81st Grey Cup

The 81st Grey Cup was the 1993 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta. The Eskimos defeated the Blue Bombers 33–23 to win the Grey Cup.

81st Grey Cup
Edmonton Eskimos Winnipeg Blue Bombers
(12–6) (14–4)
33 23
Head coach: 
 Head coach: 
1234 Total
Edmonton Eskimos 17709 33
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 01076 23
DateNovember 28, 1993
StadiumMcMahon Stadium
LocationCalgary
Most Valuable PlayerDamon Allen
Most Valuable CanadianSean Fleming
RefereeDave Yule
Attendance50,035
Broadcasters
NetworkCBC, SRC, SportsChannel America
Announcers(CBC) Don Wittman, Joe Galat, Dan Kepley, Brian Williams, Steve Armitage, Kent Austin.

Game summary

Edmonton Eskimos (33) - TDs, Lucius Floyd, Jim Sandusky; FGs, Sean Fleming (6); cons., Fleming (2); singles, Fleming.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (23) - TDs, Michael Richardson, Sammy Garza; FGs, Troy Westwood (3); cons., Troy Westwood (2).

First Quarter
EDM – TD Floyd 4-yard run (Fleming convert)
EDM – TD Sandusky 2-yard pass from Damon Allen (Fleming convert)
EDM – FG Fleming
Second Quarter
EDM – Single Fleming
EDM – FG Fleming 26-yard field goal
WPG - TD Richardson 3-yard run (Westwood convert)
EDM – FG Fleming
WPG – FG Westwood
Third Quarter
WPG - TD Garza 1-yard run (Westwood convert)
Fourth Quarter
WPG – FG Westwood 32-yard field goal
EDM – FG Fleming
EDM – FG Fleming
WPG – FG Westwood
EDM – FG Fleming

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers returned to the Grey Cup in 1993 but once again they were foiled by an Alberta club.

The Edmonton Eskimos went out in front 21-0 before hanging on to their 11th Grey Cup title. The Blue Bombers cut their deficit to 24-20 in the fourth quarter before yielding to defeat again.

Winnipeg miscues in the first quarter led to its downfall. The Eskimos took advantage of a blocked punt, a fumbled kickoff return and an interception within the first 10 minutes of the game. Lucius Floyd scored on a four-yard carry, while Jim Sandusky caught a two-yard pass from Damon Allen. Sean Fleming added a field goal at the end of the quarter.

Another Winnipeg fumble in the second quarter, this time on a punt return, put the Eskimos in front by three converted touchdowns following Fleming's 26-yard field goal.

The Blue Bombers finally got on the scoreboard late in the first half on Michael Richardson's three-yard run. Both teams exchanged field goals as Edmonton held a 24-10 lead at halftime.

Winnipeg made a game of it in the second half, as quarterback Sammy Garza scored on a one-yard keeper. The Blue Bombers closed the gap to four on Troy Westwood's 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

But Edmonton's offence got back on track to close out the game. Fleming booted three field goals for a record-tying six for the game. Westwood managed just one other.

Winnipeg was still within a touchdown with two minutes and 44 seconds remaining, but Allen put together a 12-play drive leading to Fleming's final field goal.

Trivia
  • Sean Fleming, who hit 6 field goals to win the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian award, tied a Grey Cup record held by Don Sweet of the Montreal Alouettes (65th Grey Cup) and Paul Osbaldiston of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (74th Grey Cup).
  • In honour of the CFL's first American-based team, the Sacramento Gold Miners (which began play this season), the Star-Spangled Banner was sung at a Grey Cup game for the first time, before the standard playing of O Canada. This routine would continue in the next two Grey Cup games.
  • Edmonton Eskimos centre Rod Connop was the only player that was a part of the team's dynasty years from 1978 to 1982.
  • This was the second Grey Cup game to be played in Calgary. The temperature was a balmy six degrees Celsius, compared to the first Calgary game (63rd Grey Cup) when it was minus 15 degrees Celsius with a wind of 25 kilometres per hour.
  • The Blue Bombers lost the ball a total of seven times on turnovers with 23 of Edmonton's points coming off Winnipeg's miscues. It was Edmonton's eighth-straight victory to close out the year.
  • Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Dunigan did not play because of an Achilles' tendon injury, and was replaced by Garza.
  • Referee Dave Yule suffered a ruptured calf muscle in the second quarter, forcing alternate Ken Lazaruk into action.

1993 CFL Playoffs

West Division

East Division
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  • "Grey Cup: 1993". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on 2010-08-23.
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