The trophy is named after Albert Grey, Canada's Governor General from 1904 to 1911. Grey presented the trophy to the Canadian Rugby Union in 1909 to commemorate Canada's best amateur rugby football team. Since the Grey Cup was first given in 1909, there have been 100 championship games, albeit there was no Grey Cup game from 1916 to 1919.
The original cup was made of silver and had a design by E.J. Straithairing down over time due to use. The current cup is made of ceramic and has a design similar to the one used today. It premiered in 2011 following a new design competition launched by the CRU in 2008. The new trophy features designs submitted by Canadians between the ages of 16 and 34.
The trophy is played for every year during the week-long festival that follows the last regular season game of the CFL season. The winning team gets to wear their home team's jersey for the rest of the season. If there is more than one winner, a playoff match will be held to determine the champion.
The Grey Cup is a national celebration in Canada with events across the country. The main event is held each year in the host city between December 6th and 11th. There are also smaller local celebrations held throughout the country.
Why do people call the CFL "football without feet"?'>
The Grey Cup is a trophy given to the champion of the professional Canadian Football League (CFL) playoffs each year. Earl Grey, the governor-general of Canada, presented the cup for the first time in 1909 to signify the amateur football championship, and collegiate teams dominated the early years of play. The trophy is named after him.
The Grey Cup is the only annual national championship in Canadian football. Teams that win the East Division or West Division championships go on to compete in the league's conference finals for the right to play for the Cup. If the same team wins both divisions, then there is no need to have a playoff round; instead, the team would simply be declared the winner and awarded the Cup.
There has been only one instance when two different teams won their respective divisions and therefore qualified for the playoffs; these teams were the Hamilton Tigers and Toronto Argonauts in 1954. The two teams met in the final game of the season for a chance to win the Cup; the Argonauts won this match 23-20 at home field "Harmonium City". This was also the first and only time where the winner of the division championship game did not receive the right to challenge for the Cup. Instead, the top seed from each conference will meet in the Grey Cup game for the right to win the Cup. The 1955 season saw this format changed; now, the team that finishes first in its division receives the right to play for the Cup.
The Grey Cup (French: Coupe Grey) is both the Canadian Football League's (CFL) championship game and the trophy handed to the successful club in the league's eponymous championship of professional Canadian football. The Grey Cup is so named because of the grey leather ball used in the sport. The trophy was created in 1998 by New York sculptor Paul Frasca after a design by Rogers Communications employee Jeff Clark.
The Grey Cup winner receives $100,000 (CAD). The most recent champion is the Toronto Argonauts, who defeated the Calgary Stampeders 34-33 in double overtime at BC Place in Vancouver on November 24, 2015.
Canada's national sport is called football, not soccer. The American version of the game is known as soccer; however, it too is called football in Canada and many other countries where English is the primary language.
The CFL began in 1958 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as the only team in Canada at the time. Today, there are 14 teams that play in two conferences: the East Division and the West Division. Each team plays eight regular season games, with division winners advancing to the playoffs. The Grey Cup always takes place the week following the end of the regular season.
There have been nine different franchises that have represented Canada in the Grey Cup.
The 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders, the 2012 Toronto Argonauts, the 2011 BC Lions, the 1994 BC Lions, the 1977 Montreal Alouettes, and the 1972 Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the only teams in CFL history to win the Grey Cup at home. The Most Valuable Player award is presented to the Grey Cup's outstanding performer.
Since its inception in 1958, the Grey Cup has been awarded to only 12 teams. Of these 12 teams, seven have come from Canada and five from the United States. The Canadian teams won six times while the American teams won six games. No foreign team has ever won the Grey Cup.
In 1967, the NFL adopted a policy that no one would be allowed to play in both leagues. This rule was later rescinded by the NFL. In 1969, the Montreal Alouettes of the AFL joined the CFL. From then on, there have been two major professional football leagues in America: the NFL and the CFL.
Currently, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are the most recent winner of the Grey Cup. They beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-29 in triple overtime at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Riders' Nick Marshall was named the game's MVP. It was his second time winning the award; he also won in 2013 with the Carolina Panthers. The last time the city of Regina won the Grey Cup was in 2007 when the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Baltimore Ravens 34-27 at Olympic Stadium in London.
Three players have won seven Grey Cups: Jack Wedley (Toronto, Montreal Navy), Bill Stevenson (Edmonton), and Hank Ilesic (Edmonton). Ilesic is one of seven players who have appeared in all nine Grey Cup games. Anthony Calvillo set a quarterback record by appearing in eight games and won three. The other six quarterbacks are also winners - Danny McManus (Brampton), Don Matthews (Victoria), Frank Tripucka (Montreal), Jeff Garcia (San Francisco), Doug Flutie (Boston), and Mike Pringle (Saskatchewan).
Ilesic is the only player to win the Grey Cup with two different teams. He was with the Edmonton Eskimos from 1995 to 2000 before moving to the Toronto Argonauts for the 2001 season. He then returned to Edmonton for another four-year stint from 2004 to 2008.
The Ottawa Rough Riders are the only team to have played in every Grey Cup game. They have never been defeated!
The Montreal Alouettes are the most successful franchise with five titles, followed by the Edmonton Eskimos with four titles. The Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and BC Lions have each won once.
The only American team to compete in the Grey Cup was the Baltimore Stallions (twice, losing in 1994 and winning the following year). Although the inaugural Grey Cup game was played in 1909, no games were played between 1916 and 1919, making the 2012 Grey Cup the 100th. The Baltimore franchise began as an NFL club, playing from its founding in 1957 until it moved to Los Angeles in 1973. They returned to Maryland in 1976 and have been there ever since.
The Stallions' first two seasons ended in failure, with each team going 0-4. In 1961, however, they defeated the Toronto Rifles 16-7 at home to become the first American team to win the Grey Cup. Stallions quarterback Don Trull completed nine of 14 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 38 yards and another score. He also returned three punts for 39 yards. Tailback Mel Holt added 104 yards on 28 carries. The only other player to receive any sort of recognition for their performance was left guard Jim Parker, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the Game. He had earlier blocked a field goal attempt by the Rifles' Jerry Behr during extra time in the 61st Grey Cup.
In 1962, the Stallions repeated as champions, this time defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 26-14 at home.
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