The Grey Cup is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners of the CFL's East and West Divisional playoffs and is one of Canadian television's largest annual sporting events. The Toronto Argonauts have the most Grey Cup wins (18) since its introduction in 1909, while the Edmonton Elks have the most Grey Cup wins (11) since the merger in 1958. The latest, the 109th Grey Cup, took place in Regina, Saskatchewan on November 20, 2022, when the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24–23.
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, the team is the oldest existing professional sports team in North America still using its original name, as well as the oldest-surviving team in both the modern-day CFL and East Division. The team's origins date back to a modified version of rugby football that emerged in North America in the latter half of the 19th century. The Argonauts played their home games at Rogers Centre from 1989 until 2016, when the team moved to BMO Field, the fifth stadium site to host the team.
1911 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate football stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto. Athletic events have been hosted on the site since 1898; the current stadium was built in 2007 to replace the original permanent stadium built in 1911. Varsity Stadium is also a former home of the Toronto Argonauts, and has previously hosted the Grey Cup, the Vanier Cup, several matches of the 1976 Summer Olympics soccer tournament, and the final game of the North American Soccer League's 1984 Soccer Bowl series. It is located next to Varsity Arena.
The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883 and in 1903 became the first major competition to adopt the Burnside rules, from which the modern Canadian football code would evolve.
Toronto Parkdale was an amateur Canadian football and hockey club based in the Parkdale neighbourhood in the west end of Toronto. As a branch of the Parkdale Canoe Club established in August 1905, the club's hockey and football teams were nicknamed the Paddlers. They were also known colloquially as the West Enders, and as the Green and White, after the team colours.
The 1st Grey Cup was played on December 4, 1909, between the Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union champion University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ontario Rugby Football Union champion Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club. The University of Toronto won the game, 26–6. While the Canadian Dominion Football Championship had been contested since 1884, this was the first such game that was awarded a trophy. This was the University of Toronto's third Dominion Championship and their fifth appearance in the national championship game. This was Toronto Parkdale's first appearance in a Dominion Championship game.
The 2nd Grey Cup was played on November 26, 1910, before 12,000 fans at A.A.A. Grounds at Hamilton.
Jordan Younger is the defensive backs coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is also a former professional defensive back and played for nine years in the CFL where he won two Grey Cup championships with the Toronto Argonauts. Younger majored in political science at the University of Connecticut where he also played college football and holds the school record for career kick return touchdowns with four.
The 8th Grey Cup was played on December 4, 1920, before 10,088 fans at Varsity Stadium at Toronto.
The 6th Grey Cup was played on December 5, 1914, before 10,500 fans at Varsity Stadium at Toronto.
After a four year absence due to the First World War, the Grey Cup was up for grabs once again as a couple of familiar foes battled for the trophy. The Toronto Varsity Blues defeated the Toronto Argonauts. It was the final time these cross-town rivals challenged each other for the Grey Cup.
The 1921 Toronto Argonauts season was the 35th season for the team since the franchise's inception in 1873. The team finished in first place in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with a perfect 6–0 record and qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Argonauts defeated the defending champion Toronto Varsity Blues in the Eastern Semi-Final before winning the Eastern Final over the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club. The Argonauts faced the Edmonton Eskimos in the 9th Grey Cup game, which was the first time that a Western Canada Rugby Football Union team competed for the Cup. The Argonauts completed their first and only perfect season and won the franchise's second Grey Cup championship by a score of 23-0 in the first ever shut out in a Grey Cup game.
The 1914 Toronto Argonauts season was the 31st season for the team since the franchise's inception in 1873. The team finished in second place in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with a 5–1 record after losing the season series to the Hamilton Tigers, who finished in first place with the same record. The Argonauts would play the Tigers in a two-game playoff series and after tying the first game, they would win the second, becoming the IRFU champions. After defeating the Hamilton Rowing Club in the Eastern Final, the Argonauts advanced to the 6th Grey Cup, which was their third appearance in the championship game in four years. The Argonauts won their first national championship in franchise history over the Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 14-2. They became the first team to win the Grey Cup after finishing second in their union, after all previous winners had finished first in their respective leagues.
The 1920 Toronto Argonauts season was the 34th season for the team since the franchise's inception in 1873. The team finished in first place in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with a 5–1 record and qualified for the playoffs. After defeating the Toronto Rowing and Athletic Association in the Eastern Final, the Argonauts lost the 8th Grey Cup to the Toronto Varsity Blues.
The 1912 Toronto Argonauts season was the 29th season for the team since the franchise's inception in 1873. The team finished in first place in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with a 5–1 record and qualified for the playoffs. After defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues in the Eastern Final, the Argonauts lost the 4th Grey Cup to the Hamilton Alerts.
The 1911 Toronto Argonauts season was the 28th season for the team since the franchise's inception in 1873. The team finished in first place in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union with a 5–1 record and qualified for the playoffs. After defeating the Hamilton Alerts in the Eastern Final, the Argonauts lost the 3rd Grey Cup to the Toronto Varsity Blues.
The Toronto Varsity Blues football team represents the University of Toronto in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. Dating back to 1877, the Toronto Varsity Blues football program initially competed for the Canadian Dominion Football Championship and won six national titles, including the first Grey Cup game ever held in 1909, as well as winning in 1895, 1905, 1910, 1911, and 1920. After intercollegiate teams no longer competed for the Dominion Championship, the team won the first Vanier Cup ever held in 1965, and then again in 1993 as Canadian national football champions. The team has 25 Yates Cup championship wins as champions of the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports, a total second only to the 31 won by the Western Ontario Mustangs.
Llevi Noel is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion after winning the 105th Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 2017.
William C. Foulds was a Canadian football player, coach, referee, and administrator who was the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts for three seasons. He was the Vice President of the CRU from 1933 to 1936 and was the President in 1921 and 1937. He was the Head Referee of the Big Four for a long time after his playing career was over. He died on May 14, 1954 at the age of 66. Foulds was a charter member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
