The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The East Division champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22–14, with quarterback Henry Burris winning the MVP award. It was the first time Montreal had hosted the Grey Cup since 2001, the first time since the 2002 Grey Cup that the host city played for the Grey Cup, and the first time since the 58th Grey Cup in 1970 that the Alouettes and Stampeders had met for the national championship. Hoping to break the record for highest attendance for a Grey Cup game, the organizers expanded Olympic Stadium to almost 70,000 seats. A crowd of 66,308 attended the game, failing to break the record of 68,318 set in 1977, but good enough to be the second-highest attended Grey Cup game of all time. Montreal has now played host to the four highest-attended Grey Cup games in history. It was the last time a Western-based team has won the Grey Cup in Eastern Canada until the Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the 108th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton in 2021.
Jonathan Michael Cornish is a former Canadian football running back who played nine seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 13th overall in the 2006 CFL Draft after playing college football at the University of Kansas. Cornish was inducted as a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019 on his first ballot.
Nikolas Lewis is the receivers coach for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and he is a former professional Canadian football slotback who played for 15 years in the CFL. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, winning in 2008 and 2014 with the Stampeders. In his first season, he won the CFL Rookie of the Year award, followed by five West Division All-Star and three CFL All-Star awards. He is second all-time as a Stampeder in receptions (805), receiving yards (11,250), and touchdown catches (65) behind Allen Pitts. He also has the club record for consecutive games with a reception, with 166. On August 24, 2017, Lewis became the CFL all-time leader in receptions with 1,030 catches.
Alvin Ray "Skip" Walker was an American professional football running back who played five seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Rough Riders, including two seasons where he led the CFL in rushing yards in 1982 and 1983. He was named a CFL All Star in 1982 and 1983, and a CFL East All-Star in 1980, 1982 and 1983. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected in the 11th round of the 1976 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers. He also spent time with the Toronto Argonauts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Green Bay Packers.
Hugh Charles is a former Canadian football running back. He was originally signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2007 before signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2008. He played college football at Colorado. He was traded to Edmonton in 2011.
Calvin McCarty is an American former professional football fullback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently the running backs coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played as a tailback until 2014, when he became the starting fullback for the Edmonton Eskimos. McCarty was known for being able to fill many roles at his position, with TSN sportscaster Chris Schultz noting in 2010 that he is a "multi-purpose running back who catches the ball extremely well, blocks well and runs well". He is a champion of the 103rd Grey Cup.
Jerome Messam is a former professional Canadian football running back who played in nine seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for five teams. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the BC Lions. After being traded to the Edmonton Eskimos, he became the seventh Canadian running back since 1955 and the first since 2000 to rush for over 1,000 yards while also winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award. He won the award again in 2016 and was also the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian in 2017. He is a two-time CFL All-Star and three-time CFL West All-Star. Messam played college football for Graceland University.
Marc Mueller is the offensive coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion as an assistant coach with the Calgary Stampeders. In university, he played quarterback for the Regina Rams of the CIS from 2007 to 2012.
Kenny Stafford is a gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In the United States, he has been a member of the Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Pittsburgh Power (AFL) and Miami Dolphins (NFL). In the CFL, Stafford has been a member of the Calgary Stampeders, Montreal Alouettes, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos, and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He is the nephew of former American football wide receiver and 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Cris Carter.
Llevi Noel is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver. He is a Grey Cup champion after winning the 105th Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. Noel was a member of four different teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Toronto Argonauts, Ottawa Redblacks, Edmonton Elks and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Martese Jackson is an American former professional football running back and kick returner who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic University.
Nicholas Arbuckle is an American professional football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has also been a member of the Calgary Stampeders, Ottawa Redblacks, and Edmonton Elks.
Hergy Mayala is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Ante Milanovic-Litre is a Canadian professional football running back and fullback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Chuba Robert-Shamar Hubbard is a Canadian professional American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he was a unanimous All-American, named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and won the Jon Cornish Trophy in 2019. Hubbard was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Walter Charles Fletcher is an American professional football running back for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Fletcher played college football at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Ball State. He made his professional football debut in 2021 as a member of the Edmonton Elks.
Jamal Morrow is a professional Canadian football running back who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Jalen Philpot is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Tyson Philpot is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
LaDarius D. Galloway, nicknamed "G-Way", is an American football running back for the Tulsa Oilers of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football at Copiah–Lincoln before transferring to UT Martin in 2017.
