1938 – Toronto Argonauts 30, Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7

Venue: Varsity Stadium
Location: Toronto, ON
Date: December 10
Attendance: 18,778
Winning Coach: Lew Hayman

For the second consecutive season the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers met for the Grey Cup. Although the end result was the same, the way the Argos won was quite different than their two previous championships.

Winnipeg head coach Reg Threlfall was confident heading into the game against the Argos. “We’ll cut †em off at the knees and they’ll look like Boy Scouts.”

He may have been on the money for the first 45 minutes of play, but he didn’t account for an unknown 20-year old on the Argos bench. Red Storey became a household name in just 15 minutes of action, scoring three touchdowns and setting up another to hand the Argos a dramatic victory.

With the Boatmen trailing 7-6 in the final quarter, Storey got the ball on the Winnipeg 28-yard line, swung wide on the right side of the offensive line then cut sharply to his left, manoeuvring his way through a number of missed Blue Bomber tackles to the end zone.

Storey then shined on defence, intercepting a Winnipeg pass. He shook off a tackle and raced to the Winnipeg four-yard line where he was knocked out of bounds. Three plays later, Storey ran straight down the middle for a one-yard touchdown.

Bob Isbister then made an interception and alertly threw a lateral pass to Storey when he was being tackled. Storey charged almost the entire length of the field before being tackled in the shadow of Winnipeg’s goal posts. Bill Stukus threw a pass down the middle to Bernie Thornton to give the Argos another major.

Art Evans then intercepted a pass, setting up another Storey touchdown run. His three touchdowns tied a Grey Cup record set by Ross Craig in 1913 and which has been equalled on two later occasions.

Winnipeg missed an opportunity for a touchdown in the third quarter when Bill Ceretti blocked an Isbister punt. Bud Marquardt slapped the ball with his hand then dribbled it downfield toward the Toronto end zone. But Ted Morris saved the day for the Argos, smothering the ball on his own nine-yard line. Had Marquardt been able to score, it may have changed the complexion of the game.

When the final whistle sounded the fans ran onto the field and carried the newest Grey Cup hero Storey to the showers. A record crowd of 18,778 witnessed the contest.

Storey eventually changed his Double Blue uniform for zebra stripes, becoming an official for 12 years in football and nine as an NHL referee.