47th Grey Cup
Encyclopedia
The 47th Grey Cup
was the Canadian Football League
's (CFL) championship game of the 1959 season
on November 28, 1959.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers
defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
21 to 7 at Toronto's CNE Stadium before a crowd of 33,133
kicked a 21 yard field goal.
In the second quarter, Winnipeg's Charlie Shepard had a punt blocked by Vince Scott
. The ball went into the end zone but Scott was unable to recover and it was brought out by Bomber Jack Delveaux. Hamilton were only able to score a single, leaving Winnipeg ahead at the half 3-1.
In the third quarter Hamilton drove to the Winnipeg 4 yard line but were unable to score a touchdown on their first two downs and settled for a Steve Oneschuk field goal. A second Oneschuk field goal and a single by Charlie Shepard made for a third quarter score of 7-4 in Hamilton's favour.
Early in the fourth quarter Bombers' Roger Savoie
hit Hamilton running back Gerry McDougall, causing him to fumble. Bud Tinsley recovered for Winnipeg at the Tiger-Cats' 43 yard line. Bombers' Farrell Funston took a sideline pass from quarterback Ken Ploen
41 yards to the two yard line. From there Charlie Shepard ran for the touchdown.
Hamilton were unable to move into the wind and Shepard scored three singles on wind-assisted punts. In the last minute, still only trailing by a converted touchdown, Hamilton were compelled to gamble on third down at their own 33. The gamble failed and Winnipeg sealed their victory with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Ploen to Ernie Pitts
in the last seconds of the game.
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
was the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's (CFL) championship game of the 1959 season
1959 CFL season
The 1959 CFL season was the sixth season in modern Canadian professional football, although officially it was the second season of the Canadian Football League.-Final regular season standings:...
on November 28, 1959.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
21 to 7 at Toronto's CNE Stadium before a crowd of 33,133
Game summary
On the first series of the game, Winnipeg drove deep and Gerry JamesGerry James
Gerald Edwin James is a former professional Canadian football running back and professional ice hockey player. He played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.A graduate of Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, he started...
kicked a 21 yard field goal.
In the second quarter, Winnipeg's Charlie Shepard had a punt blocked by Vince Scott
Vince Scott
Vincent Joseph "Boomer" Scott was a Canadian football player. He played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and was later a Hamilton city councillor. He became a Canadian citizen in the mid 1950s...
. The ball went into the end zone but Scott was unable to recover and it was brought out by Bomber Jack Delveaux. Hamilton were only able to score a single, leaving Winnipeg ahead at the half 3-1.
In the third quarter Hamilton drove to the Winnipeg 4 yard line but were unable to score a touchdown on their first two downs and settled for a Steve Oneschuk field goal. A second Oneschuk field goal and a single by Charlie Shepard made for a third quarter score of 7-4 in Hamilton's favour.
Early in the fourth quarter Bombers' Roger Savoie
Roger Savoie
Roger Savoie , was a defensive lineman who played fifteen seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In 2005 he was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.- External links :* at...
hit Hamilton running back Gerry McDougall, causing him to fumble. Bud Tinsley recovered for Winnipeg at the Tiger-Cats' 43 yard line. Bombers' Farrell Funston took a sideline pass from quarterback Ken Ploen
Ken Ploen
Kenneth "Ken" Ploen [PLAYN], OM was a star quarterback in American college football and for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League .-College football:...
41 yards to the two yard line. From there Charlie Shepard ran for the touchdown.
Hamilton were unable to move into the wind and Shepard scored three singles on wind-assisted punts. In the last minute, still only trailing by a converted touchdown, Hamilton were compelled to gamble on third down at their own 33. The gamble failed and Winnipeg sealed their victory with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Ploen to Ernie Pitts
Ernie Pitts
Ernie Pitts was a Canadian Football League receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the British Columbia Lions in a 14 year career in the CFL from 1957-1970. He won four Grey Cups with Winnipeg.Pitts died in 1970. He was shot in a domestic dispute....
in the last seconds of the game.