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In 1950, the WIFU made history by becoming the first union in Canada to play a playoff game under the lights, when the Edmonton Eskimos played the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Winnipeg was not happy that they had to play under the lights and they seriously objected to that idea. In the game itself, Edmonton defeated the heavily favoured Blue Bombers 17-16 and took a 1-0 nothing lead in the best of three series but ultimately loss the series 2 game to 1. With that series win, Winnipeg returned to the Grey Cup.In the 1950 Grey Cup known as the Mud Bowl (this game is metioned as the Mud Bowl because of the heavy snowfall that happened the night before the game, and the less than stellar job of removing the snow with a snow plow which dug up the playing field, the warm weather that melted the snow, and the rain that came during the early part of game day), the Winnipeg Blue Bombers went to play against the Toronto Argonauts. Much like the playing field, the Blue Bombers were sloppy and were easily defeated by Toronto 13-0.
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During the 1951 season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders went on to defeat Winnipeg to win their first WIFU championship in team history. With the win in the WIFU championship, the Roughriders went on to face Ottawa in the Grey Cup, which was played in Toronto. In the game, Saskatchewan put up a fight, but ultimately lost 21-14 to the Rough Riders and for the second time in Grey Cup history, a player was ejected from the game. The player in question was Jake Dunlap of Saskatchewan when he had an argument with an official. about a questionable call.29
The next significant season for the WIFU was in 1953, when they decided to make a couple changes in the union. The first move that the WIFU did was that they got a commissioner and his name was G. Sydney Halter (who later became the first commissioner of the Canadian Football League). Also during this season the WIFU started the negotiation list. The negotiation list is a list of players in which a club was given rights to. This was the WIFU answer to the draft, because Western teams were not allowed to participate in drafts to attract younger players from colleges and universities. During the WIFU playoffs, Winnipeg had a new stadium and set a new attendance record in a playoff game versus Edmonton (17,434 saw the playoff game) in which the Blue Bombers won 21-17.In previous years, the winner from the WIFU would go on to play in the Grey Cup but not this year, it was determined by the CRU that the winner of the ORFU would travel west for the semi-final game. Winnipeg's opponent would be Balmy Beach from Toronto and in this game, Winnipeg defeated Balmy Beach 24-4 and went to the Grey Cup to face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that was played in Varsity Stadium. In the game itself, Hamilton won the Grey Cup by the score of 12-6.
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G. Sydney Halter who was commissioner from the WIFU from 1953-1958.1958-1966
Credits:Tex Coulter
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Before the 1954 season started, the BC Lions entered the WIFU. In BC's season, they only one won defated the Calgary Stampeders. During the 1954 season, a new dynasty emerged from the WIFU and they were the Edmonton Eskimos. In the playoffs, Edmonton easily defeated Winnipeg in the WIFU final and earned their first WIFU championship and later played Kitchener from the ORFU in which Edmonton easily won 28-6 (The ORFU would never challenge for the Grey Cup again after that year). With those two wins, Edmonton went on to play in their first Grey Cup since the 1922 season and advanced to the Grey Cup to play the Alouettes in which the Eskimos won 26-25. This was Edmonton's first Grey Cup in team history.32
Jackie Parker and Normie Kwong celebrating with the Grey Cup.27 November 1954
Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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In the 1955 season, another WIFU attendance record was set when the BC Lions set the record at Empire Field when Edmonton visited. At Empire Stadium, 29,000 spectators saw the BC Lions lost a close 18-13 game.In the WIFU playoffs, Edmonton and Winnipeg played in a best of three series, in which Edmonton beat the Blue Bombers rather handily 29-6 and 26-6, and once again went to the Grey Cup where they played the Alouettes again. In the game, Edmonton won their second straight Grey Cup 34-19. This Grey Cup is significant because this was the first Grey Cup game that was played in Western Canada, more specifically this Grey Cup game was played in Empire Field in Vancouver.
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Ceremonial kick-off of the 1955 Grey Cup.26 December 1955
Empire Stadium, Vancouver, British columbia, Canada
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During the 1956 season, Edmonton was still the class of the WIFU, when the Eskimos defeated the Roughriders in a best of three series two games to one and went on to play Montreal again in the Grey Cup, which Edmonton won with Canadian quarterback Don Getty leading them to a 50-27 victory. Also during this season, the Grey Cup was shown live to Western Canadians and the only way that people could see this game live was that they had to travel to Winnipeg, this resulting in increases in tourism in Winnipeg.On a sombre note, at the end of the 1956 season five players from the WIFU lost their lives were coming back from the Shrine Game that was played in Vancouver. These players were Calvin Johnson, Mel Becket, Mario Demarco, Gordie Sturtridge, and Ray Syrnuk.
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The next significant season, was the last season of the WIFU that was in 1960, prior of them becoming the Western Football Confernece. The reason for this change was because the WFC wanted an interlocking schedule with the Eastern Football Conference, and to do so, the rebranding was neccessary. The last champion of the WIFU was once again the Edmonton Eskimos, and Edmonton went on to lose the Grey Cup, as they were defeated by the Ottawa Rough Riders 16-6. |
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