69th Grey Cup

69th Grey Cup
Edmonton Eskimos Ottawa Rough Riders
(14–1–1) (5–11)
26 23
Head coach: 
Head coach: 
1234 Total
Edmonton Eskimos 011411 26
Ottawa Rough Riders 13703 23
DateNovember 22, 1981
StadiumOlympic Stadium
LocationMontreal
Most Valuable PlayerOffence: J.C. Watts, QB (Rough Riders)
Defence: John Glassford, LB (Rough Riders)
Most Valuable CanadianNeil Lumsden, RB (Eskimos)
RefereeBill Dell
Attendance52,478
Broadcasters
NetworkCBC, CTV, SRC

The 69th Grey Cup was played on November 22, 1981, at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec in front of 52,487 fans. The 1981 Grey Cup game is considered to be one of the ten best Grey Cup games of all time.[1] CFL football fans saw an unexpectedly exciting game, as the 22.5 point underdog Ottawa Rough Riders, sporting a woeful record of 5–11 (the worst record in league history by any Grey Cup finalist team), came within three seconds of beating the Edmonton Eskimos, who had won the championship the last three straight years. The Eskimos, with a 14–1–1 record, were almost the victims of what would have been the biggest upset in the history of the Grey Cup. With the win, the Eskimos became the first team in league history to win the Grey Cup four consecutive times.

This was the final appearance in the Grey Cup game for the Ottawa Rough Riders, who folded in 1996. A team from Ottawa would not return to the Grey Cup until 2015, when the second-year Redblacks faced off, incidentally, against the Edmonton Eskimos. Canadian Football Hall of Fame legends Tom Wilkinson (Edmonton) and Tony Gabriel (Ottawa) played their final game in the 69th Grey Cup as did veteran Edmonton centre Bob Howes. Future US Congressman J.C. Watts was Ottawa's quarterback. He won the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (Offensive) award.

  1. ^ Friesen, Paul (2010). "Top 10 greatest Grey Cups". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-05.