By Medicine Hat News on July 4, 2017.

Happy 150th Canada!

Recently newspapers carried a spread about great Canadians, including athletes. No football player was mentioned. Not Canada’s athlete of the half century Lionel Conacher who played for the Argos on a Saturday afternoon and the Maple Leafs at night; not the China Clipper, Normie Kwong, no recollections of Russ Jackson or Dan Federkeil.

Prime Minister John Diefenbaker said that the Grey Cup was Canada’s greatest sporting event because it brought Canadians from east to west together for a week of celebration.

A great American, Minnesota’s athlete of the half century Bud Grant, won four Grey Cups coaching Winnipeg before he led his state’s Vikings to as many Super Bowl appearances. “The Grey Cup is the pinnacle in Canadian football, what you are striving for, just as the Super Bowl is here,” he said. “As far as comparing the two, one is no more important than the other.”

The Grey Cup had special meaning for Grant. “There was more separation between East and West in those days,” he told me. “There wasn’t the coverage, television for example, that you have today. We knew how rabid the Western fans were. When we played in Toronto where the Grey Cup was traditionally held, it was a big event.

“Those were the years (1948-66) when Calgary used to make the big trek east with all their horses and wagons, white hats and boots. They went by Grey Cup trains. They’d party all the way there.

“It was an event that everyone went to or was interested in. John Diefenbaker said the Grey Cup was the greatest unifying force in bringing East and West together.”

The first recorded football game was played at the University of Toronto in 1861. The Hamilton Football Club was formed in 1869, Montreal in 1872, the Toronto Rowing Club in 1873, Ottawa in 1876. The following year a rugby football game with hybrid rules was played between McGill and Harvard and Canadian football as we know it was born. Like the War of 1812, we won.

During the first decade of the last century the prairie teams were born with B.C. joining the CFL in 1954. The first Grey Cup game was played in 1909, won by the University of Toronto over Parkdale, 26-6 before 3,807 fans, almost as many as attended last Friday’s matchup between the Argos and Lions. Boo Hogtown!

Over the years Canadians have starred in many Grey Cups. In 1937, Toronto was trailing Winnipeg 7-6 in the fourth quarter. Legendary Canadian coach Lew Hayman was about to send Annis Stukus into the fray when Stuke asked if he could take Red Storey with him. Hayman forgot he had pulled Red in the fourth quarter and, until the final frame, Storey sat fuming on the bench. In he went and scored three touchdowns in the last twelve minutes. The final score? Red Storey 30, winded and waffled Winnipeg 7.

The Calgary Stampeders appeared in their first grey Cup in 1948, led by Canadian coach Les Lear who played in four Cup games for Winnipeg and starred in the National Football League. Key to their 12-7 win over Ottawa was a sleeper play touchdown by Winnipeg neurosurgeon Norm Hill and a major by Vancouver’s Pete Thodas.

On route to becoming the greatest homegrown running back in Canadian history, Eskimo Normie Kwong ran for 145 yards and two TDs as Edmonton beat Montreal 34-19 in the first Cup played in the West. Canadian quarterback Don Getty led the Eskies to their third straight GC win over the Als in 1956.

Ottawa made a lot of Grey Cup history with Russ Jackson and Ronnie Stewart in 1969 over Saskatchewan and Tony Gabriel beating hem again in 1976. Ray Elgaard starred for the Green and White in 1989’s Grey Cup win over Hamilton, won by Canadian kicker Dave Ridgway, 43-40. Dave Sapunjis starred in four Cups for Calgary in the ’90s.

The leading Canadian rushers of all-time are Jon Cornish and Kwong. The top receivers have been Ben Cahoon, Elgaard, Gabriel and Rocky DiPietro. In my opinion, the greatest quarterback of them all was Russ Jackson.

Football and the Grey Cup have always been and will remain a cherished part of our Canadian culture.

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 45 years and has written several books chronicling the CFL’s history. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.