1961 CFL season

1961 CFL season

The 1961 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the eighth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the fourth Canadian Football League season.

CFL News in 1961

The Western Canada Intercollegiate Rugby Union merged with the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union.

The WIFU changed its name to become the Western Football Conference.

The CFL season schedule was partially interlocked to allow teams of the Eastern Football Conference to play regular season games against the teams of the Western Football Conference. Beginning this season, teams would play opponents in their own conference three times and opponents in the other conference once, meaning the length of the regular season remained unchanged in both conferences (i.e. sixteen games for Western teams and fourteen games for Eastern teams). The format would remain as such until 1974 when the Eastern Conference extended its schedule to sixteen games.

A third consecutive year of interleague exhibition matches were scheduled with teams in the National Football League. As in 1959 and 1960, in both of the two games played, both CFL teams lost (the Toronto Argonauts lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 36–7, on August 2, while the Montreal Alouettes fell to the Chicago Bears, 34–16, on August 5). The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had a better idea for success: challenge the nascent American Football League to a duel. The Tiger-Cats faced off against their cross-border "rivals", the Buffalo Bills, on August 8. The Tiger-Cats defeated the Bills, 38–21, giving the Canadian league its first win over an American team since 1941. The AFL, embarrassed over the loss, declined to play another international game, and with the CFL consistently losing to NFL teams, the CFL ended international competition.

The 49th edition of the Grey Cup was played in overtime for the first time at Toronto's CNE Stadium. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won that game by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 21–14, to win the championship.

The CFL made rule changes for the 1962 season, permitting four defensive backs per team to have unlimited blocking during rushing plays, as long as they are lined up outside the ends. Additionally the tackle-eligible play became illegal.

Regular season standings

Final regular season standings

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points

Western Football Conference Team GP W L T PF PA Pts Winnipeg Blue Bombers 16 13 3 0 360 251 26 Edmonton Eskimos 16 10 5 1 334 257 21 Calgary Stampeders 16 7 9 0 300 311 14 Saskatchewan Roughriders 16 5 10 1 211 314 11 BC Lions 16 1 13 2 215 393 4

Eastern Football Conference Team GP W L T PF PA Pts Hamilton Tiger-Cats 14 10 4 0 340 293 20 Ottawa Rough Riders 14 8 6 0 359 285 16 Toronto Argonauts 14 7 6 1 255 258 15 Montreal Alouettes 14 4 9 1 213 225 9

• Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs.
• Winnipeg and Hamilton have first round byes.

Grey Cup playoffs

Note: All dates in 1961

Conference Semi-Finals

Western Semi-Finals – Game 1 Edmonton Eskimos @ Calgary Stampeders Date Away Home November 11 Edmonton Eskimos 8 Calgary Stampeders 10

Western Semi-Finals – Game 2 Calgary Stampeders @ Edmonton Eskimos Date Away Home November 13 Calgary Stampeders 17 Edmonton Eskimos 18

• Calgary won the total-point series by 27–26. The Stampeders will play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Finals.

Eastern Semi-Finals Toronto Argonauts @ Ottawa Rough Riders Date Away Home November 11 Toronto Argonauts 43 Ottawa Rough Riders 19

• The Argonauts will play the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern Finals.

Conference Finals

Western Finals – Game 1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Calgary Stampeders Date Away Home November 18 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 14 Calgary Stampeders 1

Western Finals – Game 2 Calgary Stampeders @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers Date Away Home November 22 Calgary Stampeders 14 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 43

• Winnipeg wins the best of three series 2–0. The Blue Bombers will advance to the Grey Cup Championship game.

Eastern Finals – Game 1 Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Toronto Argonauts Date Away Home November 18 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 7 Toronto Argonauts 25

Eastern Finals – Game 2 Toronto Argonauts @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats Date Away Home November 25 Toronto Argonauts 2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 48 OT

• Hamilton won 2 game total-point series by 55–27. The Tiger-Cats will advance to the Grey Cup Championship game.

Playoff bracket

Division Semifinals

Division Finals

49th Grey Cup

E3

Toronto Argonauts

25-2

E3

Toronto Argonauts

43

E1

Hamilton Tiger Cats

7-48

E2

Ottawa Rough Riders

19

E1

Hamilton Tiger Cats

14

W1

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

21

W3

Calgary Stampeders

1-14

W3

Calgary Stampeders

10-17

W1

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

14-43

W2

Edmonton Eskimos

8-18

Grey Cup Championship

December 2 49th Annual Grey Cup Game: Exhibition Stadium – Toronto
Western Champion	Eastern Champion
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21	Hamilton Tiger-Cats 14	OT
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the 1961 Grey Cup Champions
Ken Ploen (QB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player.

CFL Leaders

• CFL Passing Leaders
• CFL Rushing Leaders
• CFL Receiving Leaders

1961 Eastern All-Stars

Offence

• QB – Bernie Faloney, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• RB – Dick Shatto, Toronto Argonauts
• RB – Don Clark, Montreal Alouettes
• RB – Ron Stewart, Ottawa Rough Riders
• E – Marv Luster, Montreal Alouettes
• E – Paul Dekker, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• F – Dave Mann, Toronto Argonauts
• C – Norm Stoneburgh, Toronto Argonauts
• OG – Ellison Kelly, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• OG – Kaye Vaughan, Ottawa Rough Riders
• OT – Milt Crain, Montreal Alouettes
• OT – Tom Jones, Ottawa Rough Riders

Defence

• DT – Bobby Jack Oliver, Montreal Alouettes
• DT – John Barrow, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• DE – Billy Ray Locklin, Montreal Alouettes
• DE – Pete Neumann, Toronto Argonauts
• DG – Marty Martinello, Toronto Argonauts
• LB – Hardiman Cureton, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• LB – Jim Andreotti, Toronto Argonauts
• LB – Ron Brewer, Montreal Alouettes
• LB – Gerald Nesbitt, Ottawa Rough Riders
• DB – Don Sutherin, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• DB – George Brancato, Ottawa Rough Riders
• S – Jim Rountree, Toronto Argonauts

1961 Western All-Stars

Offence

• QB – Jackie Parker, Edmonton Eskimos
• RB – Willie Fleming, British Columbia Lions
• RB – Earl Lunsford, Calgary Stampeders
• RB – Leo Lewis, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• RB – Johnny Bright, Edmonton Eskimos
• E – Jack Gotta, Calgary Stampeders
• E – Farrell Funston, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• C – Neil Habig, Saskatchewan Roughriders
• OG – Cornel Piper, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• OG – Mike Kmech, Edmonton Eskimos
• OT – Frank Rigney, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• OT – Don Luzzi, Calgary Stampeders

Defence

• DT – Mike Wright, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• DT – Bill Clarke, Saskatchewan Roughriders
• DE – Tony Pajaczkowski, Calgary Stampeders
• DE – Herb Gray, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• MG – Ron Atchison, Saskatchewan Roughriders
• LB – Gord Rowland, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• LB – Bob Ptacek, Saskatchewan Roughriders
• LB – Wayne Harris, Calgary Stampeders
• LB – Dave Burkholder, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• DB – Oscar Kruger, Edmonton Eskimos
• DB – Norm Rauhaus, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• S – Harvey Wylie, Calgary Stampeders

1961 CFL Awards

• CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Bernie Faloney (QB), Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Tony Pajaczkowski (DE), Calgary Stampeders
• CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award – Frank Rigney (OT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• CFL's Coach of the Year – Jim Trimble, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy (Eastern MVP) – Bobby Jack Oliver (DT), Montreal Alouettes
• Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy (Western MVP) – Jackie Parker (QB), Edmonton Eskimos
• Gruen Trophy (Eastern Rookie of the Year) – Gino Berretta (OE/P), Montreal Alouettes
• Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy (Western Rookie of the Year) – Larry Robinson (DB), Calgary Stampeders
• DeMarco–Becket Memorial Trophy (Western Outstanding Lineman) – Frank Rigney (OT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers