The 41st

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

game was the

Canadian Football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

Championship in 1953.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

defeated

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

12–6 at Toronto's Varsity Stadium in a game which ended on a controversial pass incompletion.

Pre-game background

Winnipeg coach

George Trafton George Edward Trafton (December 6, 1896 – September 5, 1971) was an American professional football player and coach, boxer, boxing manager, and gymnasium proprietor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was also selec ...

prepared for the championship game amid rumours that he would return to coaching in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Trafton was coaching for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

until he left for Winnipeg in 1951. The Grey Cup Parade on the morning of the game day featured 12 Miss Grey Cup contestants, 15 bands, 40 floats and 150,000 spectators.

Game summary

The ceremonial game kickoff was made by

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

who was national minister of

External Affairs A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

at that time, assisted by Miss Grey Cup, Joanne Baird of

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

. Hamilton had the only score of the first half, a short touchdown run by Ed Songin at 10:28, converted by Tip Logan, to cap a 53-yard drive in the first quarter. In the second quarter the Bombers' quarterback "Indian" Jack Jacobs engineered a 6 play, 92 yard drive which was snuffed out deep in Hamilton's end when Vito Ragazzo intercepted. One fan death was reported before half time, that of

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

resident Roderick Osborne who collapsed in the stadium seating area. In the third quarter another Bomber drive faltered at the Hamilton 28 when Dick Brown intercepted a Jack Jacobs pass. Again the Bombers drove within scoring range but a field goal attempt by Bud Korchak produced no points. Finally the Bombers were able to capitalize on a 50-yard drive with a Gerry James run from the one yard line who touched down at 10:56, converted by Korchak. But the Ticats roared back. On the first play after the kickoff Lou Kusserow passed to Ralph Toohy for 21 yards. The Ticats lost a yard on the first down play, but on second down Songin made a short pass to Ragazzo. Bomber defender Geoff Crain went for the interception but missed, and Ragazzo had an open field for a 45-yard pass and run touchdown at 12:16, with Logan again providing the conversion point. With the score 12-6 and time running out in the fourth quarter, Jacobs put together yet another long drive of 98 yards to the Hamilton two-yard line. On the final play of the game he passed to an apparently wide-open Tom Casey, standing on the goal line. But as the ball reached his hands Hamiton's Kusserow hit Casey and he dropped the ball. Winnipeg fans claimed pass interference and Hamilton fans called it a very well timed tackle. Even examination of the game films has not succeeded in resolving the dispute. However, the officials called no penalty and Hamilton won the game.

References

External links

Grey Cup 1953 at CFL.ca

"History - Grey Cup 1953" at Hamilton Tiger-Cats
(note that erroneous attendance figure is given here) {{1953 Canadian football season by team Grey Cup

Grey Cup 41 Grey Cups hosted in Toronto 1953 in Ontario Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1950s in Toronto 1953 in Canadian television November 1953 sports events in Canada