36th Grey Cup
Encyclopedia
The 36th Grey Cup
was played on November 27, 1948, before 20,013 fans at Varsity Stadium
at Toronto
.
The Calgary Stampeders
defeated Ottawa Rough Riders
12 to 7.
The game is remembered fondly for being the year in which Calgary
fans brought pageantry to the Grey Cup
as much as its was Calgary's first Grey Cup
victory. Calgary
fans created a party atmosphere by staging pancake breakfasts on the steps of City Hall, riding horses into the lobby of the pretigious Royal York Hotel
, and starting parades, dances and parties everywhere.
They quickly drove into Ottawa territory and scored on a sleeper play pass from Keith Spaith to Norm Hill in the end zone. This meant that Hill ran over to the far sidelines and flopped on the field, essentially hiding. Everybody in the stadium, except the Rough Riders on the field, saw this coming. Hill slipped before he had possession of the ball but he fell on his back and the ball dropped into his hands. Hill's score is sometimes called the "sit-down touchdown".
Bob Paffrath
scored a touchdown for the Riders and they scored a single.
In the final quarter Ottawa's Pete Karpuk fumbled a lateral. Calgary's Woody Strode
recovered and returned it to the Ottawa eleven yard line. Karpuk did not attempt to recover his own fumble, believing that the whistle had blown. Pete Thodos scored the winning touchdown on an end rush that opened a large hole in the Ottawa defence while Dave "Baldy" Tomlinson successfully punted in the last winning points.
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
was played on November 27, 1948, before 20,013 fans at Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium is a collegiate football stadium that is home to the Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While the present structure was built in 2007, it is in fact the third major incarnation of the stadium that has occupied the same site...
at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
The Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
defeated Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
12 to 7.
The game is remembered fondly for being the year in which Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
fans brought pageantry to the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
as much as its was Calgary's first Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
victory. Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
fans created a party atmosphere by staging pancake breakfasts on the steps of City Hall, riding horses into the lobby of the pretigious Royal York Hotel
Fairmont Royal York
The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, formerly the Royal York Hotel and still often so called, is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at 100 Front Street West. Opened on June 11, 1929, the Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway...
, and starting parades, dances and parties everywhere.
Game summary
The Calgary defence was able to stop the favoured Rough Rider drives at the 8, 10 and 22 yard lines and hold them scoreless. On one of these Ottawa had successfully faked a punt. On the next possession they ran the fake punt again but Howie Turner was stopped short and Calgary took over at their 46 yard line.They quickly drove into Ottawa territory and scored on a sleeper play pass from Keith Spaith to Norm Hill in the end zone. This meant that Hill ran over to the far sidelines and flopped on the field, essentially hiding. Everybody in the stadium, except the Rough Riders on the field, saw this coming. Hill slipped before he had possession of the ball but he fell on his back and the ball dropped into his hands. Hill's score is sometimes called the "sit-down touchdown".
Bob Paffrath
Bob Paffrath
Robert William Paffrath is a former professional American football halfback. He played for the Miami Seahawks and the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference and in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Rough Riders and the Edmonton Eskimos...
scored a touchdown for the Riders and they scored a single.
In the final quarter Ottawa's Pete Karpuk fumbled a lateral. Calgary's Woody Strode
Woody Strode
Woodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a pioneering black American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960...
recovered and returned it to the Ottawa eleven yard line. Karpuk did not attempt to recover his own fumble, believing that the whistle had blown. Pete Thodos scored the winning touchdown on an end rush that opened a large hole in the Ottawa defence while Dave "Baldy" Tomlinson successfully punted in the last winning points.
Trivia
- The sleeper play was made illegal in the CFLCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
in 1961.
- The Calgary Stampeders were undefeated in all 15 games that they played this season.
- Calgary's line up was: Archie McGillis (Manager), Woody Strode, Dave Tomlinson, Johny Aguirre, Paul Rowe, Keith Spaith, Dave Berry, Chick Chikowsky, Bill Pullar, Harry Anderson, Jim Mitchener, Chuck Anderson, Rod Pantages, Jack McGill, Jack Grogan (Past President), Rube Ludwig, Bert Iannone, Harry Hood, Fritz HansonFritz HansonMelvin "Fritz" Hanson was a Canadian football player for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders. Hanson was signed by the Blue Bombers for $125 a game and free room and board, which was a considerable sum in the cash-strapped dirty thirties...
, Normie KwongNorman KwongNorman Lim "Normie" Kwong, CM, AOE is a former professional athlete, sports executive, and was the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta...
, Tom Brook (President), Les Lear (Coach), Pete Thodos, Bill Wusylk, Cliff Kliewer, Dave Adams, Rudy Singer, Bob Leatham, Fred Wilmot, Frank Porteous (Trainer), Bill Sherriff (Equipment Manager), Norm Carter, Cedric Gyles, Norm Hill, Jim Dobbin, Harry Irving.