Category: Grey Cup

  • The Grey Cup vs. The Super Bowl

    It’s Super Bowl week down in America. The National Football League, arguably one of the most successful sports leagues in the world, will crown their champion. So, how does the NFL’s Super Bowl stack up against Canada’s Grey Cup? Both championships are steeped in history. Let’s take a closer look at how the two big games compare.

    The Grey Cup championship trophy

    The Grey Cup is the Canadian Football League championship played annually between the East Division champion and the West Division champion.

    The Trophy: The Grey Cup trophy – donated by and named for Albert Henry George Grey (4th Earl Grey). Earl Grey served as the Governor General of Canada from 1904 to 1911.

    First Game: The first Grey Cup was played in 1909 in Toronto. The University of Toronto defeated Toronto Parkdale by a score of 26-6.

    Most Wins: Toronto Argonauts (19)

    Most Times Hosted: Toronto (48)

    Largest Crowd: 68,318 (1977 at Olympic Stadium, Montreal)

    Highest Scoring Game: 83 total points (1989, Saskatchewan 43 Hamilton 40)

    The Super Bowl is annual National Football League championship played between the NFC champion and the AFC champion.

    The Trophy: The Vince Lombardi trophy – named after former NFL head coach Vince Lombardi. Unlike the Grey Cup a new trophy is made and presented each year.

    First Game: The first Super Bowl was called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game. It was played in 1967 in Los Angeles between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay won the game 35-10.

    Most Wins: Pittsburgh Steelers (6) / New England Patriots (6)

    Most Times Hosted: Miami, Florida (11) *New Orleans will host its 11th Super Bowl this Sunday.

    Largest Crowd: 103,985 (1980 at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

    Highest Scoring Game: 75 total points (1995, San Francisco 49 San Diego 26)

  • Queen’s Over Elks in 1922 Grey Cup

    Queen's Grey Cup win over Edmonton Elks in 1922 article
    Source: The Edmonton Bulletin, 4 December 1922, page 7

    On Saturday December 2, 1922, Queen’s University defeated the original Edmonton Elks 13-1 in the 10th Grey Cup game held at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ontario. In those days, the road to the national championship was a convoluted affair featuring playoffs between the champions of multiple leagues across the country. The Wikipedia article “1922 in Canadian football” does a good job illustrating the national playoff picture.

    Edmonton was the champion of the Alberta Rugby Football Union and had defeated Regina and Winnipeg to emerge as the western champion. Queen’s was the champion of the Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union, the conference featuring university teams, and emerged as the eastern representative after defeating the Toronto Argonauts.

    Click on the article below to read a detailed write up of the game that appeared in the Edmonton Bulletin the following Monday.

  • Tiger-Cat Defence Strangles Roughriders

    “Tiger-Cat defence strangles Roughriders” read the headline in The Ottawa Citizen on Monday December 4, 1967. That pretty much sums up Hamilton’s 24-1 win over Saskatchewan in the 1967 Grey Cup game played a couple days earlier.

    1967 Grey Cup action (Ottawa Citizen)
    Source: The Ottawa Citizen, 4 December 1967, page 23.

    1967 – being Canada’s Centennial and all – featured the Grey Cup being played at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Tiger-Cats quarterback Joe Zuger (who recently passed away at the age of 84) scored a running touchdown, passed for a touched down, and kicked three singles, leading him to be named Grey Cup MVP.

    The Hamilton Tiger-Cats used this commemorative logo in 1967 to celebrate Canada’s Centennial. (courtesy SportsLogos.Net)

  • Facts About the Final | 1910 Grey Cup

    Here’s an interesting snippet of some facts about the 1910 Grey Cup final held in Hamilton, including the team rosters for the Hamilton Tigers and the University of Toronto.

    1910 Grey Cup summary in the Hamilton Spectator
    Source: The Hamilton Spectator, November 25, 1910, page 12

  • Tigers and Rooters Ready For Action

    Hamilton Tigers 1910 Grey Cup coverage in the Hamilton Spectator
    Source: The Hamilton Spectator, November 25, 1910, page 12

    The above article appeared in the Hamilton Spectator on the eve of the 2nd Grey Cup. The Hamilton Tigers were preparing to host the University of Toronto at the A.A.A. Grounds in Hamilton.

    Note the new cheer being introduced:
    O-S-K-E-W-A-W-A
    W-H-I-S-K-E-We-We
    H-O-L-Y M-A-K-I-N-A-W
    T-I-G-E-R-S E-A-T E-M R-A-W
    W-O-W!

    A variation of the Oskee Wee Wee cheer is still performed at Hamilton Tiger-Cat games today.