The 99th Grey Cup was a

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 ...

game between the East Division champion

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 West Division champion

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 ...

to decide the champion of the

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 ...

in the 2011 season. The Lions defeated the Blue Bombers 34–23 and became the first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after starting the season with five straight losses. They also became the first team to win the championship game at home since the 1994 Lions did it in the

82nd Grey Cup The 82nd Grey Cup was the 1994 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Baltimore Football Club and the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was the first championship in professional football histo ...

, and were only the fourth team in the modern era to do so. This, a rematch of the

76th Grey Cup The 76th Grey Cup was the 1988 Canadian Football League championship game that was played at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, between the BC Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Blue Bombers defeated the favoured Lions 22–21. This was the first G ...

, was the second time that these two teams met for the championship. The game took place on November 27, 2011, at

BC Place Stadium BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a crown corporation of the province. The venue is currently ...

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, ...

. This was the eighth Grey Cup game played at BC Place, and the 15th in Vancouver, the most recent previous one having been the

93rd Grey Cup The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The ...

between the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, 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 Canadian F ...

and

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 ...

. BC head coach

Wally Buono Pasquale "Wally" Buono (born February 7, 1950) is the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one of the most successful head coaches in leag ...

won his fifth Grey Cup, tying a CFL record. In his first Grey Cup, Lions quarterback

Travis Lulay Travis may refer to: People and fictional characters *Travis (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Travis (surname), a list of people Places in the United States *Travis, Staten Island, a neighborhood *Travis Air Force Base, a ...

threw two second-half touchdown passes and was named

Grey Cup MVP The Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is awarded annually since 1959 to the player of the winning team who deemed to have had the best performance in the Grey Cup Game, the Canadian Football League's championship game. This award is pres ...

. Lions tailback Andrew Harris, also playing in his first championship game, was the Most Valuable Canadian.

Host city

On February 27, 2009, news agencies reported—and the league confirmed—that the game had been awarded to Vancouver. The game was played at the home of the

. It was the fifteenth Grey Cup to be held in Vancouver (and eighth at BC Place Stadium), the most recent previous one having been the

in 2005, between the

and

, which the Eskimos won 38-35 in overtime. BC Place had recently completed a roof replacement, and this was the first Grey Cup played under its new retractable roof. The game was announced as a sellout on July 21, 2011, thirty days after the tickets went on sale to the public and 129 before the game itself. This surpassed the previous Vancouver record, set when the

game was sold out on October 7, 2005. The sellout attendance for the 99th Grey Cup was 54,313. Prices ranged from $125 to $375 when tickets were released to the general public in June 2011, but 2011 Lions season ticket holders were able to get priority seating at prices ranging from $100 to $295.

Broadcasting

In Canada, the game was televised in high-definition by both TSN (English) and RDS (French). TSN

play-by-play In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

was provided by

Chris Cuthbert Chris Cuthbert (born September 20, 1957) is a Canadian sportscaster. He is the lead play-by-play commentator for ''NHL on Sportsnet'' and ''Hockey Night in Canada'', since 2021. Formerly, he worked for TSN, NBC, and CBC Sports in a multitude of ...

, while

Glen Suitor Robert Glen Suitor (born November 24, 1962) is a Canadian sports broadcaster and retired football defensive back who played eleven seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Currently, he broadcasts CFL games ...

provided

colour commentary A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...

. Play-by-play man

Denis Casavant Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary * Denis the Carthusian (1402–1 ...

and colour commentator

Pierre Vercheval Pierre Vercheval (born November 22, 1964) is a former all star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. Vercheval played his university football at the University of Western Ontario, where he won the J. P. Metras Trophy top lineman in ...

announced the game for RDS. The RDS broadcast team also included

Marc Labrecque Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

Mike Sutherland Michael Sutherland (born June 25, 1971, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played ten seasons for four teams in the Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue c ...

and

Claude Mailhot Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

. The game was watched on television by an average audience of 4.6 million people. Although this was down from the 6.04 million viewers that the

98th Grey Cup The 98th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played between the East Division champion Montreal Alouettes and West Division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders to decide the champion of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the 2010 season. ...

drew, it was still the highest-rated television program of the week in Canada. In the Vancouver market, over half the population watched the game, and more than 11 million Canadians overall watched some or all of the broadcast on TSN and RDS.

Entertainment

Before the game, Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden sang the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

. The ''Pepsi Max Halftime Show'' was performed by Vancouver-based rock band

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adai ...

. They played songs off their albums ''

All The Right Reasons ''All the Right Reasons'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback, released on October 4, 2005, on Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first album with former 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair, who replaced Ryan Vikedal in Ja ...

'', ''

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

'', and '' Here and Now''. On the Friday preceding the championship game, the CFL Alumni Association organized a fan meet-and-greet hosted by stand-up comedian Ron James to benefit the research against concussions in football.

Path to the Grey Cup

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers entered the 2011 season with almost a completely unchanged roster than the team that went 4–14 and finished in last place in the East Division the year before. The Blue Bombers were considered to be a non-contender by many sports writers at the start of the season. However, the Bombers shocked many by getting off to a fast start, going 7–1 in their first 8 games. Although the Bombers started to slip in their on field performance during the second half of the season, they still won enough games to not only make the playoffs, but to finish in 1st place in the East Division for the first time since 2001, finishing with a 10–8 record. The Bombers earned a bye into the Division Final by virtue of winning the tie-breaker for first place over the

. On November 20, 2011, the Blue Bombers faced the 8–10

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 ...

in the East Division Final at

Canad Inns Stadium Canad Inns Stadium (also known as Winnipeg Stadium) was a multipurpose stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The stadium was located at the corner of St. James Street and Maroons Road, immediately north of the Polo Park Shopping Centre and the ...

Winnipeg 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 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. The Blue Bombers came out on top in a tough defensive battle, defeating the Ti-Cats 19–3 on a cold day in Winnipeg, advancing to the Grey Cup game for the first time since 2007.

BC Lions

Unlike the Bombers, the Lions got off to a slow start in 2011, losing their first five games before finally getting their first win of the season over the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

in week 6. After suffering one more defeat to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the next week, the Lions went on a remarkable 8-game winning streak which jolted them all the way to the top of CFL West Division standings. The Lions would end up finishing the season in 1st place in the West Division with an 11–7 record, winning 11 of their last 13 games after starting the season 0–5. In the West Division Final on November 20, 2011, the Lions faced the

(also 11–7). The Eskimos previously beaten the Lions in the 2005 playoffs when Vancouver last hosted the Grey Cup game, denying the Lions a chance to play for the Cup in front of a home crowd. This time, the Lions would have that chance as they easily handled the Eskimos 40–23, advancing to the Grey Cup game on their home turf.

Head-to-head

Winnipeg and BC met twice during the regular season. The Bombers won both games against the Lions, sweeping both meetings. The first game was a 25–20 win by the Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg on July 28, 2011, which was the first game played after former Lion defensive line coach and then Bomber defensive line and assistant head coach

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in ''This Sporting ...

suddenly died on July 26, 2011. Both teams joined each other at the center of the field for a moment of silence before the game. The second game at

Empire Field Empire Field was a temporary Canadian football and soccer stadium built at Hastings Park in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Located on the site of the former Empire Stadium, the 27,528 spectator venue was constructed to allow ...

in Vancouver on August 13, 2011, was much more decisive with the Bombers defeating the Lions by a score of 30–17. Despite the Blue Bombers sweep over the Lions, the Bombers sudden decline along with the Lions resurgence resulted in BC being named Grey Cup favourites. Winnipeg and BC have only met once before in the Grey Cup game, the

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 1988. The Lions were also favoured in that game, but the Blue Bombers edged the Lions 22–21 in front of 50,604 fans in Ottawa.

Game summary

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (23) – TDs Greg Carr,

Terrence Edwards Terrence Edwards (born April 20, 1979) is a former Canadian football wide receiver who played for nine seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Falcons ...

; FGs

Justin Palardy Justin Palardy (born May 24, 1988) is a professional Canadian football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted 36th overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2010 CFL Draft and was used as a punter. After being released by the ...

(3); cons., Palardy (2). BC Lions (34) – TDs, Andrew Harris, Kierrie Johnson, Arland Bruce; FGs Paul McCallum (4); cons., McCallum (3); singles, McCallum (1). ;First Quarter :BC – TD Harris 19 run (6:54) (McCallum convert) 7 – 0 BC :BC – FG McCallum 22 (3:42) 10 – 0 BC :BC – Single McCallum 57 punt (00:48) 11 – 0 BC ;Second Quarter :BC – FG McCallum 16 (4:44) 14 – 0 BC :WPG – FG Palardy 30 (2:41) 14 – 3 BC :WPG – FG Palardy 15 (00:33) 14 – 6 BC ;Third Quarter :WPG – FG Palardy 33 (10:25) 14 – 9 BC :BC – FG McCallum 22 (2:59) 17 – 9 BC :BC – TD Johnson 66 pass from Lulay (McCallum convert) (00:30) 24 – 9 BC ;Fourth Quarter :BC – TD Bruce 6 pass from Lulay (McCallum convert) (7:13) 31 – 9 BC :WPG – TD Carr 45 pass from Pierce (Palardy convert) (3:51) 31 – 16 BC :WPG – TD Edwards 13 pass from Pierce (Palardy convert) (1:52) 31 – 23 BC :BC – FG McCallum 34 (1:20) 34 – 23 BC

CFL playoffs

Playoff bracket

*-Team won in overtime.

Division Semi-Finals

East Semi-Final

Date and time: Sunday, November 13, 1 PM

Eastern Standard Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and ...

Venue:

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

West Semi-Final

Date and time: Sunday, November 13, 3 PM

Mountain Standard Time The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...

Venue:

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, Alberta 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 anchor ...

Division Finals

East Final

Date and time: Sunday, November 20, 12 PM

Central Standard Time The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinate ...

Venue:

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 ...

West Final

Date and time: Sunday, November 20, 1:30 PM

Pacific Standard Time The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−08:00). ...

Venue:

Vancouver, BC Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

References

External links

Official website
{{2011 CFL season by team Grey Cup Grey Cups hosted in Vancouver Winnipeg Blue Bombers BC Lions 2010s in Vancouver

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 ...