Category: IRFU/Big Four

1907 IRFU Debut Game Draws Controversy On and Off the Field

In 1907, four football clubs – Hamilton Tigers, Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Rough Riders, and Montreal Football Club – formed a new league called the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union. Up until then, the champions of the Ontario Rugby Football Union and the Quebec Rugby Football Union would usually square off for a Dominion championship. But there were otherwise no meaningful games between clubs from the two leagues. So the new league was established to become a new competition for what were considered the top teams in the ORFU and QRFU.

Montreal Football Club players including Babe Reynolds and Ernie Russell (Montreal Star, 24 October 1907).

On October 5, 1907, the first ever game in the new IRFU was held before a crowd of 3,000 fans at the M.A.A.A. grounds in Montreal. The home side hosted the Toronto Argonauts (kind of, sort of) in the historic matchup.

The game attracted more attention for its controversy than historical significance, though. Both on and off the field.

Coverage of the IRFU’s first game between Montreal and Toronto (Montreal Star, 7 October 1907).

While Montreal had dominated the first half of play, Toronto arguably had the upper hand in the second half. In the fourth quarter, Toronto’s Peter Flett kicked the ball on third down to Montreal’s James Craig, who returned the ball some 40 yards before either punting or fumbling the ball (I’ve read differing accounts). Toronto’s G.B. Balfour, instead of picking it up or falling on it, attempted to kick it. Montreal’s left wing substitute Babe Reynolds picked it up and scurried into Toronto’s end zone for a try. Reynolds should’ve been called offside and the touchdown disallowed. But no instant replay in those days. Toronto’s comeback attempt was over. The final score was 17-8 in favour of Montreal.

Coverage of the IRFU’s first game between Montreal and Toronto (Toronto Star, 7 October 1907).

The bigger controversy happened off the field thanks to a player named Ernie Russell (of Hockey Hall of Fame fame). At the time an organization called the Canadian Amateur Athletic Union was the governing body for amateur sports in Canada. Football was still an amateur sport. And many football players at the time played other sports, as well.

Coverage of the IRFU’s first game between Montreal and Toronto (Toronto Telegraph, 7 October 1907).

To say the CAAU’s strict interpretation of professionalism tested the IRFU’s patience is an understatement.

The CAAU deemed a player to be professional even if he simply played with or against a professional player. It is this rule that caused Ernie Russell to be “professionalized” by the CAAU. While Russell had sworn an affidavit that he was an amateur player having never taken money himself, he still didn’t receive clearance by the CAAU by the time the Argonauts arrived in Montreal.

Rather than risk losing amateur status for the Argonaut Rowing Club, the Argonaut players cleverly rebranded themselves as the “Torontos” for the IRFU debut game.

In hindsight, the CAAU flexed its muscle a bit too much here. Other IRFU teams simply decided to proceed without the sanction of the amateur athletic union. In time, of course, the IRFU would become a fully professional league anyway. And the CAAU would soon cease to even exist.

Article about the new IRFU proceeding with games despite row with the CAAU (Toronto Star, 8 October 1907).

So, what should have been a day of celebration for the new Interprovincial Rugby Football Union was largely overshadowed by a blown call by the referees and a nasty public spat with the Canadian Amateur Athletic Union.

Sources:
Montreal Star, 7 October 1907
Toronto Star, 7 October 1907
Toronto Star, 8 October 1907
Toronto Telegram, 7 October 1907

October 16, 2026
New Canadian Football League Kicks Off in Winnipeg, No Interlocking Schedule Just Yet

On August 14, 1958, the Canadian Football League played its first-ever game with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the Edmonton Eskimos at Winnipeg Stadium. The new CFL was founded earlier in the year when the Canadian Football Council withdrew from the Canadian Rugby Union to become a completely separate entity, renaming itself the “Canadian Football League” in the process.

The 1958 WIFU schedule (Edmonton Journal, 14 August 1958).

One thing that stands out to me is the general lack of branding around the “CFL” moniker in the news coverage. Most news articles of the day stick to the established Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) and Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU)/Big Four branding when covering the new league.

Advertisement for radio broadcasts of the first CFL games (Regina Leader-Post, 14 August 1958).

For all intents and purposes, the CFL was a new league in name only. The Big Four and the WIFU were still their own entities under CFL umbrella, and they maintained a high degree of independence still. While the rules of the game were uniform, the western clubs played 16 regular season games (four games against each opponent in the division) while the eastern clubs played 14 games. When it came to the playoffs, the western final was a best two out of three series while the eastern final was a two-game total point series.

Canadian Press article about lack of interlocking schedule for the new CFL. (St. Catharines Standard, 8 August 1958).

I also find it a bit humorous that from the onset of the CFL’s conception, the teams were at odds over adopting an interlocking schedule. It appears Montreal and Ottawa both initially opposed the implementation of an interlocking schedule. I guess self-interest and lack of big picture vision have always been built into the CFL’s DNA. It wasn’t until 1961 that the CFL finally adopted a partial interlocking schedule. Until then, the only time the east played the west was in the Grey Cup.

Article about the Ottawa Rough Riders and Montreal being opposed to an interlocking schedule in 1958 (Ottawa Citizen, 6 August 1958).

Now, back to that historic CFL debut in Winnipeg. The Bombers and Edmonton were seen as two powerhouses in the WIFU. In a rematch of the previous year’s western final, a crowd of 18,206 watched Winnipeg rush for 364 yards to overpower their rival. Here’s how the Edmonton Journal reported the game:

Account of the first CFL game (Edmonton Journal, 15 August 1958)

Final score. Winnipeg 29 Edmonton 21.

Sources:
Edmonton Journal, 14 August 1958
Edmonton Journal, 15 August 1958
Ottawa Citizen, 6 August 1958
Regina Leader-Post, 14 August 1958
Regina Leader-Post, 15 August 1958
St. Catharines Standard, 8 August 1958
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August 13, 2026
Three Leagues Compete for the New Grey Cup in 1909

1909 was a special year in Canadian football. That’s the year when Earl Grey, who was serving as the Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to be awarded to Canada’s amateur rugby football champion. Of course, this trophy as well as the championship game itself would become known as the Grey Cup.
Only teams affiliated with the Canadian Rugby Union were eligible to compete for the new Grey Cup championship. So that meant no western clubs could challenge for the trophy.

Canadian football at the time was still an amateur affair, with senior football being the top level of play (above intermediate and junior). It was initially (mis)understood that the Grey Cup would be given to the winner of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (which was formed two years earlier) and Intercollegiate union game. But the CRU ruled a third league – the Ontario Rugby Football Union – was also a senior union and had the right to compete for the Grey Cup, as well.

The Montreal Gazette published the final standings for 1909 in all three senior leagues of the Canadian Rugby Union:

Montreal Gazette, 15 November 1909

The Canadian Rugby Union had previously established a rotational playoff system where the champion of each union would alternately receive a bye to and host the Dominion championship. Since the new Grey Cup was now the Dominion championship, the CRU simply extended this arrangement. For 1909, it was the ORFU’s year to host; so, the winner of the ORFU final would host the first-ever Grey Cup.

Montreal Star, 22 November 1909

Ottawa Citizen, 25 November 1909

On November 20th, Toronto Parkdale won the ORFU championship with an 8-3 win over the Toronto Amateur Athletic Club, securing their berth in the Grey Cup. On the same day, the Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Hamilton Tigers 14-8 to win the IRFU championship.

Below is some excellent coverage in the Toronto Star of the IRFU and ORFU playoffs.

Toronto Star, 22 November 1909

On November 27th, the Rough Riders travelled to Toronto to play the University of Toronto in the Interprovincial-Intercollegiate final. Varsity won handily by a score of 31 to 7, setting up a Varsity vs. Parkdale all-Toronto final for the Grey Cup.

Toronto Star, 3 December 1909

The historic matchup took place on December 4th at Toronto’s Rosedale Field. In the end, the University of Toronto came out on top, defeated Parkdale 26-6 to become the first Grey Cup champions.

Sources:
Montreal Gazette, 15 November 1909
Montreal Star, 22 November 1909
Ottawa Citizen, 25 November 1909
Toronto Star, 22 November 1909
Toronto Star, 6 December 1909
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July 9, 2026
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
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April 1, 2026
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