71st Grey Cup
Encyclopedia
The 71st Grey Cup was the 1983
Canadian Football League
championship game that was played at BC Place Stadium
in Vancouver
, between the Toronto Argonauts
and the hometown BC Lions
. The Argonauts narrowly defeated the Lions in a close 18-17 victory.
, Cedric Minter
; FGs, Hank Ilesic
; cons., Ilesic
; singles, Ilesic
(2).
BC Lions (17) - TDs, Mervyn Fernandez
, John Henry White
; FGs, Lui Passaglia
; cons., Passaglia
(2).
The 1983 Grey Cup
marked the first championship game where weather was not a deciding factor, as the final was held indoors for the first time at the new BC Place Stadium
in Vancouver
.
Most notably, however, 1983 marked the end of one of the longest droughts in the history of the trophy. The Toronto Argonauts
, winners of a record 10 Grey Cups, had not sipped from the silver chalice since 1952
.
The Argos faced a difficult task. Not only were they opposing the BC Lions
with a partisan crowd behind them, but Toronto’s star quarterback Condredge Holloway
was battling the flu. He did manage, however, to complete a 14-yard touchdown toss to Jan Carinci
in the second quarter.
Trailing 17-7, Toronto coach Bob O'Billovich
elected to go with Joe Barnes
at pivot in the second half. Slowly Barnes got the Argos offence going, only to be negated when Hank Ilesic
missed on three field goals. Two were good for singles, however, as Toronto cut its deficit to eight.
When Ilesic finally split the uprights on a 43-yard attempt in the fourth quarter, it put the Argos within striking distance. Then with four minutes remaining, Barnes executed one of the most important drives in Argonauts history. He hit Paul Pearson
with a pass at the BC 45, but the ball popped loose into the air. It was another famed Argo bounce, as Emanuel Tolbert
caught the ball to keep the drive alive.
Barnes went to work again, throwing to Tolbert at the BC 25 and another pass to Pearson on the three. With 2:44 left in regulation, Barnes flipped to Cedric Minter
in the end zone, giving the Boatmen their initial lead of the game. But the Argos failed on the two-point attempt.
Leading by one, Toronto forced BC to punt on its next possession, allowing the Argos to run out most of the clock. BC’s Roy Dewalt
had one last chance to throw a Hail Mary pass
on the final play, but his prayer wasn’t answered, as long suffering Argos fans went into the streets in jubilation.
BC scored its points on touchdown passes by Dewalt to Mervyn Fernandez
and John Henry White
. Lui Passaglia
also kicked a 31-yard field goal.
, who came directly from high school to the CFL
, was playing in his 6th consecutive Grey Cup
victory, and 7th consecutive Grey Cup
game, all in his first 7 years in the league.
This marked the first occasion that the Grey Cup was played indoors.
This was the first Grey Cup game played at BC Place Stadium.
1983 CFL season
The 1983 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 30th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 26th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1983:...
Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The 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....
championship game that was played at BC Place Stadium
BC Place Stadium
BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer . Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, between the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
and the hometown BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
. The Argonauts narrowly defeated the Lions in a close 18-17 victory.
Game summary
Toronto Argonauts (18) - TDs, Jan CarinciJan Carinci
Jan Carinci is a former slotback who played ten seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Toronto Argonauts. He was a part of the Argonauts 1983 Grey Cup victory....
, Cedric Minter
Cedric Minter
Cedric Alwyn Minter, , is a former professional football player, and an award-winning running back in the Canadian Football League.-Early years:...
; FGs, Hank Ilesic
Hank Ilesic
Henry "Hank" Ilesic is a former all-star punter in the Canadian Football League. He also handled place kicking and kickoffs. He was twice an all-star punter and played for the CFL for 19 seasons. He played on seven Grey Cup winning teams, and retired in 2001...
; cons., Ilesic
Hank Ilesic
Henry "Hank" Ilesic is a former all-star punter in the Canadian Football League. He also handled place kicking and kickoffs. He was twice an all-star punter and played for the CFL for 19 seasons. He played on seven Grey Cup winning teams, and retired in 2001...
; singles, Ilesic
Hank Ilesic
Henry "Hank" Ilesic is a former all-star punter in the Canadian Football League. He also handled place kicking and kickoffs. He was twice an all-star punter and played for the CFL for 19 seasons. He played on seven Grey Cup winning teams, and retired in 2001...
(2).
BC Lions (17) - TDs, Mervyn Fernandez
Mervyn Fernandez
Mervyn "Swervin' Mervyn" Fernandez is a former professional American and Canadian football player who played wide receiver with the NFL Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders and the Canadian Football League BC Lions....
, John Henry White
John Henry White
John Henry White was a running back who played ten seasons in Canadian Football League for the BC Lions. He was a part of the Lions 1985 Grey Cup winning team.-Honors:White was enshrined in the Louisiana Tech University Hall of Fame, Class of 1995....
; FGs, Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia is a former professional Canadian football player. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for a record-breaking 25 years and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history...
; cons., Passaglia
Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia is a former professional Canadian football player. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for a record-breaking 25 years and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history...
(2).
The 1983 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...
marked the first championship game where weather was not a deciding factor, as the final was held indoors for the first time at the new BC Place Stadium
BC Place Stadium
BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home field for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer . Originally opened on June 19, 1983 as the...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Most notably, however, 1983 marked the end of one of the longest droughts in the history of the trophy. The Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
, winners of a record 10 Grey Cups, had not sipped from the silver chalice since 1952
40th Grey Cup
The 40th Grey Cup game was the Canadian Football Championship held on 29 November 1952. The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 21-11 at Toronto's Varsity Stadium.-Game highlights:...
.
The Argos faced a difficult task. Not only were they opposing the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
with a partisan crowd behind them, but Toronto’s star quarterback Condredge Holloway
Condredge Holloway
Condredge Holloway Jr. was a star quarterback for the University of Tennessee and later in the Canadian Football League.-Early years and College:...
was battling the flu. He did manage, however, to complete a 14-yard touchdown toss to Jan Carinci
Jan Carinci
Jan Carinci is a former slotback who played ten seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Toronto Argonauts. He was a part of the Argonauts 1983 Grey Cup victory....
in the second quarter.
Trailing 17-7, Toronto coach Bob O'Billovich
Bob O'Billovich
Robert "Bob" O'Billovich, nicknamed "Obie", is the current General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League....
elected to go with Joe Barnes
Joe Barnes
Joe Barnes was an all-star quarterback in the Canadian Football League.Barnes was a graduate of Texas Tech University, playing from 1971 to 1973, and was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor in 1986. His senior year, he dated Dianna Delp. They married June of 1974...
at pivot in the second half. Slowly Barnes got the Argos offence going, only to be negated when Hank Ilesic
Hank Ilesic
Henry "Hank" Ilesic is a former all-star punter in the Canadian Football League. He also handled place kicking and kickoffs. He was twice an all-star punter and played for the CFL for 19 seasons. He played on seven Grey Cup winning teams, and retired in 2001...
missed on three field goals. Two were good for singles, however, as Toronto cut its deficit to eight.
When Ilesic finally split the uprights on a 43-yard attempt in the fourth quarter, it put the Argos within striking distance. Then with four minutes remaining, Barnes executed one of the most important drives in Argonauts history. He hit Paul Pearson
Paul Pearson (football player)
Paul Pearson is a former slotback who played ten seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Toronto Argonauts. He was a part of the Argonauts 1983 Grey Cup victory.-External links:...
with a pass at the BC 45, but the ball popped loose into the air. It was another famed Argo bounce, as Emanuel Tolbert
Emanuel Tolbert
Emanuel Tolbert is a former slotback and wide receiver who played eleven seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Toronto Argonauts. He was a part of the Argonauts 1983 Grey Cup victory...
caught the ball to keep the drive alive.
Barnes went to work again, throwing to Tolbert at the BC 25 and another pass to Pearson on the three. With 2:44 left in regulation, Barnes flipped to Cedric Minter
Cedric Minter
Cedric Alwyn Minter, , is a former professional football player, and an award-winning running back in the Canadian Football League.-Early years:...
in the end zone, giving the Boatmen their initial lead of the game. But the Argos failed on the two-point attempt.
Leading by one, Toronto forced BC to punt on its next possession, allowing the Argos to run out most of the clock. BC’s Roy Dewalt
Roy Dewalt
Roy Dewalt is a former Canadian Football League quarterback who, in a career lasting nine years, played for the BC Lions between 1980 and 1987, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa Rough Riders in 1988....
had one last chance to throw a Hail Mary pass
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
on the final play, but his prayer wasn’t answered, as long suffering Argos fans went into the streets in jubilation.
BC scored its points on touchdown passes by Dewalt to Mervyn Fernandez
Mervyn Fernandez
Mervyn "Swervin' Mervyn" Fernandez is a former professional American and Canadian football player who played wide receiver with the NFL Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders and the Canadian Football League BC Lions....
and John Henry White
John Henry White
John Henry White was a running back who played ten seasons in Canadian Football League for the BC Lions. He was a part of the Lions 1985 Grey Cup winning team.-Honors:White was enshrined in the Louisiana Tech University Hall of Fame, Class of 1995....
. Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia
Lui Passaglia is a former professional Canadian football player. Passaglia was the placekicker/punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for a record-breaking 25 years and scored more points in that time than any professional gridiron football player in history...
also kicked a 31-yard field goal.
Trivia
Hank IlesicHank Ilesic
Henry "Hank" Ilesic is a former all-star punter in the Canadian Football League. He also handled place kicking and kickoffs. He was twice an all-star punter and played for the CFL for 19 seasons. He played on seven Grey Cup winning teams, and retired in 2001...
, who came directly from high school to the CFL
Canadian Football League
The 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....
, was playing in his 6th consecutive 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, and 7th consecutive 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...
game, all in his first 7 years in the league.
This marked the first occasion that the Grey Cup was played indoors.
This was the first Grey Cup game played at BC Place Stadium.
West Division
- Semi-final (November 13 @ Winnipeg, Manitoba) Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue BombersThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
49-22 Edmonton EskimosEdmonton EskimosThe Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
- Final (November 20 @ Vancouver, British Columbia) BC LionsBC LionsThe BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
39-21 Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue BombersThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
East Division
- Semi-final (November 13 @ Ottawa, Ontario) Hamilton Tiger-CatsHamilton Tiger-CatsThe Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
33-31 Ottawa Rough RidersOttawa Rough RidersThe 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...
- Final (November 20 @ Toronto, Ontario) Toronto ArgonautsToronto ArgonautsThe Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
41-36 Hamilton Tiger-CatsHamilton Tiger-CatsThe Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...