The Grey Cup boasts a history featuring moments of loss, theft, ransom demands, and even an unexpected encounter with the Taliban.
Originally in 1909 this iconic trophy was intended to celebrate Canada’s top senior hockey team, but when Sir Montague Allan created the Allan Cup, the Grey Cup found its true purpose as a symbol of Canadian rugby football excellence. Sir Earl Grey, who donated the trophy, saw it crafted at a modest initial cost of $48. Ten years ago, its worth has skyrocketed to about $75,000. We don’t know how much it’s value has increased since – but we assume it’s closer to 6 digits.
Mark DeNobile, the executive director of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, once joked about the mysterious condition in which The Grey Cup often returns home: “Whatever the champions do with it while they have it, we really don’t want to know. There have been times it’s come back a bit worse for wear.”
Here are some of the wild stories from years past that involve the Trophy:
The Grey Cup’s Time in Afghanistan
Among the Grey Cup’s most dramatic tales occurred on July 1, 2008. Mark DeNobile (mentioned above) alongside CFL legends Roger Aldag and Steve Mazurak, comedian Mike MacDonald, and country singer George Canyon, traveled to Kandahar, Afghanistan, to present the trophy to Canadian Forces personnel. While there, the base faced an attack from the Taliban. DeNobile was on stage with the Grey Cup when the missiles struck nearby. As chaos ensued, everyone was ushered to a bunker, but the trophy remained on stage.
Remarkably, the Cup stayed in position throughout it all. Two years later, the CFL leadership returned to the same base and faced yet another explosion incident!
Wild Antics with the Cup
The Grey Cup has seen its fair share of outrageous moments. In 1992, after the Calgary Stampeders’ victory, the trophy became part of a wild night at a strip club, where it was humorously utilized to measure the dancers. However, its escapades haven’t always been carefree. In the aftermath of the 2006 Grey Cup win, the trophy infamously broke in two when a player celebrated a bit too enthusiastically. Despite the mishap, the players continued the festivities with both pieces, and a Winnipeg welder later restored it. Give that person a raise!
Breaking has been a recurring theme. The Cup was damaged in 1987 by a player sitting on it, and in 1993, it suffered another blow when a head-butt went wrong. As for those who forgot the trophy, one memorable instance occurred in 1998 when the Calgary Stampeders almost left Winnipeg without it after a night of celebration. Fortunately, someone placed it on a bus just in time.
Lost and Found Stories
In 1964, the B.C. Lions had to send someone back to retrieve the Cup after realizing they had left it at their hotel.
Former Toronto kicker Mike Vanderjagt lost the Cup in November 1997. Vanderjagt took it to a bar in his native Oakville, Ont., where it was stolen.
The next morning, a college student who apparently joked she’d give $100 to have the Cup in her apartment actually woke up to find it in her kitchen. Police were called and the trophy was returned.
It was also stolen in 1969 from Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park and held for ransom. Toronto police later found the Grey Cup in a storage locker at the Royal York Hotel.
The University of Toronto won the first Grey Cup championship in 1909, but didn’t receive the trophy until the following March as Grey’s staff reportedly forgot to have it made. And once the school got the Cup it held on to it, figuring it didn’t have to return the trophy until another team beat U of T in the title game.
That happened in 1914 when the Argonauts captured the title. Since then, the winning team has made the trophy available to next season’s champion.
In 1947, the trophy was almost destroyed by fire while on display at the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club. The office was gutted, but a slightly tarnished Cup survived
Streaking Story
In 1975, Calgary hosted the Grey Cup, marking a touchdown in CFL history as it was the first time the game hit the Prairies. But with temperatures plummeting to between -10 and -15°C, the only thing colder than the weather was the scoreboard—no touchdowns were scored! The Edmonton Eskimos barely squeaked past the Montreal Alouettes with a nail-biting 9-8 victory, one of the chilliest results in Grey Cup lore.
However, the shivering crowd of 32,322 kept their spirits warm! The pre-game festivities heated up when a woman streaker strutted across the field, shaking it during the national anthem for 5 to 10 minutes before getting arrested. City police admitted they were unprepared for such antics. “We had no spare overcoats,” quipped one officer. Looks like they could’ve used a few more layers of strategy that day!
The First Champions and Ongoing Legacy
The first Grey Cup championship was won by the University of Toronto in 1909, although they didn’t receive the actual trophy until months later, due to an oversight. The Argonauts reclaimed it in 1914 when they defeated U of T. Since then, the custom has been for the current champion to pass the trophy to the next season’s victor.
Unlike the Stanley Cup, which has been claimed by American teams multiple times, the Grey Cup has only been awarded to a U.S. team once—in 1995 when the Baltimore Stallions captured the title before moving to Montreal.
This legendary trophy continues to be a symbol of not just football, but the resilience and humour of those who compete for it, a testament to its storied legacy in the fabric of Canadian culture.
Last year’s Grey Cup generated over $73.5 million in total economic activity in Canada, according to a study by Sport Tourism Canada. The Grey Cup location for 2025 has been announced: Calgary, AB.
