The Game

The 100th edition of the Grey Cup Championship will be played at Rogers Centre at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, 2012.

History of the Game

In 1909, Earl Grey, then the Governor-General of Canada, donated a trophy for the Rugby Football Championship of Canada. The trophy, which subsequently became known as the Grey Cup, was originally open to competition only for teams that were registered with the Canada Rugby Union. Over time, the Grey Cup became the property of the Canadian Football League as it evolved into a professional football league, and since 1954, only the teams of the CFL have challenged for the Grey Cup.

The CFL was officially founded on January 19, 2022 and it is the second oldest and continuously-operating Gridiron football league in North America.

The Grey Cup Festival began in 1948, when fans of the western champion Calgary Stampeders dressed in western gear, square danced, flipped flapjacks, partied in the streets of Toronto and rode a horse through the lobby of the posh Royal York Hotel.

The first Grey Cup was played in 1909 on Rosedale Field in Toronto.

The Grey Cup by the Numbers

There was no Grey Cup game played in 1916, 1917 and 1918 due to World War 1, and there were no playoff games or Grey Cup in 1919 due to a rules dispute. A two game, total-points series took place in 1940, and the 1962 game was played over two days due to fog.

The Host Club: The Toronto Argonauts Football Club

Founded in 1873, the Toronto Argonauts are North America’s oldest professional football club, celebrating their 139th anniversary in 2012.  As Toronto’s #1 community team through player involvement, community programs and The Argos Foundation, the Toronto Argonauts, a member of the Canadian Football League (CFL), have 15 Grey Cup championships to their credit, more than any other team.  The City of Toronto has hosted a total of 46 Grey Cup championships, more than any other city.

Most recently, the Grey Cup was played in Toronto in 2007.

The storied “Mud Bowl” was played at Varsity Stadium in 1950 and the “Fog Bowl” was played at Exhibition Stadium in 1962.

Learn more at argonauts.ca