4th Grey Cup

The 4th Grey Cup game was played on November 30, 1912, between the Hamilton Alerts and the Toronto Argonauts. The Alerts defeated the Argonauts, 11-4.

Game Summary

The McGill Redmen ended the Varsity Blues' reign as Grey Cup champions in 1912, but refused to challenge for the trophy because the students didn’t want to take time away from their studies.

It was up to either the Hamilton Alerts or the Toronto Argonauts to claim the Dominion championship of 1912, although this almost didn’t happen. The game was delayed for about an hour as a grounds keeper forgot to provide a game ball to the combatants. Someone finally kicked in a locked dressing room door, and recovered the only available football.

Many did not give the Alerts much of a chance to win the game, but those in attendance at Hamilton's A.A.A. Grounds were treated to the first upset in Grey Cup history. The Alerts took the lead in the opening quarter on a pair of rouges. Hamilton thought they had more points when Murray Mulligan ran the ball in for a touchdown but was called back on an offside penalty.

The Argonauts best opportunity for a touchdown came in the second quarter when Tout Leckie mishandled a punt behind Hamilton’s goal line. The Argonauts swarmed the ball, ready to pounce on it for a touchdown when Hamilton's Leeming Carr appeared from nowhere and kicked it behind the dead line for a safety. Hamilton added a pair of rouges to take a 4-2 lead into halftime.

Penalties against the Alerts gave the Argonauts a number of chances in the second half, but Toronto could not capitalize. Hamilton scored the only touchdown of the game in the third quarter when Ross Craig bucked through the line between the goal posts. The try was converted to give the Alerts an 11-2 lead.

The Argonauts went on to score a couple of rouges in the fourth quarter, but were simply no match for the Alerts on this day.

Trivia

* Considered as the first Grey Cup upset in history.

* It was the final game the Alerts ever played, as they were expelled by the Ontario Rugby Football Union for acting in a manner detrimental to the interests of the union.

* The Alerts decided to use junior players to replay a protested playoff game against the Toronto Rowing and Athletic Club, opting to use their regulars in a game against the Hamilton Tigers for the Hamilton city championship. Many of the Alerts joined the Tigers the following season. The Tigers would eventually become the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1950.

sequence
prev=3rd Grey Cup
list=Grey Cup games
next=5th Grey Cup