Going the distance
Broadcast Date: Nov. 17, 1960
Three thousand miles and 17 pairs of shoes into a very long journey, a CBC TV reporter catches up with Kevin Griffen and Matt Dean, two young football fans walking across the country to get to the Grey Cup game. Without even knowing which teams will end up playing, the boys set out from Toronto to Vancouver on foot, hoping also to snare some good seats to the game when they arrive.Going the distance
• The "race" started as a bet, and grew into a lucrative adventure. Kevin Griffen will receive a $10,000 medical scholarship, sponsored by a chiropractor in Prescott, Ont. The two will also split $5,000 cash.• When the reporter caught up to them they were already in Chilliwack, B.C., close to their destination, and had slowed down the pace a little bit.
• In 1960, the Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos, just as one of the young men had confidently predicted. But over the next five years, Ottawa had five straight second-place finishes. Their breakthrough came again in 1968 when they defeated Calgary for another Grey Cup win.
• Nearly 50 years later, another pair of fans "went the distance" to attend a Grey Cup game. In 1996, Mark Sproxton and Duane Melchert covered over 3,000 kilometres to attend the game in Hamilton. They started in Yellowknife and took every sort of transportation available to reach their destination.
Going the distance
Medium: Television
Program: CBC News
Broadcast Date: Nov. 17, 1960
Guest(s): Teddy Moore
Duration: 1:57
Last updated:
Sept. 14, 2010
Radio
29:23
Governor General Earl Grey left a legacy to Canada in 1909. Ninety years later, his $48 trophy is still a highly regarded prize.
Radio
8:01
In the '30s, Canadian Football becomes a national competition, uniting and sometimes dividing east and west.
Going the distance .
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Sept. 14, 2010.
[Page consulted on Feb. 13, 2012.]