1955 in Canadian football

The Edmonton Eskimos defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the first Grey Cup held in the west.

1955 in Canadian football
Playoffs
IRFU ChampionsMontreal Alouettes
WIFU ChampionsEdmonton Eskimos
43rd Grey Cup
ChampionsEdmonton Eskimos
Canadian Football Seasons

Canadian Football News in 1955

For 45 years the Grey Cup classic was an event held exclusively in the province of Ontario, with the one exception in 1931 when the game was staged in Montreal. This all changed in 1955 when the game was awarded to Vancouver, B.C. The then largest crowd in the history of organized team sports in Canada packed Empire Stadium to witness the Edmonton Eskimos defeat the Montreal Alouettes. The 39,417 in attendance remained a Grey Cup record until 1976.[1]

The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) allowed the third place team to qualify for a playoff berth. The Grey Cup had a gross revenue of $198,000.[2]

In January 1955, the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) announced that a playoff game with the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was no longer desired. The WIFU and IRFU both scheduled their games so as not to leave an open date for the traditional game with the ORFU. At the March meeting of the CRU, the ORFU withdrew from Grey Cup competition for 1955.[3] 1955 became the first year that only the IRFU and the WIFU competed for the Grey Cup.

Montreal's Tex Coulter became the first player to win the Most Outstanding Lineman Award.

Regular season

Final regular season standings

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points

Western Interprovincial Football Union
TeamGPWLTPFPAPts
Edmonton Eskimos16142028611728
Saskatchewan Roughriders16106027024520
Winnipeg Blue Bombers1679021019514
BC Lions16511021133010
Calgary Stampeders1641202092998
Interprovincial Rugby Football Union
TeamGPWLTPFPAPts
Montreal Alouettes1293038821418
Hamilton Tiger-Cats1284027119316
Toronto Argonauts124802393288
Ottawa Rough Riders123901743376
Ontario Rugby Football Union[4]
TeamGPWLTPFPAPts
Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen12101128412421
Sarnia Imperials1265114018213
Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers1211101013192
  • Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs.
  • Edmonton and Montreal both have first round byes.

Grey Cup playoffs

Note: All dates in 1955

SEMI-FINALS
WIFU Semi-Finals – Game 1
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders
DateAwayHome
November 5Winnipeg Blue Bombers 16Saskatchewan Roughriders 7
WIFU Semi-Finals – Game 2
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers
DateAwayHome
November 7Saskatchewan Roughriders 9Winnipeg Blue Bombers 8
  • Winnipeg won the total-point series by 24–16. The Blue Bombers will play the Edmonton Eskimos in the WIFU Finals.
IRFU Semi-Finals
Toronto Argonauts @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats
DateAwayHome
November 12Toronto Argonauts 32Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28
  • The Argonauts will play the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Finals.

FINALS
WIFU Finals – Game 1
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Edmonton Eskimos
DateAwayHome
November 11Winnipeg Blue Bombers 6Edmonton Eskimos 29
WIFU Finals – Game 2
Edmonton Eskimos @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers
DateAwayHome
November 16Edmonton Eskimos 26Winnipeg Blue Bombers 6
  • Edmonton wins the best of three series 2–0. The Eskimos will advance to the Grey Cup game.
IRFU Finals
Toronto Argonauts @ Montreal Alouettes
DateAwayHome
November 19Toronto Argonauts 36Montreal Alouettes 38
  • The Alouettes will advance to the Grey Cup game.

Playoff Bracket
Quarter Finals Semi Finals Grey Cup
         
IRFU Montreal Alouettes
IRFU BYE
IRFU Montreal Alouettes 38
EAST
IRFU Toronto Argonauts 36
IRFU Hamilton Tiger Cats 28
IRFU Toronto Argonauts 32
IRFU Montreal Alouettes 19
WIFU Edmonton Eskimos 34
WIFU Edmonton Eskimos
WIFU BYE
WIFU Edmonton Eskimos 29-26
WEST
WIFU Winnipeg Blue Bombers 6-6
WIFU Winnipeg Blue Bombers 16-8
WIFU Saskatchewan Roughriders 7-9

Grey Cup Championship
November 26

43rd Annual Grey Cup Game: Empire Stadium – Vancouver, British Columbia

WIFU ChampionIRFU Champion
Edmonton Eskimos 34Montreal Alouettes 19
The Edmonton Eskimos are the 1955 Grey Cup Champions
  • Note: IRFU and Eastern Final dates are not confirmed, however since [1] the regular season ended October 29 in the West, and November 5 in the East, and [2] WIFU playoff dates, as well as the Grey Cup date are accurate, it is reasonable to assume the above dates are accurate.

Canadian Football Leaders
  • CFL Passing Leaders
  • CFL Rushing Leaders
  • CFL Receiving Leaders [5]

1955 Eastern (Interprovincial Rugby Football Union) All-Stars

Offence

Defence

NOTE: The following players were selected to the All-Star team as replacements for players who would have had to play both ways in the Shrine Game (denoted with an *):

2nd Team Offence

1955 Western (Western Interprovincial Football Union) All-Stars

Offence

Defence

NOTE: The following players were selected to the All-Star team as replacements for players who would have had to play both ways, or were injured, in the Shrine Game (denoted with an *):

1955 Ontario Rugby Football Union All-Stars

NOTE: During this time most players played both ways, so the All-Star selections do not distinguish between some offensive and defensive positions.

  • QB – Bob Celeri, Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
  • RB – Cookie Gilchrist, Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
  • RB – John Jacobs, Sarnia Imperials
  • RB – Sam Laverty, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
  • E – Eric Graham, Sarnia Imperials
  • E – Gerry McTaggart, Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
  • FW – Carl Totzke, Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
  • C – Bruce Mattingly, Sarnia Imperials
  • OG – Ed Stowe, Sarnia Imperials
  • OG – Larry Cardonick, Sarnia Imperials
  • OT – Jay Fry, Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
  • OT – Oatten Fisher, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
  • OT – Jim Burr, Sarnia Imperials

1955 Canadian Football Awards
gollark: A randomly generated brain could randomly have that as one of its memories.
gollark: I'm aware of the concept. However:- why are you randomly adding spatial dimensions- "god" has a lot of connotations. If it can't actually do anything to things, it is not very god.> Didn’t they say that all the galaxies in the universe are connected in a similar way to neurons in a Brain?They're arranged in a vaguely webby structure IIRC.
gollark: Arguably, if something cannot interact with you at all, it doesn't exist.
gollark: What? That doesn't follow either.
gollark: Depends on the god.

References
  1. "Grey Cup Memories: 1955". CFL.ca. 2005-11-11. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  2. "Canadian Football Timelines (1860-2005)" (PDF). footballcanada.com. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  3. Cosentino, Frank (1969). Canadian Football: The Grey Cup Years. Musson Book Company. p. 152.
  4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AUgxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=guMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7029%2C4225058 Ottawa Citizen – Oct 31, 1955
  5. "CFLapedia".
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