Grey Cup: The Fans and the Fanfare

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Topic spans: 1938 - 2002

Grey Cup: The Fans and the Fanfare

Heroes, underdogs and last-minute shockers make the Grey Cup the most celebrated event in Canadian football. Since 1909 the annual event has brought out the best in Canadian fan spirit and appreciation, from prime ministers to cross-country trekkers. Though the gridiron has been muddy at times, the fogs thick and the winds cold, the players have soldiered on and the fans have never stopped cheering.

Image of 1984 Grey Cup from Canadian Press staff

11 television clips

6 radio clips

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A storybook finish

Broadcast Date: Nov. 30, 1969

For his farewell game Russ Jackson leads the Ottawa Rough Riders to a storybook victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Grinning ear to ear, Jackson grips the Grey Cup after the game, standing alongside a congratulatory Pierre Trudeau. Moments later, Jackson is selected as the year's most valuable player, and he'll go home with a brand new car.

A storybook finish

• Many have questioned the duplication of the name "Roughriders," despite the different spellings. According to The Grey Cup, by Graham Kelly, one explanation says Ottawa's Rough Riders (spelled with two words) were named after the lumberjacks who rode logs down the Ottawa River. In Saskatchewan, the story dates back to Canadian soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American war, in a troop called the Roughriders. Some of these soldiers ended up playing football, and wanted to play under that name.

• The presence of the prime minister is not unusual. Trudeau's predecessors also attended, and kicked off Grey Cup games of the past. In 1964 Lester Pearson did the honours, and John Diefenbaker in 1959.

A storybook finish

Medium: Television

Program: CBC Television Sports

Broadcast Date: Nov. 30, 1969

Host: Don Chevrier, Ernie Afaganis

Duration: 1:42

Last updated:
May 6, 2008

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