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| Date | November 22, 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Olympic Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Montreal | ||||||||||||||||||
| Most Valuable Player | Offence:J.C. Watts, QB (Rough Riders) Defence:John Glassford, LB (Rough Riders) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Most Valuable Canadian | Neil Lumsden, RB (Eskimos) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Bill Dell | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 52,478 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBC,CTV,SRC | ||||||||||||||||||
The69thGrey Cup was played on November 22, 1981, at theOlympic Stadium inMontreal, Quebec in front of 52,487 fans. The 1981 Grey Cup game is considered to be one of the ten best Grey Cup games of all time.[1] CFL football fans saw an unexpectedly exciting game, as the 22.5 point underdogOttawa Rough Riders, sporting a woeful record of 5–11 (the worst record in league history by any Grey Cup finalist team), came within three seconds of beating theEdmonton Eskimos, who had won the championship the last three straight years. The Eskimos, with a 14–1–1 record, were almost the victims of what would have been the biggest upset in the history of theGrey Cup. With the win, the Eskimos became the first team in league history to win the Grey Cupfour consecutive times.
This was the final appearance in the Grey Cup game for the Ottawa Rough Riders, who folded in 1996. A team from Ottawa would not return to the Grey Cup until2015, when the second-yearRedblacks faced off, incidentally, against the Edmonton Eskimos. Canadian Football Hall of Fame legendsTom Wilkinson (Edmonton) andTony Gabriel (Ottawa) played their final game in the 69thGrey Cup as did veteran Edmonton centreBob Howes. Future US CongressmanJ.C. Watts was Ottawa's quarterback. He won theGrey Cup Most Valuable Player (Offensive) award.
First Quarter
Ottawa – FG –Gerry Organ 34 yards
Ottawa – FG –Gerry Organ 37 yards
Ottawa – TD –Jim Reid 1-yard run (Gerry Organ convert)
Second Quarter
Ottawa – TD –Sam Platt 14-yard run (Gerry Organ convert)
Edmonton – Single –Dave Cutler 24 yards missed Field Goal
Third Quarter
Edmonton – TD –Jim Germany 2-yard run (Dave Cutler convert)
Edmonton – TD –Warren Moon 1-yard run (Dave Cutler convert)
Fourth Quarter
Ottawa – FG –Gerry Organ 28 yards
Edmonton – TD –Warren Moon 1-yard run (Marco Cyncar 2 point convert pass from Moon)
Edmonton – FG – Dave Cutler 27 yards
| Teams | 1 Q | 2 Q | 3 Q | 4 Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Eskimos | 0 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 26 |
| Ottawa Rough Riders | 13 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
Ottawa unexpectedly built up a lead of 20 to 1 at halftime on touchdowns by Jim Reid and Sam Platt and twoGerry Organ field goals. Edmonton fought back in the second half with short touchdown runs byJim Germany andWarren Moon. After another Ottawa field goal, Moon scored his second rushing touchdown and hitMarco Cyncar for a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 23.
The most controversial play in this closely fought game came in the last 4 minutes. Ottawa tight endTony Gabriel, limping down the field with torn knee ligaments, caught a vital 20-yard pass while battling Eskimo defenderGary Hayes. The officials called pass interference penalties on both players, wiping out the gain. Gabriel was stunned and argued his case on field, to no avail. Gabriel, his knee finally disabling him and denied this last moment of greatness, would not play again.
Ottawa was soon forced to punt and lost the game on a 27-yard field goal byDave Cutler with three seconds left.