List of Grey Cup champions

Last updated

The Grey Cup Grey Cup circa 2006.jpg
The Grey Cup

The Grey Cup is the championship of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team. The trophy is named after Albert Grey, the Governor General of Canada from 1904 until 1911. He donated the trophy to the Canadian Rugby Union in 1909 to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada. By this time Canadian football had become markedly different from the rugby football from which it developed. Although it was originally intended to be awarded only to amateur teams (like the Stanley Cup), over time, the Grey Cup became the property of the Canadian Football League as it evolved into a professional football league. Amateur teams ceased competing for the Cup by 1954; since 1965, the top amateur teams, playing in U Sports, have competed for the Vanier Cup. [1]

Contents

The Grey Cup game is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 4 million. [2] [3] Two awards are given for play in the game, Most Valuable Player and the Dick Suderman Trophy as most valuable Canadian player. [4] As a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Andrew Harris was the first player to win both the Dick Suderman Trophy and the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player the same year, which he did in 2019.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have made the most appearances (29), while the Toronto Argonauts have won the most championships (19) and have the best record in the Grey Cup composite standings (19–6). Despite the CFL's brief U.S. expansion era in the mid-1990s, the Grey Cup has never been played outside of Canada. The Baltimore Stallions were the only American team to appear in the Grey Cup (twice, losing in 1994 and winning the following year).

Although the first Grey Cup game was in 1909, none were played from 1916 to 1919 or in 2020, thus the most recent final was the 111th Grey Cup game which was played on November 17, 2024, at BC Place in Vancouver. Appearing in their fifth-straight championship game, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were defeated for the third year in a row, this time by the Toronto Argonauts.

Results

  1. Played as a two-game series; Ottawa won the first game 8–2, and the second game 12–5, winning by an aggregate score of 20–7
  2. Game was suspended with 9:29 remaining in the fourth quarter due to extremely dense fog, and completed the next day

Team records

Although the official website of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats considers them as the same team, [5] the Tiger-Cats, Hamilton Alerts, Hamilton Tigers and Hamilton Flying Wildcats are all listed separately because, when the latter three were active, the teams competed as separate franchises. The Tigers and Flying Wildcats merged in 1950 to create the Tiger-Cats. [6]

As defined in the 2016 CFL's Facts, Figures, and Records and the 2023 CFL Guide & Record Book, for historical record purposes and by the current Ottawa Redblacks' request, the Ottawa Football Clubs are considered to be a single entity since 1876 with two periods of inactivity (1997–2001 and 2006–2013). [7] [8] Consequently, figures from the Ottawa Football Club (1876–1898), Ottawa Rough Riders (1899–1919, 1931–1996), Ottawa Senators (1920–1930), Ottawa Renegades (2002–2005), and Ottawa Redblacks (2014–present) are included as one. [8]

Toronto is the city with the most wins, 25, followed by Hamilton (15), Edmonton (14), Winnipeg (12), Ottawa (10), Montreal (10), Calgary (8), Vancouver (6), Regina (4), Kingston (3), Sarnia (2) and Baltimore (1).

Active teams

AppearancesTeamWinsLossesWin %Last Win
29 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1217.4142021
25 Toronto Argonauts 196.7602024
23 Edmonton Eskimos/Elks 149.6092015
22 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 814.3641999
19 Montreal Alouettes 811.4212023
19 Saskatchewan Roughriders 415.2112013
18 Ottawa Senators/Rough Riders/Renegades/Redblacks 108.5562016
17 Calgary Stampeders 89.4712018
10 BC Lions 64.6002011

Defunct and amateur teams

AppearancesTeamWinsLossesWin %
8 Hamilton Tigers 53.625
6 University of Toronto Varsity Blues 42.667
4 Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers 22.500
3 Queen's University 301.000
3 Sarnia Imperials 21.667
2 Baltimore Stallions 11.500
2 Hamilton Flying Wildcats 11.500
2 Edmonton Eskimos/Elks 02.000
2 Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club 02.000
2 Winnipeg RCAF Bombers 02.000
1 Hamilton Alerts 101.000
1 Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers 101.000
1 St. Hyacinthe–Donnacona Navy 101.000
1 Toronto RCAF Hurricanes 101.000
1 Toronto Rowing and Athletic Association 01.000
1 Winnipeg Tammany Tigers 01.000

See also

References

General
Specific
  1. "Grey Cup history". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  2. Houston, William (December 20, 2006). "Grey Cup moves to TSN in new deal". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  3. William Houston (2006-11-20). "Minor rise in Grey Cup ratings good for CBC". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
  4. "MVP and Top Canadians". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  5. "History – Grey Cup". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Archived from the original on 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  6. "Tiger-Cats History". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  7. "CFL GUIDE & RECORD BOOK: 2016 EDITION" (PDF). Canadian Football League. p. 155. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "2023 CFL Guide & Record Book" (PDF). Canadian Football League. pp. 20, 179. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.