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#7 — 1995 GREY CUP

Date: Nov. 19, 1995.

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Score: Baltimore Stallions 37, Calgary Stampeders 20.

Attendance: 52,064.

Regina Leader-Post files

WHY WAS IT SPECIAL?

The Grey Cup was played in Saskatchewan for the first time in 1995. It proved to be a tonic for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, even though they posted a 6-12 regular-season record and missed the 1995 CFL playoffs. The Regina-based championship game was played at a time when the Roughriders and the league were in dire financial straits. The enthusiastic response to “Huddle Up In Saskatchewan” generated much-needed funds that helped to sustain Canadian professional football at a critical time. The Roughriders guaranteed the CFL $3.2 million in proceeds and emerged with a further $1.1 million in profits for themselves. In addition, the enthusiastic show of support for the Grey Cup festival was a respite from the misery that had enveloped the league.

The events of November 1995 also proved that Saskatchewan could, in fact, play host to a Grey Cup game. Two subsequent championship games, those of 2003 and 2013, were played on Taylor Field as a byproduct of the success of 1995. The 1995 Grey Cup also featured the only championship-game victory by a United States-based team. The three-year American experiment ended after the 1995 season. Another legacy from the 1995 campaign is the Roughriders’ single-game attendance record. On Oct. 14, 1995, fans filled the temporary bleachers, which were erected for the Grey Cup game, and watched Saskatchewan defeat Calgary 25-20 before 55,438 spectators.