1937 in Canadian football
Canadian Football News in 1937
The Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU) began to compete for the Grey Cup.
In western Canada, the WIFU was one of three leagues that fell under umbrella of the Western Canadian Rugby Football Union (WCRFU). The British Columbia Rugby Football Union (BCRFU) and the North Western League were the other leagues. The champions of the BCRFU and the North Western leagues had the right to challenge the WIFU champions to determine who would represent the west in the Grey Cup. No challenge was issued.
The North Western League consisted of the Edmonton Athletic Club, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Alberta Polar Bears. The two university teams were not the same teams that competed for the Western University championship. As a way of distinguishing between the two University of Alberta teams, the North Western League team was called the Polar Bears while the other team retained the Golden Bears name.
Regular season
Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points
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(*) Final Hamilton-Balmy Beach game was cancelled. |
*Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs.
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmount | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 28 | 8 |
| CNR | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 48 | 7 |
| N.D.G. | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 46 | 5 |
| McGill | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 36 | 4 |
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore Lions | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 78 | 27 | 11 |
| Vancouver Meralomas | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 43 | 58 | 7 |
| Knights of Columbus | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 56 | 4 |
*UBC games count in the standings
Grey Cup playoffs
Note: All dates in 1937
Division Semi-Finals
| Game | Date | Away | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 24 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7 | Regina Roughriders 4 |
| 2 | October 31 | Regina Roughriders 20 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers 5 |
- Regina wins the series 24-12 and advances to the WIFU finals
| Game | Date | Away | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 20 | Ottawa Rough Riders 15 | Toronto Argonauts 11 |
| 2 | November 27 | Toronto Argonauts 10 | Ottawa Rough Riders 1 |
- Toronto won the total-point series by 21–16. Toronto will play the Sarnia Imperials (ORFU Champions) in the Eastern Finals.
| Date | Away | Home |
|---|---|---|
| November 20 | Sarnia Imperials (ORFU) 63 | Montreal Westmounts (QRFU) 0 |
- Sarnia advances to the Eastern Final.
Finals
| Game | Date | Away | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 6 | Calgary Bronks 13 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers 10 |
| 2 | November 11 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers 9 | Calgary Bronks 1 |
- Winnipeg won the total-point series by 19–14. Winnipeg advances to the Grey Cup game.
| Date | Away | Home |
|---|---|---|
| December 4 | Toronto Argonauts 10 | Sarnia Imperials (ORFU) 6 |
- Toronto advances to the Grey Cup game.
Playoff Bracket
| Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Grey Cup Final | ||||||||||||
| IRFU | Toronto Argonauts | 21 | ||||||||||||
| IRFU | Ottawa Rough Riders | 16 | ||||||||||||
| IRFU | Toronto Argonauts | 10 | ||||||||||||
| EAST | ||||||||||||||
| ORFU | Sarnia Imperials | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ORFU | Sarnia Imperials | 63 | ||||||||||||
| QRFU | Montreal Westmounts | 0 | ||||||||||||
| IRFU | Toronto Argonauts | 4 | ||||||||||||
| WIFU | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| WIFU | Calgary Bronks | |||||||||||||
| BYE | ||||||||||||||
| WIFU | Calgary Bronks | 14 | ||||||||||||
| WEST | ||||||||||||||
| WIFU | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 19 | ||||||||||||
| WIFU | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 24 | ||||||||||||
| WIFU | Regina Roughriders | 12 | ||||||||||||
Grey Cup Championship
| December 11
25th Annual Grey Cup Game: Varsity Stadium – Toronto, Ontario | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| WIFU Champion | IRFU Champion | ||
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers 3 | Toronto Argonauts 4 | ||
| The Toronto Argonauts are the 1937 Grey Cup Champions | |||
- Note: Eastern Final Playoff date is not confirmed, however since the regular season in the East ended November 13, and all other playoff dates, as well as Grey Cup date are accurate, it is reasonable to assume the above date is accurate.
1937 Eastern (Combined IRFU & ORFU) All-Stars selected by Canadian Press
NOTE: During this time most players played both ways, so the All-Star selections do not distinguish between some offensive and defensive positions.
1st Team
- QB – Arnie Morrison, Ottawa Rough Riders
- FW – Ormond Beach, Sarnia Imperials
- HB – Johnny Ferraro, Montreal Indians
- HB – Hugh Sterling, Sarnia Imperials
- HB – Stan O'Neil, Ottawa Rough Riders
- E – Wes Cutler, Toronto Argonauts
- E – Jimmy Simpson, Hamilton Tigers
- C – Dave Ryan, Montreal Indians
- G – Charles "Tiny" Herman, Ottawa Rough Riders
- G – Tim Palmer, Toronto Argonauts
- T – Dave Sprague, Ottawa Rough Riders
- T – Mike Clawson, Sarnia Imperials
2nd Team
- QB – Alex Hayes, Sarnia Imperials
- FW – Ted Morris, Toronto Argonauts
- HB – Hugh "Huck" Welch, Hamilton Tigers
- HB – Abe Eliowitz, Montreal Indians
- HB – Bob Isbister, Toronto Argonauts
- E – Bernie Thornton, Queen's University
- E – Syd Reynolds, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- C – Jack Taylor, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- G – Bill Irwin, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- G – George Hornig, McGill University
- T – Tommy Burns, Montreal Indians
- T – Andy Anton, McGill University
1937 Ontario Rugby Football Union All-Stars
NOTE: During this time most players played both ways, so the All-Star selections do not distinguish between some offensive and defensive positions.
- QB – Alex Hayes, Sarnia Imperials
- FW – Ormond Beach, Sarnia Imperials
- HB – Ab Box, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- HB – Herb Moores, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- DB – Hugh Sterling, Sarnia Imperials
- E – Syd Reynolds, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- E – Danny Daniels, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- C – Jack Taylor, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- G – Pat Bulter, Sarnia Imperials
- G – Bill Irwin, Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers
- T – Mike Clawson, Sarnia Imperials
- T – Cliff Parson, Sarnia Imperials
1937 Canadian Football Awards
- Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy (IRFU MVP) – Teddy Morris (FW), Toronto Argonauts
- Imperial Oil Trophy (ORFU MVP) - Ormond Beach - Sarnia Imperials