Part 2 of our Grey Cup Top Ten lists focuses on #6 through to #3. Here we go.
#6. 1981: Edmonton
Eskimos – 26, Ottawa Rough Riders – 23
The biggest story heading into this
game was the fact that Ottawa had a 5-11 regular season record while Edmonton
posted a 14-1-1 mark. The talk was not IF the Esks would win but by how much.
But the game started looking like the biggest upset in Grey Cup history would
happen. The Riders’ defense stopped Edmonton’s powerful offense time and time
again, and Ottawa slowly built their lead.
Two Gerry Organ field goals and
a Jim Reid one-yard touchdown run gave the Riders a 13-0 lead by the end of the
first quarter. Sam Platt ran 14 yards for another Ottawa touchdown, boosting
the lead to 20-0. Edmonton managed a single point before the half ended on a
missed field goal that wasn’t returned out of the endzone.
Edmonton came out strong in the
second half and Ottawa defense tried to hang on. A two-yard touchdown run by
Jim Germany and a quarterback sneak by Warren Moon closed the Rider lead to
five points at 20-15. In the fourth quarter, Organ kicked another field goal to
make the score 23-15, but another Moon touchdown and a two point convert tied
the game at 23.
With four minutes to play,
Ottawa looked like they were on the Cup-winning drive when receiver, Tony
Gabriel, caught a 20-yard pass with an Eskimo defender practically hanging onto
his back. However, the referees called both players for pass interference and
the play was called back. Replays clearly showed it was a bad call and should
have only gone against Edmonton. Ottawa would eventually punt the ball and the
Eskimo offence gradually moved the ball into field goal range where kicker,
Dave Cutler, booted the winning field goal as Edmonton avoided the upset,
26-23.
#5. 2005: Edmonton
Eskimos – 38, Montreal Alouettes – 35 (OT)
This would be the first time in
44 years that the Grey Cup went into overtime. The game got off to slow start
offensively as Edmonton led by a score of 3-1 after the first quarter. A
touchdown pass from Ricky Ray to Ed Hervey added seven more to the Edmonton
tally and they went into the half with a 10-1 lead. When the second half
started, the fun began.
Montreal running back, Eric
Lapointe scored on a one-yard plunge for the Alouettes’ first major of the
game. The convert made it 10-8 but Edmonton added a field goal to take a 13-8
lead. Lapointe scored another TD and Montreal added a field goal to take a 18-13
lead, but before the third quarter ended, Edmonton had another touchdown of
their own with Tony Tompkins returning a kick off 96 yards. At the end of the
third quarter, Edmonton led 20-18.
In the fourth, the two opposing
quarterbacks scored touchdowns with Montreal pivot, Anthony Calvillo running a
bootleg for one yard while Ray snuck in for the Edmonton touchdown, which was
followed by a two-point convert and a 28-25 Eskimos’ lead. As time expired,
Montreal kicker, Damon Duval, kicked a field goal to tie the game at 28.
Montreal had first possession in
the OT. (Several years earlier, the CFL had adopted the NCAA Football overtime
method where both teams would have a possession starting at the 30-yard line.
If both teams scored the same number of points, another overtime would follow,
same format.) Both teams scored touchdowns in their opening possession of OT,
forcing a second. After an Edmonton field goal, Montreal took possession, but a penalty and a sack
brought up a third and 33 from the 45 yard line. Montreal failed to convert and
the Eskimos had the Cup for the second time in three years.
#4. 1994: B.C. Lions
– 26, Baltimore CFLers – 23
Despite having their original
name (Baltimore CFL Colts) blocked by the NFL after a threat of a lawsuit, the
Baltimore club became the first team based out of the United States to play for
the Grey Cup. The B.C. Lions, after two road wins in the playoffs against
Edmonton and Calgary, would represent the West Division and, essentially,
Canada.
The game had a Canada vs USA
feel right from the beginning and the Vancouver crowd would voacally support
the Lions throughout the game. B.C. scored first on a Lui Passaglia 47-yard
field goal, but Baltimore would strike back with a touchdown run by
quarterback, Tracy Ham, and a 46-yard interception return by Karl Anthony to
take a 14-3 lead. Late in the second quarter, with the Balitmore offence pinned
deep in their own end, Ham threw a pass that was intercepted by Charles Gordon
and run seventeen yards into the endzone. A Baltimore field goal made the half
time score 17-10 in favour of the U.S. squad.
Another Baltimore field goal at
the beginning of the third quarter gave the team a ten point lead but by the
end of the quarter, the Lions tied the score on a one-yard TD run by back-up
quarterback, Danny McManus and a 42-yard field goal by Passaglia.
After the teams traded field
goals early in the fourth, B.C. started what looked like the game-winning
drive, but Passaglia missed a 37-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the game. Baltimore went two and out and had to punt the ball back to the Lions.
After a few plays moved the ball to the Baltimore 31-yard line, Passaglia made
good on his second chance, booting a 38-yard field goal to give B.C. the
victory and keep the Grey Cup in Canada—for one more year.
#3. 1987: Edmonton
Eskimos – 38, Toronto Argonauts – 36
This was a back-and-forth game
that saw big plays, both starting quarterbacks get knocked out of the game with
injuries, and numerous lead changes. Edmonton kick returner, Henry “Gizmo” Williams,
got the scoring started when he returned a missed field goal by Argo kicker,
Lance Chomyc, 112 yards for a touchdown and the longest return in Grey Cup
history.
Edmonton led 10-3 by the end of
the first quarter, but Toronto rookie running back, Gil Fenerty, scored on a
61-yard pass. After an Edmonton turnover, Fenerty scored again, this time from
five yards out and the Argos had a 17-10 lead. A few plays later, the Eskimos
fumbled again and Toronto defender, Doug Landry, picked it up and sprinted 54 yards
for another Argo touchdown and a 24-10 lead.
Then Edmonton QB, Matt Dunigan,
exited the game with a head injury and Damon Allen, who would lead the Argos to
a Grey Cup Championship 17 years later in 2004, would take over for the
Eskimos. Before the first half ended, Allen found Marco Syncar for a six-yard
touchdown pass and the Toronto lead was cut to 24-17.
The third quarter was rather
uneventful with Edmonton only scoring four points and the Argos getting three.
Toronto took a 27-21 lead into the final period. On the first play of the
fourth, Allen found Brian Kelly for a 15-yard touchdown pass and after the
convert, the Eskimos led 28-27.
A Chomyc field goal put the
Argos back in front, but Allen scrambled for a 17-yard touchdown and gave Edmonton
a 35-30 lead with just under seven minutes to go. After Toronto QB, Gilbert
Renfroe, went down with a knee injury mid-way through the game, back-up, Danny
Barrett, came into the game and was equal to the task. With 2:43 remaining,
Barrett ran 25 yards into the endzone giving the Argos their lead back. But the
two-point convert failed and the lead was only one.
Edmonton drove down the field
and into field goal range, where kicker Jerry Kauric booted the game winning
points from 49 yards to give the Eskimos their first Grey Cup victory since
they won five in a row in the late 70s/early 80s.
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