The Grey Cup

John Walker is a professor of Spanish at Queen’s University.

Graham Kelly has been associated with the Canadian Football League for
half a century. He was waterboy with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in
1956, and since 1972 has written a weekly football column on the CFL for
the Medicine Hat News, displaying not only a love of the game but a
great knowledge of the personalities involved (players, coaches,
managers, owners). More than just a history of the Grey Cup, Kelly’s
book is in fact a history of the CFL from its earliest beginnings
through the rocky years of the 1990s.

The book is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the rivalry
between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes. The Winnipeg
Blue Bombers–Hamilton Tiger Cats rivalry is the subject of Chapter 2.
Chapter 3 looks at the ups and downs of the “hated” Toronto Argos.
Chapter 4 focuses on the wild and wacky B.C. Lions, with their history
of ownership and player problems. The Ottawa Rough Riders battle the
Saskatchewan Roughriders in Chapter 5. The last chapter is devoted to
Calgary and the special Stampeder mentality that dominated the 1990s
under general manager Wally Buono and quarterback Doug Flutie.

What makes this account different from other CFL histories is Kelly’s
interesting and insightful narrative. Using tape-recorded interviews
with players and coaches, he relates the story of the Cup games through
the voices of the participants, which makes for a colorful and, at
times, controversial narrative. A name index and scores of old
photographs enhance this up-to-date, entertaining story of Canada’s
Grey Cup.