The 72nd Grey Cup was the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

championship game, played at

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

between the

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 ...

and the

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 ...

. The Blue Bombers dominated the Tiger-Cats in a 47–17 victory.

Game summary

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (47) - TDs,

Willard Reaves Willard Sheldon Reaves (born August 17, 1959) is an American-Canadian former professional gridiron football running back who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Canadian Football League, and for the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins ...

(2),

Joe Poplawski Joe Poplawski (born August 2, 1957) is a former professional Canadian football receiver who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1978 to 1986. Professional career Poplawski was originally a territorial ex ...

, Stan Mikawos,

Jeff Boyd Jeff Boyd (born April 17, 1958 in Riverside, California) was a Canadian Football League receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially kn ...

; FGs,

Trevor Kennerd Trevor Kennerd (born December 23, 1955) was a kicker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1980-1991. He was a three-time CFL All-Star (1981, 1985 Football Reporters of Canada All-Star and 1983 Coaches All-Star) ...

(4); cons., Kennerd (5). Hamilton Tiger-Cats (17) - TDs,

Dieter Brock Ralph Dieter Brock (born February 12, 1951) is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL) player and coach. He is best remembered as the quarterback for the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he led the league in pas ...

, Rocky DiPietro; FGs,

Bernie Ruoff Bernie Ruoff (born October 12, 1951) is a former punter and placekicker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1975 to 1979 and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1980 to 1987 of the Canadian Football League. He finished his CFL career in 1988, playing 5 ...

; cons., Ruoff (2). Most experts believed the contest was a mismatch, with the Blue Bombers heavily favoured. They turned out to be correct, but not before the

stunned the Bombers by jumping out to an early 17–3 lead. Winnipeg quarterback

Tom Clements Thomas Albert Clements (born June 18, 1953) is an American football coach and a former Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He also served as a ...

was ineffective in the opening 15 minutes, getting picked off twice by

Felix Wright Felix Carl Wright (born June 22, 1959), is a former professional American football player who played defensive back from 1985–1992 for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. Undrafted out of Drake Universit ...

and Mark Streeter. Both interceptions led to Hamilton scores. Former Bomber pivot

scored on a 15-yard scamper, and completed a seven-yard pass to Rocky DiPietro for the other major. But the

would soon dominate and take over the game. Their initial points came on a 25-yard field goal by

to close out the opening quarter. In the second quarter, after

booted a 20-yard field goal to give the Ticats a 17–3 lead, the Bombers responded with a 27-point explosion to close out the half. Clements, who played the entire contest with a rib injury, improved as the game wore on, completing a 12-yard touchdown pass to

to give Winnipeg the lead for good. The turning point came at 2:26 before halftime, when Brock was levelled by Winnipeg linebacker

Tyrone Jones Tyrone Jones (August 3, 1961 – June 10, 2008) was a gridiron football all-star and Grey Cup champion linebacker in the Canadian Football League. Born in St. Mary's, Georgia, Ty's football career began at Camden County High School, Camden Coun ...

. The ball was jarred loose and nose tackle Stan Mikawos recovered the fumble and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. This put the Bombers in front 27-17.

, the

CFL Most Outstanding Player The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner from ...

, scored a pair of touchdowns on three-yard carries. His action was limited due to an injured shoulder, but he did rush for 64 yards. Bomber cornerback David Shaw intercepted a Brock pass in the second quarter, returning the ball 26 yards to the Hamilton 28 to help set up one of Reaves' TD runs. Winnipeg's backup quarterback

John Hufnagel John Coleman Hufnagel (born September 13, 1951) is the president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was previously the Stampeders' head coach and played quarterback for fifteen professional seasons ...

tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to

in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.

Trivia

* Winnipeg scored the final 44 points of the game. * The game featured two all-star quarterbacks, Brock and Clements, (winners of the

CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner from ...

), who had been traded for each other late in the previous season. * The 1984 game, the first

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 ...

held in

, Alberta, was played in chilly -10 °C (14 °F) weather. * Winnipeg's 27 second-quarter points was a new

record for most points in a quarter. However, the Blue Bombers would break their own record in the 1990 Grey Cup by scoring 28 in the third quarter of that contest. * The win was the first Grey Cup victory for the Bombers since 1962, and their last Grey Cup title and appearance as a West Division team until 2019 (also against Hamilton). During the period between 1987 and 2013, the Blue Bombers made seven Grey Cup appearances and won two titles as an East Division team. They were also the first non-Edmonton Eskimo Western Division team to win the Grey Cup since the Calgary Stampeders won it in 1971. * 1984 marked the first Grey Cup played on natural grass since the 1970 game at Toronto's

CNE Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally built for Canadian National Exhi ...

. Since then, there have been three Grey Cup games played on natural grass: at

in 1997 and 2002 (it switched to FieldTurf in 2010), and Toronto's

BMO Field BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Constructed on the site of the former Exhibit ...

in 2016.

1984 CFL Playoffs

West Division

* Semi-final (November 4 @

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

)

55–20

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

* Final (November 11 @

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

)

31–14

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

East Division

* Semi-final (November 4 @

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

)

17–11

Montreal Concordes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...

* Final (November 11 @

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

)

14–13

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

External links

* {{1984 CFL season by team Grey Cup 1984 in Canadian football Grey Cups hosted in Edmonton Winnipeg Blue Bombers 1984 in Alberta Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1980s in Edmonton 1984 in Canadian television November 1984 sports events in Canada