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.
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.[1]
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:[3]
Note: All dates in 1956
Semifinals 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 Quarterfinals Semifinals Grey Cup IRFU Montreal Alouettes IRFU BYE IRFU Montreal Alouettes 30 -48 EAST IRFU Hamilton Tiger Cats 21-41 IRFU Hamilton Tiger Cats 46 IRFU Ottawa Rough Riders 21 IRFU Montreal Alouettes 27 WIFU Edmonton Eskimos 50 WIFU Edmonton Eskimos WIFU BYE WIFU Edmonton Eskimos 22-20 -51 WEST WIFU Saskatchewan Roughriders 23 -12-7WIFU Saskatchewan Roughriders 42 -8WIFU Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7-19
Grey Cup Championship
Offence QB – Sam Etcheverry , Montreal Alouettes RB – Cookie Gilchrist , Hamilton Tiger-Cats RB – Pat Abbruzzi , Montreal Alouettes RB – Dick Shatto , Toronto Argonauts E – Hal Patterson , Montreal Alouettes E – Bobby Simpson , Ottawa Rough Riders FW – Joey Pal , Montreal Alouettes C – Tommy Hugo , Montreal Alouettes OG – Francis Machinsky , Toronto Argonauts OG – Larry Hayes , Ottawa Rough Riders OT – Kaye Vaughan , Ottawa Rough Riders OT – Bill Albright , Toronto Argonauts
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
Offence QB – Jackie Parker , Edmonton Eskimos RB – Ken Carpenter , Saskatchewan Roughriders RB – Ed Vereb , British Columbia Lions RB – Normie Kwong , Edmonton Eskimos RB – Bob McNamara , Winnipeg Blue Bombers E – Don Edwards, British Columbia Lions E – Bud Grant , Winnipeg Blue Bombers C – Mel Becket , Saskatchewan Roughriders C – George Druxman , Winnipeg Blue Bombers OG – Harry Langford , Calgary Stampeders OG – Buddy Alliston , Winnipeg Blue Bombers OT – Martin Ruby , Saskatchewan Roughriders OT – Buddy Tinsley , Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Defence DT – Dick Huffman , Calgary Stampeders DT – Martin Ruby , Saskatchewan Roughriders DE – Frank Anderson , Edmonton Eskimos DE – Gord Sturtridge , Saskatchewan Roughriders MG – Ron Atchison , Saskatchewan Roughriders LB – John Wozniak , Saskatchewan Roughriders LB – Earl Lindley , Edmonton Eskimos LB – Bobby Marlow , Saskatchewan Roughriders LB – Ted Tully , Edmonton Eskimos DB – Rollie Miles , Edmonton Eskimos DB – Larry Isbell , Saskatchewan Roughriders S – Paul Cameron , British Columbia Lions
References