84th Grey Cup
Encyclopedia
The 84th Grey Cup, also known as The Snow Bowl, was the 1996
Grey Cup
Canadian Football League
championship game played between the Toronto Argonauts
and the Edmonton Eskimos
at Ivor Wynne Stadium
in Hamilton, Ontario
. The Argonauts won the game by a score of 43-37.
, Robert Drummond
, Doug Flutie
, Adrion Smith
; FGs, Mike Vanderjagt
(5); cons., Vanderjagt
(4).
Edmonton Eskimos (37) - TDs, Eddie Brown
, Jim Sandusky
, Henry "Gizmo" Williams, Eric Blount, Marc Tolbert; cons., Sean Fleming (5); safety, Team.
First Quarter
EDM—Safety Flutie concedes 3:37
EDM—TD Brown 64 yard pass from McManus (Fleming convert) 11:48
Second Quarter
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 37 yard field goal 1:35
TOR—TD Cunningham 80 yard punt return (Vanderjagt convert) 2:59
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 32 yard field goal 7:09
EDM—TD Sandusky 75 yard pass from McManus (Fleming convert) 7:34
TOR—TD Drummond 1 yard run (Vanderjagt convert) 12:16
EDM—TD Williams 91 yard kickoff return (Fleming convert) 12:31
TOR—TD Flutie 10 yard run (Vanderjagt convert) 14:20
Third Quarter
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 17 yard field goal 4:22
Fourth Quarter
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 28 yard field goal 3:06
EDM—TD Blount 5 yard run (Fleming convert) 7:53
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 27 yard field goal 13:26
TOR—TD Smith 49 yard interception return (Vanderjagt convert) 13:38
EDM—TD Tolbert 7 yard pass from McManus (Fleming convert) 14:51
The temperature at game time was -10°C, with 20 km/h winds and heavy snow. Tractors had to remove snow from the field prior to the game, as well as at halftime.
Edmonton had all the points in the first quarter on a safety touch conceded by Toronto quarterback Doug Flutie
and a 64-yard touchdown pass from Danny McManus
to Eddie Brown
, a shoestring catch that is considered to be of the most memorable plays in Grey Cup
history.
In the second quarter, Toronto's Mike Vanderjagt
kicked a field goal and Jimmy Cunningham
returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown. Another Vanderjagt field goal put Toronto up 13-9. Edmonton regained the lead with a 75-yard pass and run from McManus to Jim Sandusky
but lost it again when Robert Drummond
scored for Toronto from the one. Edmonton's Henry "Gizmo" Williams reversed that in one play as he returned the kickoff 91 yards for the touchdown, a Grey Cup record that stood until the Eskimos' Tony Tompkins
topped it with a 95 yard kickoff return in the 93rd Grey Cup
. Flutie marched the Argos to the Edmonton 10 then ran in himself for the touchdown with 20 seconds left in the half to give Toronto the lead 27-23 at halftime, closing a quarter that saw the teams combine for 41 points.
Two Vanderjagt field goals were all the scoring in the first 23 minutes of the second half as Toronto receiver Cunningham dropped certain touchdown passes in the third and fourth quarters.
Edmonton cut the Toronto lead to 33-30 on Eric Blount's five-yard touchdown run with seven minutes remaining. But Flutie marched Toronto 71 yards, including a controversial third-down gamble in which the ball came loose, setting up Vanderjagt's 27-yard field goal at 13:26. In the controversial third-down gamble, Flutie fumbled the ball and an Eskimo picked up the fumble and started running to the Toronto endzone to score what would have been a touchdown and a 36-33 lead for the Eskimos, with a converted Edmonton point-after convert putting Toronto down 37-33 and down by more than a field goal (needing a touchdown to take the lead). But the referees ruled that Flutie was down by contact, when clearly Flutie had fumbled the ball well before the play was stopped. The referees then made the ruling even worse when they judged Flutie's forward progress to have reached the first-down marker when replays clearly showed Flutie to be short of the first down marker by over a foot. In any case, Flutie's forward progress should have been a non-issue, given that he had fumbled the ball during the snap. With the score twisted in the Argos' favour (33-30 Toronto) by the misruling of the on-field officials, and then the Argos also getting a first down when Edmonton clearly stopped the Argos' third-down gamble, the first down for Toronto allowed the Argonauts to take time off the clock, and to also kick a field goal to make the score 36-30 Toronto. It has been judged in hindsight to be the biggest blown call in official Jake Ireland
's career, the incorrect ruling giving the Grey Cup victory to Toronto.
Toronto's Adrion Smith
iced the win, returning a Danny McManus
interception 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:22 remaining.
McManus hit Marc Tolbert with a seven-yard touchdown pass at 14:51 to round out the scoring at 43-37. An onside kick attempt was recovered by Toronto to end any Edmonton comeback threat.
The dismal weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the raucous gathering of 38,595, which was the biggest ever at Ivor Wynne Stadium
but still 1,805 short of a sellout. It was also the smallest announced Grey Cup attendance since 32,454 attended the 1975 game in Calgary.
Before the game, many people believed that Flutie could not play well in cold weather. Flutie, who was the CFL's Most Outstanding Player this season, was also named the game's top performer
. Teammate Mike Vanderjagt
, who booted five field goals, was voted the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
It was the second-highest scoring Grey Cup game, next to Saskatchewan's 43-40 win over Hamilton in 1989
.
It was the Argonauts' first Cup win since 1991. Ironically, they did it in the stadium that had often been called "Never Win" by the Argo fans due to the team's consistent failure to beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
at that venue.
Toronto's 27 points in the second quarter tied a Grey Cup record.
1996 CFL season
The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1996:...
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...
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 played 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 Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The 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...
at Ivor Wynne Stadium
Ivor Wynne Stadium
Ivor Wynne Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. The Argonauts won the game by a score of 43-37.
Game summary
Toronto Argonauts (43) - TDs, Jimmy CunninghamJimmy Cunningham
James "Jimmy The Jet" Cunningham was a former return specialist and wide receiver in the Canadian Football League and the XFL.-References:...
, Robert Drummond
Robert Drummond (football player)
Robert Drummond is a former gridiron football running back.While Drummond played American football for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League, he competed in the Canadian Football League from 1994 to 2002...
, Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, Adrion Smith
Adrion Smith
Adrion "Pee Wee" Smith was a football player in the CFL for twelve years. Smith played defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Memphis Mad Dogs and Toronto Argonauts from 1994–2005. He was a CFL All-Star four times and won three Grey Cup Championships with the Argos...
; FGs, Mike Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
(5); cons., Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
(4).
Edmonton Eskimos (37) - TDs, Eddie Brown
Eddie Brown (Canadian football)
"Downtown" Eddie Brown was a slotback in the Canadian Football League between 1990 & 2002. In all, Brown played with eight CFL teams, and appeared in two Grey Cup championships with the Edmonton Eskimos, winning one in 1993.In 1995 he played for the Memphis Mad Dogs...
, Jim Sandusky
Jim Sandusky
Jim Sandusky was a Canadian Football League receiver for the BC Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos who, in a 12 year career from 1984–1996, caught 586 passes for 9737 yards and 69 touchdowns. Sandusky played college football at San Diego State University and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1984...
, Henry "Gizmo" Williams, Eric Blount, Marc Tolbert; cons., Sean Fleming (5); safety, Team.
First Quarter
EDM—Safety Flutie concedes 3:37
EDM—TD Brown 64 yard pass from McManus (Fleming convert) 11:48
Second Quarter
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 37 yard field goal 1:35
TOR—TD Cunningham 80 yard punt return (Vanderjagt convert) 2:59
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 32 yard field goal 7:09
EDM—TD Sandusky 75 yard pass from McManus (Fleming convert) 7:34
TOR—TD Drummond 1 yard run (Vanderjagt convert) 12:16
EDM—TD Williams 91 yard kickoff return (Fleming convert) 12:31
TOR—TD Flutie 10 yard run (Vanderjagt convert) 14:20
Third Quarter
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 17 yard field goal 4:22
Fourth Quarter
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 28 yard field goal 3:06
EDM—TD Blount 5 yard run (Fleming convert) 7:53
TOR—FG Vanderjagt 27 yard field goal 13:26
TOR—TD Smith 49 yard interception return (Vanderjagt convert) 13:38
EDM—TD Tolbert 7 yard pass from McManus (Fleming convert) 14:51
The temperature at game time was -10°C, with 20 km/h winds and heavy snow. Tractors had to remove snow from the field prior to the game, as well as at halftime.
Edmonton had all the points in the first quarter on a safety touch conceded by Toronto quarterback Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
and a 64-yard touchdown pass from Danny McManus
Danny McManus
Danny McManus , is a retired professional American football and Canadian football quarterback who passed for over 50,000 yards in seventeen seasons in the Canadian Football League...
to Eddie Brown
Eddie Brown (Canadian football)
"Downtown" Eddie Brown was a slotback in the Canadian Football League between 1990 & 2002. In all, Brown played with eight CFL teams, and appeared in two Grey Cup championships with the Edmonton Eskimos, winning one in 1993.In 1995 he played for the Memphis Mad Dogs...
, a shoestring catch that is considered to be of the most memorable plays in 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...
history.
In the second quarter, Toronto's Mike Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
kicked a field goal and Jimmy Cunningham
Jimmy Cunningham
James "Jimmy The Jet" Cunningham was a former return specialist and wide receiver in the Canadian Football League and the XFL.-References:...
returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown. Another Vanderjagt field goal put Toronto up 13-9. Edmonton regained the lead with a 75-yard pass and run from McManus to Jim Sandusky
Jim Sandusky
Jim Sandusky was a Canadian Football League receiver for the BC Lions and the Edmonton Eskimos who, in a 12 year career from 1984–1996, caught 586 passes for 9737 yards and 69 touchdowns. Sandusky played college football at San Diego State University and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1984...
but lost it again when Robert Drummond
Robert Drummond (football player)
Robert Drummond is a former gridiron football running back.While Drummond played American football for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League, he competed in the Canadian Football League from 1994 to 2002...
scored for Toronto from the one. Edmonton's Henry "Gizmo" Williams reversed that in one play as he returned the kickoff 91 yards for the touchdown, a Grey Cup record that stood until the Eskimos' Tony Tompkins
Tony Tompkins
Tony Tompkins is a Canadian Football League wide receiver and special teams player for the Montreal Alouettes....
topped it with a 95 yard kickoff return in the 93rd Grey Cup
93rd Grey Cup
The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38-35 overtime...
. Flutie marched the Argos to the Edmonton 10 then ran in himself for the touchdown with 20 seconds left in the half to give Toronto the lead 27-23 at halftime, closing a quarter that saw the teams combine for 41 points.
Two Vanderjagt field goals were all the scoring in the first 23 minutes of the second half as Toronto receiver Cunningham dropped certain touchdown passes in the third and fourth quarters.
Edmonton cut the Toronto lead to 33-30 on Eric Blount's five-yard touchdown run with seven minutes remaining. But Flutie marched Toronto 71 yards, including a controversial third-down gamble in which the ball came loose, setting up Vanderjagt's 27-yard field goal at 13:26. In the controversial third-down gamble, Flutie fumbled the ball and an Eskimo picked up the fumble and started running to the Toronto endzone to score what would have been a touchdown and a 36-33 lead for the Eskimos, with a converted Edmonton point-after convert putting Toronto down 37-33 and down by more than a field goal (needing a touchdown to take the lead). But the referees ruled that Flutie was down by contact, when clearly Flutie had fumbled the ball well before the play was stopped. The referees then made the ruling even worse when they judged Flutie's forward progress to have reached the first-down marker when replays clearly showed Flutie to be short of the first down marker by over a foot. In any case, Flutie's forward progress should have been a non-issue, given that he had fumbled the ball during the snap. With the score twisted in the Argos' favour (33-30 Toronto) by the misruling of the on-field officials, and then the Argos also getting a first down when Edmonton clearly stopped the Argos' third-down gamble, the first down for Toronto allowed the Argonauts to take time off the clock, and to also kick a field goal to make the score 36-30 Toronto. It has been judged in hindsight to be the biggest blown call in official Jake Ireland
Jake Ireland
John "Jake" Ireland is a former referee in the Canadian Football League, who wore uniform number 62, and current lead replay official for the league's instant replay command centre.-Life:...
's career, the incorrect ruling giving the Grey Cup victory to Toronto.
Toronto's Adrion Smith
Adrion Smith
Adrion "Pee Wee" Smith was a football player in the CFL for twelve years. Smith played defensive back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Memphis Mad Dogs and Toronto Argonauts from 1994–2005. He was a CFL All-Star four times and won three Grey Cup Championships with the Argos...
iced the win, returning a Danny McManus
Danny McManus
Danny McManus , is a retired professional American football and Canadian football quarterback who passed for over 50,000 yards in seventeen seasons in the Canadian Football League...
interception 49 yards for a touchdown with 1:22 remaining.
McManus hit Marc Tolbert with a seven-yard touchdown pass at 14:51 to round out the scoring at 43-37. An onside kick attempt was recovered by Toronto to end any Edmonton comeback threat.
Trivia
Edmonton Kicker Sean Fleming missed three field goal attempts.The dismal weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the raucous gathering of 38,595, which was the biggest ever at Ivor Wynne Stadium
Ivor Wynne Stadium
Ivor Wynne Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
but still 1,805 short of a sellout. It was also the smallest announced Grey Cup attendance since 32,454 attended the 1975 game in Calgary.
Before the game, many people believed that Flutie could not play well in cold weather. Flutie, who was the CFL's Most Outstanding Player this season, was also named the game's top performer
Grey Cup Most Valuable Player
The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player award is awarded annually to the player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game.-Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Award winners:...
. Teammate Mike Vanderjagt
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John "Mike" Vanderjagt , is a professional American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League, the Canadian Football League and National Football League...
, who booted five field goals, was voted the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
It was the second-highest scoring Grey Cup game, next to Saskatchewan's 43-40 win over Hamilton in 1989
77th Grey Cup
The 77th Grey Cup was the 1989 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at SkyDome in Toronto, ON. The Roughriders defeated the Tiger-Cats, 43-40 on Dave Ridgway's winning field-goal...
.
It was the Argonauts' first Cup win since 1991. Ironically, they did it in the stadium that had often been called "Never Win" by the Argo fans due to the team's consistent failure to beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The 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...
at that venue.
Toronto's 27 points in the second quarter tied a Grey Cup record.
West Division
- Semi-final (November 10 @ Edmonton, Alberta) 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...
68-7 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...
- Final (November 17 @ Calgary, Alberta) 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...
15-12 Calgary StampedersCalgary StampedersThe 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...
East Division
- Semi-final (November 9 @ Montreal, Quebec) Montreal AlouettesMontreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
22-11 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...
- Final (November 16 @ 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...
43-7 Montreal AlouettesMontreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...