| 1988 CFL season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | July 12 – November 6, 1988 |
| East champions | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| West champions | BC Lions |
| 76th Grey Cup | |
| Date | November 27, 1988 |
| Venue | Lansdowne Park,Ottawa |
| Champions | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| CFL seasons | |
← 1987 1989 → | |
The1988 CFL season is considered to be the 35th season in modern-dayCanadian football, although it is officially the 31stCanadian Football League season.
The Canadian Football Network reached an agreement with theCFL to extend its network for two more seasons.
Game rosters were revised to consist of 20-Non Imports, 14-Imports and 2-Quarterbacks. The reserve list was lowered from 4 players to 2 players. In addition, if a team decided to dress 14-Imports, one of those imports had to be designated as a special teams player.
On June 23, the CFL All-Stars defeated the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL All-Star Game in Edmonton, 17–4. Although the contest attracted an All-Star record 27,573 fans, no such game has been held since then.
On Monday, December 12, the CFL Board of Governors appointedRoy McMurty as Chairman/Chief Executive Officer andBill Baker as President/Chief Operating Officer, succeedingDouglas Mitchell as the league's commissioner (both McMurtry and Baker served as the league'sde facto co-commissioners for the 1989 season). Their appointments were confirmed on Sunday, January 1, 1989. The CFL Board of Governors also approved the sale of theToronto Argonauts fromCarling O'Keefe Breweries toHarry Ornest.
| Team | GP | W | L | T | Pts | PF | PA | Div | Stk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Eskimos | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 22 | 477 | 408 | 6–4 | W1 | Details |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 22 | 525 | 452 | 5–3 | W1 | Details |
| BC Lions | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 489 | 417 | 4–4 | W3 | Details |
| Calgary Stampeders | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 395 | 476 | 3–7 | L1 | Details |
| Team | GP | W | L | T | Pts | PF | PA | Div | Stk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Argonauts | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 571 | 326 | 8–2 | W7 | Details |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 407 | 458 | 3–3 | L3 | Details |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 478 | 465 | 6–4 | L1 | Details |
| Ottawa Rough Riders | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 278 | 618 | 1–9 | L2 | Details |
TheWinnipeg Blue Bombers are the 1988Grey Cup champions, defeating theBC Lions 22–21, atOttawa'sLansdowne Park. This was the first Grey Cup game between two teams from west of Ontario, and the first to be won by a team which had only a .500 season. The Blue Bombers'James Murphy (WR) was named theGrey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Offence andMichael Gray (DT) was namedGrey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defence, whileBob Cameron (P) was named theGrey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
| November 13: Division Semifinals | November 20: Division Finals | November 27:76th Grey Cup @Lansdowne Park –Ottawa, ON | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 27 | ||||||||||||
| East | ||||||||||||||
| E1 | Toronto Argonauts | 11 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 28 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 35 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 22 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | BC Lions | 21 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | BC Lions | 37 | ||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||
| W1 | Edmonton Eskimos | 19 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | BC Lions | 42 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 18 | ||||||||||||
