When sports fans think of Canada they are most likely to think
of hockey or other winter sports like figure skating, curling and
skiing.
But football is every bit as much a Canadian game as it is an
American one. Today marks the 100th playing of the Grey Cup. It is
named after Albert Grey, the 4th Earl of Grey who was the Governor
General of Canada at that time.
Initially played between university teams, the Grey Cup is
awarded to the champion of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Today’s match is between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary
Stampeders. The Argos have won 15 Grey Cups, more than any other
CFL team.
The Stampeders are two point favorites to win but the game is
being played at Rogers Centre in Toronto and that has to work in
the Argos favor.
The two biggest differences between the CFL and NFL are is that
the football field is longer and wider in the CFL and there are
only three downs in the CFL as opposed to four in the NFL. I’m sure
football fans who’ve never seen the Canadian game would be thrown
off when the announcers say, “Two and out.” But it makes for a
faster paced game which emphasizes passing over rushing.
I saw a handful of CFL games when I lived in Ottawa in the
1990s. By that time, the Rough Riders were a joke and by the end of
the decade had folded. This was also the period where American
teams were included. In 1995, the Grey Cup was won by the Baltimore
Stallions. While it may have been good for Baltimore fans who
missed the Colts and not yet seen the Ravens, let’s just say it’s
one of those moments Canadian football fans would just as soon
forget.
Thirteen years before he was elected to Congress, JC Watts
played in the 69th
Grey Cup between the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Edmonton
Eskimos. Watts was the quarterback for the Rough Riders and they
were heavy underdogs against the Eskimos who had won three straight
Grey Cups. The Eskimos were led by Warren Moon (who would go on to
become the only player to be inducted in both the CFL and Pro
Football Hall of Fame) and were heavy favorites to repeat. After
all, the Rough Riders were 5-11 in 1981 but earned a spot in the
Grey Cup after upsetting the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the Eastern
Conference Final.
Incredibly, the Rough Riders had a 20-1 lead over the Eskimos at
the half. But the Eskimos came back to tie the game. Late in the
fourth quarter, Watts through a pass to future CFL Hall of Famer
Tony Gabriel who was playing with tear in his left knee. Gabriel
caught the pass with one hand but the referee called a penalty.
Then Gabriel’s knee gave out and he never played again. The Eskimos
got the ball back and kicked a field goal to win the game 26-23. In
his book Turnover: The Fumbling of the Ottawa Rough
Riders, Brent Dowdall (who was a classmate of mine at
Carleton University) wrote:
The 1981 Grey Cup has become the Ottawa Rough Riders’ version of
the ground ball through Bill Buckner’s legs. So close, should have
been, would have been, but ultimately wasn’t.
Will today’s game be as compelling? With both Gordon Lightfoot
and Justin Bieber scheduled to perform at halftime anything could
happen. The game begins at 6 p.m. EST.
UPDATE 10:26 p.m.: The
Argonauts beat the Stampeders 35-22 to win the 100th Grey Cup.
Argos QB Ricky Ray won his third Grey Cup. He won his two previous
Grey Cups with the Eskimos in 2003 and 2005. When the Argos
acquired Ray from the Eskimos last year, Ray was considered past
his prime but tonight he proved his critics wrong.
But the Argos defense that was most critical. The Stampeders
scored a single touchdown at the end of the game when they were
well out of it.
It is the Argos 16th Grey Cup win in franchise history and first
since 2004.
