photo courtesy of the Canadian Football Research Society)

    This is the sixth of a series of posts that will explore the stories behind the names of the existing Canadian Football League teams. See the previous post on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.