1956 in Canadian football


The Edmonton Eskimos faced the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup game for the third consecutive year. And for the third consecutive year, the Edmonton Eskimos were Grey Cup champions. It was the first time in a Grey Cup that a touchdown was worth six points instead of five.

Canadian Football News in 1956

On Sunday, January 22, representatives of the two largest and most powerful leagues in the Canadian Rugby Union, the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union, met in Winnipeg and formed the Canadian Football Council as an umbrella organization. G. Sydney Halter, QC, was named as commissioner of the CFC, which would evolve into today's Canadian Football League. The CFC introduced a national negotiation list.
Television rights for Canadian football games were sold for $101,000. The touchdown point value was increased from five to six points.
The first East-West All-Star game was played at Vancouver's Empire Stadium on December 8. The day after the game, Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 crashed into Mount Slesse, killing five players and one official who were on their way from Vancouver to Calgary. The five players who died in the crash included four members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders: offensive linemen Mario DeMarco and Ray Syrnyk, centre/tight end Mel Becket, and defensive lineman Gordon Sturtridge, along with Winnipeg Blue Bomber offensive lineman Cal Jones. The official killed in the crash was Ed Pettit, of Calgary.

Regular season

Final regular season standings

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

  • Bold text means the team clinched a playoff berth.
  • Edmonton and Montreal had first-round byes.
  • X – Rochester withdrew from the league.

    Grey Cup playoffs

Source:
Note: All dates in 1956

SEMI-FINALS

  • Saskatchewan won the total-point series 50–26. The Roughriders moved on to play the Edmonton Eskimos in the WIFU Finals.
  • The Tiger-Cats advanced to play the Montreal Alouettes in the IRFU Finals.

    FINALS

  • Edmonton won the best of three series 2–1 and advanced to the Grey Cup game.
  • Montreal won the total-point series 78–62 and advanced to the Grey Cup game.

    Playoff Bracket

Grey Cup Championship

Canadian Football Leaders

Offence

Defence

  • DT – Kaye Vaughan, Ottawa Rough Riders
  • DT – Bill Albright, Toronto Argonauts
  • DE – Pete Neumann, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
  • DE – Jim Miller, Montreal Alouettes
  • DG – Vince Scott, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
  • MG – Hardiman Cureton, Toronto Argonauts
  • LB – Tommy Hugo, Montreal Alouettes
  • LB – Ken Vargo, Montreal Alouettes
  • DB – Hal Patterson, Montreal Alouettes
  • DB – Ralph Goldston, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
  • DB – Ray Truant, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
  • S – Don Pinney, Ottawa Rough Riders

1956 Western (Western Interprovincial Football Union) All-Stars

Offence

Defence

1956 Canadian Football Awards

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