ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – Fans are taking delivery this week of special tickets to the 100th Grey Cup that are worthy of the biggest game in Canadian football history.
“We wanted to produce tickets that reflect the Grey Cup’s place in Canadian history, and its’ bright future, for a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the CFL.
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“I’m proud that we’ve done that, in a presentation that’s thoroughly modern at the same time that it salutes the legacy of some of our most legendary players.”
The oversized tickets, produced on laminated 10 point premium stock that feels more like hard plastic than paper, feature a clear foil 100th Grey Cup logo and striking images of four different players who defined their eras:
— Lionel Conacher, who was an exceptional backfielder and kicker whose running style earned him the nickname “Big Train”, led the Argonauts to an undefeated season and a Grey Cup victory in 1921, in which he accounted for 15 of his team’s 23 points.
— Normie Kwong, the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos running back who won four Grey Cups and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season four times in his 13-year career.
— Russ Jackson, widely considered the best Canadian to ever play our game, who quarterbacked the Ottawa Rough Riders to Grey Cup victories in 1960, 1968 and 1969 and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player three times and the Most Outstanding Canadian four times.
— and Doug Flutie, a dynamic play maker who led the Calgary Stampeders (1992) and Toronto Argonauts (1996, 1997) to Grey Cup wins and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player a record six times.
Each player’s image is actually comprised of the names of other champions and teams who have built the Grey Cup’s lore since the first game in 1909, in a distinctive graphic design by the leading Toronto marketing firm Bensimon-Byrne.
Names of players and teams represent the four 25 year periods of the league. There are over 550 player names and team names from that period, on each ticket.
The main figures (Conacher, Kwong, Jackson and Flutie) were chosen based on their impact and contributions to our League, not solely on performance, but also culturally.
The gradient colours across the four tickets represent the primary colours of all eight current teams.
Typography ranges from the more classic serif style to a more modern sans serif face, representing the 100 years of the Grey Cup.
The tickets include a loop which makes them suitable for wearing on a lanyard to the big game on Sunday, November 25 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
“This game will be, first and foremost, a showcase for the great game of Canadian football,” Cohon said.
“But it is also a forum to celebrate our past, proudly look forward to our future, and of course, thank our fans. These unique and beautiful tickets help us do just that.”