Headline on the front page of The Winnipeg Free Press on Monday, November 19, 1984:
‘Bombers are winners… at last.’
And a headline on page 3 of the same edition:
‘Traffic stalls as fans swarm downtown’ and ‘Ten people arrested, then released.’
Now, that quick trek down memory lane only offers a teeny-tiny snippet of why the 1984 Winnipeg Blue Bombers remain legends in this province and are being honoured with a formal induction into the club’s hall of fame Tuesday night at the team’s annual Gala Dinner in support of amateur football.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of their Grey Cup, with their 47-17 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of 60,081 fans at frigid Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton ending what was then the longest championship drought in franchise history.
The Blue Bombers, FYI, hadn’t appeared in a Grey Cup since 1965 and their win ended a 22-year absence from the winner’s circle dating back to 1962. They’d also fielded some outstanding teams in the late 1970s/early 1980s that were overshadowed by the greatest dynasty in CFL history in the Edmonton Eskimos of 1978-82.
And so, heck yeah, there was some serious celebrating to be done on Grey Cup Sunday in ’84 and the days/months/years that followed.
The Bombers were led by former B.C. Lions head coach and Edmonton and Montreal Alouettes assistant Cal Murphy, then just in his second season as the team’s head coach and finished 1984 with a 11-4-1 record.
Cal Murphy — photo courtesy Winnipeg Free Press
After knocking off the Esks in theWest Semi-Final, they upset the B.C. Lions at a sold-out B.C. Place to win the division. Still, there was some mystery during Grey Cup week as star quarterback Tom Clements had suffered bruised ribs and a partially collapsed lung while leading the Blue Bombers to that win over the Lions.
Winnipeg faced the Ticats in the title game and lined up against a familiar face in Dieter Brock, still the franchise’s all-time leading passer to this day, who had demanded and been granted a trade a year earlier in a deal that landed Clements.
It was Brock who snuck in for the game’s first score and the Ticats roared out to a 17-3 advantage before the Blue Bombers found their footing on the icy grass at Commonwealth Stadium.
Sparked by an interception by David Shaw — who sadly just passed away last weekend — Winnipeg would set a Grey Cup record for points in a quarter with 27 (later broken by the Blue Bombers in the 1990 Grey Cup, with 28) in what became a thorough spanking of the Ticats.
“I wouldn’t say our offence waits for the defence, but usually what starts things off is a big play on our part,” said linebacker Vernon Pahl of the Shaw pick. “Our offence is like a dangerous animal. Once it wakes up, it’s hard to put back to sleep.”
The Shaw interception led to a Willard Reaves touchdown run, followed by a Clements-to-Joe-Poplawski TD connection and was then capped by a 24-yard fumble-return score by Stan Mikawos after a crushing hit on Brock by Tyrone Jones.
Trevor Kennerd kicked four field goals, and the club iced the deal with fourth-quarter touchdowns by Reaves, and Jeff Boyd on a pass from John Hufnagel.
Clements was named the offensive MVP, running back Sean Kehoe was the top Canadian while Jones, who set a record with four quarterback sacks, was the top defensive player.
John Bonk, then the team’s 33-year-old centre, was the longest serving Blue Bomber at the time and offered this inside the club’s locker room after the championship:
“I grew up in Hamilton dreaming of playing for the Ticats. I used to sell peanuts at Ivor Wynne Stadium as a kid. But beating Hamilton in the final doesn’t take away anything from the satisfaction I feel right now.
“The way we came back after falling behind by 14 points typifies the character of this team. This team never gives up on itself.”
Grey Cup MVP Tom Clements — photo courtesy The Canadian Press
1984 Grey Cup MVPs
Offence: Tom Clements, QB, Winnipeg
Defence: Tyrone Jones, LB, Winnipeg
Canadian: Sean Kehoe, RB, Winnipeg
The 1984 Grey Cup squad
Head coach: Cal Murphy
GM: Paul Robson
Quarterbacks: Tom Clements, John Hufnagel
Running backs: Pat Cantner, Sean Kehoe, Willard Reaves
Receivers: Jeff Boyd, Jerome Erdman, Rick House, James Murphy, Kevin Neiles, Joe Poplawski
Offensive line: Nick Bastaja, John Bonk, Mark Moors, Richard Nemeth, Chris Walby
Defensive line: Doug MacIver, Stan Mikawos, Tony Norman, Brent Racette, John Sturdivant
Linebackers: Aaron Brown, Delbert Fowler, Tyrone Jones, Vernon Pahl, Frank Robinson
Defensive backs: Scott Flagel, Ken Hailey, Donovan Rose, David Shaw, Wylie Turner
Kickers: Trevor Kennerd, Bob Cameron
Scoring:
Blue Bombers (47) – TDs: Willard Reaves (2), Joe Poplawski, Stan Mikawos, Jeff Boyd; FGs: Trevor Kennerd (4); Converts: Kennerd (5)
Tiger-Cats (17)– TDs: Dieter Brock, Rocky DiPietro; FGs: Bernie Ruoff; Convert: Ruoff (2)
Scoring Summary
Qtr Time Team Scoring play
1 8:03 Ham TD, Brock, 15-yd run; Convert Ruoff
1 11:24 Ham DiPietro, 7-yd pass from Brock; Convert Ruoff
1 15:00 Wpg FG, Kennerd, 25 yds
2 3:29 Ham FG, Ruoff, 20 yds
2 4:58 Wpg FG, Kennerd, 46 yds
2 7:28 Wpg TD, Reaves, 3-yd run; Convert Kennerd
2 11:58 Wpg TD, Poplawski, 12-yd pass from Clements; Convert Kennerd
2 12:34 Wpg TD, Mikawos, 24-yd fumble return; Convert Kennerd
2 14:03 Wpg FG, Kennerd, 19 yds
3 12:18 Wpg FG, Kennerd, 16 yds
4 7:23 Wpg TD, Reaves, 3-yd run; Convert Kennerd
4 11:10 Wpg Boyd, 4-yd pass from Hufnagel; Convert Kennerd
Final: Winnipeg 47 Hamilton 17
Attendance: 60,081