CFL website gives 100th Grey Cup to…Queen’s?

There are plenty of celebrations going on in advance of the 100th Grey Cup, but according to the CFL's website, the game has already been played, with a surprising winner. Yes, as you can see from the screenshot above, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have rebounded from their 4-8 start to make it to the big game (which is still possible, if highly improbable). What's more surprising is who they're playing against, though; the site has them losing 16-7 to Queen's University. Amazingly, there's even an attendance (12,000) and a stats page (although it isn't filled in):

So, what's going on here? No, it isn't likely that the CFL page wasn't hacked by Queen's alumni (although there are plenty who are involved with covering the league, including myself, our own Neate Sager and Greg Hughes, famed TSN announcer Chris Cuthbert, TSN panelist Jock Climie and Grey Cup train/CFL Social correspondent extraordinaire Kate McKenna, just to name a few). We also haven't re-emerged into a world where CIS schools compete against professional teams for the Grey Cup, as was the case before 1954.

It's that history that provides us with a clue; the Queen's Golden Gaels actually won the Grey Cup three years in a row in 1922, 1923, and 1924, but those wins were over the Edmonton Elks, the Regina Rugby Club and the Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers (yes, that was a club) respectively, and none of them had 16-7 scores. It looks like this came from the only other university team to win the Grey Cup, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues; they claimed the first three Grey Cups in 1909, 1910 and 1911, and beat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, the Hamilton Tigers and the Toronto Argonauts along the way. That 1910 game against the Tigers? It finished 16-7, and had 12,000 in attendance. Thus, it seems probable someone was putting historical results somewhere on the CFL site, and a database mixup managed to transport the 1910 game to 2012 and sub Queen's in for the U of T. (Fans of those schools can duke it out over who should be more offended there.) It's not a major issue at all (although it isn't the first time the website's gotten a score wrong), but it's a funny little note, and a good chance to discuss some CFL history.

One guy who would very much approve of this change? Canadian Football Hall of Famer Harry Batstone, who won a Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 1921 and then three straight with Queen's. In his day, the Gaels were a dominant top-level football team, and one no one would be surprised was playing for the Grey Cup. However, current Gaels' fans will have to be satisfied with the team's current #5 ranking in the FRC-CIS poll. That may make them a potential threat to challenge for the Vanier Cup, but it's highly unlikely they'll be lifting the Grey Cup this fall.