Grey Cup History

From Rosedale Field in 1909 to Rogers Centre in 2012, the Canadian Football League and the Grey Cup have a vast and storied history. A history that includes the famous Mud Bowl and Fog Bowl, our own brand of three-down football, a 110-yard field and unique values and traditions that reflect us all as Canadians.

In 1909, Governor General Earl Grey donated a trophy to the winner of the amateur rugby football championship of Canada. The first Grey Cup was awarded to the University of Toronto at Rosedale Field after defeating Toronto Parkdale 26-6 on December 4, 1909.

In 1958, the Canadian Football Council withdrew from the Canadian Rugby Union and the CFC was renamed the Canadian Football League. The first ever game played under the newly formed CFL took place on August 14, 1958 in Winnipeg as 18,206 spectators watched the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeat the Edmonton Eskimos 29-21.

The Grey Cup has been hoisted by BC, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Montreal, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Ottawa and during the league’s US expansion, Baltimore, making the CFL a truly unique and exciting league as every current CFL team has celebrated a Grey Cup win. Toronto and Hamilton sit atop the list of most Grey Cup victories with 15, followed closely by the Edmonton Eskimos with 13 championships. The current defending Grey Cup Champions are the BC Lions.

The 100th Grey Cup will take place on November 25 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The 2012 Grey Cup Festival and the game itself is something that every Canadian should experience and proudly support as we celebrate a truly Canadian symbol of our culture.

To learn more about Grey Cup history and the CFL, visit greycup.cfl.ca.