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Canadian Football History

Canadian Football History

@canadianfootballhistory.ca

Celebrating the history of Canadian football

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Advertisements During Grey Cup Week in 1996

It’s been thirty years since I attended my first Grey Cup. In 1996, the City of Hamilton welcomed Canadian football fans from across the country (and beyond) to what was billed as the “Showdown in Steeltown.” I thought it would be fun to share some of the great (and not so great) advertisements that ran...

1990s in Canadian FootballCFL

Argonauts vs. Tiger-Cats in a Two Game Total Point Eastern Final

The Canadian Football League introduced some significant structural changes in 1986. Not only did the league move to an 18-game season, but it also tweaked its playoff format. Up until then, the top three teams in each of the Eastern and Western divisions qualified for the playoffs. Now, a fourth team in a division was...

1980s in Canadian FootballCFL

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...

1900s in Canadian FootballCFL

Ken Hinton Sets Record for Longest Kick Return in CFL History

They say records are made to be broken. But they aren’t talking about this one. The record I am writing about today is all but certain to remain in the books for as long as there’s a Canadian Football League. Ken Hinton Ken Hinton was born in Los Angeles, California and played his college football...

1970s in Canadian FootballBC Lions

The CFL Game on a Frozen Shrunken Field

Today I want to talk about fields. Canadian football fields, that is. There is still a lot of chatter about the CFL’s decision to adjust its field size in 2027, adopting a 100-yard-long field with 15-yard end zones. Previously, I have written about early Canadian football being played on 100-yard fields in the past. And...

1990s in Canadian FootballCFL

Argos Beat Lions 68-43 in CFL’s Highest Scoring Game

Previously I wrote about the lowest scoring game in Canadian Football League history. Yes, that 1-0 doozy back in 1966. But what about the CFL’s highest scoring game? Ever since I’ve been a fan, CFL offences have been known to really rack up the points. This was no truer than on September 1, 1990 when...

1990s in Canadian FootballBC Lions

Grey Cup Stolen in Ottawa in 1969

Just weeks after beating Saskatchewan to win it the Ottawa Rough Riders lost the Grey Cup. To thieves. On December 20, 1969, a bandit (or bandits) snatched the Grey Cup trophy from the Riders’ offices at Lansdowne Park. News article in the Ottawa Citizen about the Grey Cup being stolen (22 December 1969). Ottawa police...

1960s in Canadian FootballCFL

Matt Dunigan Passes for a Record 713 Yards

On July 14, 1994, fans attending the CFL game at Winnipeg Stadium were in for quite the night. In a rematch of the previous year’s Grey Cup, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosted the Edmonton Eskimos. Edmonton had beaten Winnipeg in that game and were the defending Grey Cup champions. No doubt the Winnipeg faithful were...

1990s in Canadian FootballCFL

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...

1950s in Canadian FootballCFL

1921 Saskatchewan Provincial Championship Game Protested and Replayed

1921 was a significant year in Canadian football. With the Western Canadian Rugby Football Union joining the Canadian Rugby Union, western clubs were finally eligible to compete for the Grey Cup. Article in the Regina Leader-Post about Regina initially winning the SRFU championship (31 November 1921). The Regina Rugby Club was one of the favourites...

1920s in Canadian FootballCFL

Advertisements for CFL Football at BC Place Stadium in 1983

My background is in sales and marketing. That’s what I studied at university, and that’s been my career for the last 25+ years. Coincidently, I discovered my interest in marketing around the same time I started following CFL football. That was back in Grade 10. As a marketer who likes history and nostalgia, I like...

1980s in Canadian FootballBC Lions

Tiger-Cats Spoil Argos’ SkyDome Opener

In the aftermath of the 1982 Grey Cup, which was played in a rainstorm at Exhibition Stadium, football fans in Toronto were clamouring for an indoor stadium. They got their wish when the new SkyDome hosted the 1989 CFL season opener on July 12, 1989. No more football in the rain, wind, or snow. Fans...

1980s in Canadian FootballCFL