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{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{short description|2011 Canadian Football championship game}}
{{Infobox Canadian football game
| number = 99
| type = Grey Cup
| image = 2011 Grey Cup.svg
| image_size = 250
| date = November 27, 2011
| stadium = [[BC Place Stadium]]
| city = [[Vancouver]]
| visitor name = Winnipeg Blue Bombers
| visitor colour = Winnipeg Blue Bombers
| home name = BC Lions
| home colour = BC Lions
| visitor coach = [[Paul LaPolice]]
| home coach = [[Wally Buono]]
| visitor record = 10–8
| home record = 11–7
| visitor1 = 0
| visitor2 = 6
| visitor3 = 3
| visitor4 = 14
| home1 = 11
| home2 = 3
| home3 = 10
| home4 = 10
| MVP = [[Travis Lulay]], QB ([[BC Lions|Lions]])
| MV2 = [[Andrew Harris (Canadian football)|Andrew Harris]], RB ([[BC Lions|Lions]])
| anthem = [[Jann Arden]]
| referee = Andre Proulx
| coin toss = [[Rick Hansen]]
| halftime = [[Nickelback]]
| attendance = 54,313
| network = English: [[The Sports Network|TSN]]/[[TSN HD]] French: [[Réseau des sports|RDS]]/[[RDS HD]]
| announcers = (TSN): [[Chris Cuthbert]], [[Glen Suitor]], [[Dave Randorf]], [[Jock Climie]], [[Matt Dunigan]], [[Chris Schultz]] (RDS): [[Denis Casavant]], [[Pierre Vercheval]], [[Marc Labrecque]], [[Mike Sutherland]], [[Claude Mailhot]]
| ratings = 4.6 million<ref name="ratings">https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=381490 4.6 million viewers watch 99th Grey Cup on TSN and RDS</ref>
}}
The '''99th Grey Cup''' was a [[Canadian football]] game between the [[Canadian Football League East Division|East Division]] champion [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] and the [[Canadian Football League West Division|West Division]] champion [[BC Lions]] to decide the champion of the [[Canadian Football League]] in the [[2011 CFL season|2011 season]]. The Lions defeated the Blue Bombers 34–23 and became the first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after starting the season with five straight losses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=381436 |title=Lions defeat Blue Bombers to capture 99th Grey Cup |publisher=Tsn.ca |access-date=September 15, 2012}}</ref> They also became the first team to win the championship game at home since the [[1994 BC Lions season|1994 Lions]] did it in the [[82nd Grey Cup]], and were only the fourth team in the modern era to do so. This, a rematch of the [[76th Grey Cup]], was the second time that these two teams met for the championship.

The game took place on November 27, 2011, at [[BC Place Stadium]] in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]]. This was the eighth Grey Cup game played at BC Place, and the 15th in Vancouver, the most recent previous one having been the [[93rd Grey Cup]] between the [[Montreal Alouettes]] and [[Edmonton Eskimos]].

BC head coach [[Wally Buono]] won his fifth Grey Cup, tying a CFL record.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/sports/Lions+sixth+Grey+title+kicks+celebration/5775710/story.html|title=B.C. Lions post rare Grey Cup triumph in front of hometown fans|date= November 27, 2011|work=Vancouver Sun|access-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/315125|title=BC Lions win the 99th Grey Cup in Vancouver|date= November 27, 2011|work=Digital Journal|access-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref>
In his first Grey Cup, Lions quarterback [[Travis Lulay]] threw two second-half touchdown passes and was named [[Grey Cup Most Valuable Player|Grey Cup MVP]]. Lions tailback [[Andrew Harris (Canadian football)|Andrew Harris]], also playing in his first championship game, was the [[Dick Suderman Trophy|Most Valuable Canadian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=381436|title=LIONS DEFEAT BLUE BOMBERS TO CAPTURE 99TH GREY CUP|date= November 27, 2011|work=TSN.ca|access-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/article/restoring-the-roar-lions-win-99th-grey-cup|title=Restoring the roar: B.C. Lions win 99th Grey Cup|date=November 27, 2011|work=CFL.ca|access-date=November 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129053510/http://www.cfl.ca/article/restoring-the-roar-lions-win-99th-grey-cup|archive-date=November 29, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/article/99th-grey-cup-championship-most-valuable-canadian|title=Andrew Harris named Most Valuable Canadian|date=November 27, 2011|work=CFL.ca|access-date=November 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129053457/http://www.cfl.ca/article/99th-grey-cup-championship-most-valuable-canadian|archive-date=November 29, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Host city==
On February 27, 2009, news agencies reported—and the league confirmed—that the game had been awarded to Vancouver.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cfl.ca/article/grey-cup-2011-coming-to-vancouver |title=2011 Grey Cup Coming to Vancouver |access-date=August 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930070321/http://www.cfl.ca/article/grey-cup-2011-coming-to-vancouver |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The game was played at the home of the [[BC Lions]], [[BC Place Stadium]]. It was the fifteenth Grey Cup to be held in Vancouver (and eighth at BC Place Stadium), the most recent previous one having been the [[93rd Grey Cup]] in 2005, between the [[Montreal Alouettes]] and [[Edmonton Eskimos]], which the Eskimos won 38-35 in overtime. BC Place had recently completed a roof replacement, and this was the first Grey Cup played under its new retractable roof.

The game was announced as a sellout on July 21, 2011, thirty days after the tickets went on sale to the public and 129 before the game itself. This surpassed the previous Vancouver record, set when the [[93rd Grey Cup]] game was sold out on October 7, 2005. The sellout attendance for the 99th Grey Cup was 54,313. Prices ranged from $125 to $375 when tickets were released to the general public in June 2011, but 2011 Lions season ticket holders were able to get priority seating at prices ranging from $100 to $295.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cfl.ca/article/2011-grey-cup-festival-brand-revealed_76921 |title=2011 Grey Cup Festival brand revealed | CFL.ca | Official Site of the Canadian Football League |publisher=CFL.ca |access-date=September 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127121032/http://www.cfl.ca/article/2011-grey-cup-festival-brand-revealed_76921 |archive-date=January 27, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Broadcasting==
In Canada, the game was televised in [[high-definition television|high-definition]] by both [[The Sports Network|TSN]] (English) and [[Réseau des sports|RDS]] (French). TSN [[play-by-play]] was provided by [[Chris Cuthbert]], while [[Glen Suitor]] provided [[color commentator|colour commentary]]. Play-by-play man [[Denis Casavant]] and colour commentator [[Pierre Vercheval]] announced the game for RDS. The RDS broadcast team also included [[Marc Labrecque]], [[Mike Sutherland]] and [[Claude Mailhot]].

The game was watched on television by an average audience of 4.6 million people. Although this was down from the 6.04 million viewers that the [[98th Grey Cup]] drew, it was still the highest-rated television program of the week in Canada. In the Vancouver market, over half the population watched the game, and more than 11 million Canadians overall watched some or all of the broadcast on TSN and RDS.<ref name="ratings"/>

==Entertainment==
Before the game, Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden sang the [[O Canada|national anthem]]. The ''Pepsi Max Halftime Show'' was performed by Vancouver-based rock band [[Nickelback]]. They played songs off their albums ''[[All The Right Reasons]]'', ''[[Dark Horse (Nickelback album)|Dark Horse]]'', and ''[[Here and Now (Nickelback album)|Here and Now]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/despite-nickelbacks-burn-it-to-the-ground-set-vancouver-well-behaved-for-grey-cup-finals/article2251792/|title=Despite Nickelback's 'Burn it to the Ground' set, Vancouver well-behaved for Grey Cup finals |date= November 27, 2011|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref>

On the Friday preceding the championship game, the CFL Alumni Association organized a fan meet-and-greet hosted by stand-up comedian [[Ron James (comedian)|Ron James]] to benefit the research against concussions in football.

==Path to the Grey Cup==
===Winnipeg Blue Bombers===
{{main|2011 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season}}
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers entered the 2011 season with almost a completely unchanged roster than the team that went 4–14 and finished in last place in the [[Canadian Football League East Division|East Division]] the year before. The Blue Bombers were considered to be a non-contender by many sports writers at the start of the season. However, the Bombers shocked many by getting off to a fast start, going 7–1 in their first 8 games. Although the Bombers started to slip in their on field performance during the second half of the season, they still won enough games to not only make the playoffs, but to finish in 1st place in the East Division for the first time since 2001, finishing with a 10–8 record.

The Bombers earned a bye into the Division Final by virtue of winning the tie-breaker for first place over the [[Montreal Alouettes]]. On November 20, 2011, the Blue Bombers faced the 8–10 [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] in the East Division Final at [[Canad Inns Stadium]] in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]]. The Blue Bombers came out on top in a tough defensive battle, defeating the Ti-Cats 19–3 on a cold day in Winnipeg, advancing to the Grey Cup game for the first time since 2007.

===BC Lions===
{{main|2011 BC Lions season}}
Unlike the Bombers, the Lions got off to a slow start in 2011, losing their first five games before finally getting their first win of the season over the [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]] in week 6. After suffering one more defeat to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the next week, the Lions went on a remarkable 8-game winning streak which jolted them all the way to the top of CFL [[Canadian Football League West Division|West Division]] standings. The Lions would end up finishing the season in 1st place in the West Division with an 11–7 record, winning 11 of their last 13 games after starting the season 0–5.

In the West Division Final on November 20, 2011, the Lions faced the [[Edmonton Eskimos]] (also 11–7). The Eskimos previously beaten the Lions in the 2005 playoffs when Vancouver last hosted the Grey Cup game, denying the Lions a chance to play for the Cup in front of a home crowd. This time, the Lions would have that chance as they easily handled the Eskimos 40–23, advancing to the Grey Cup game on their home turf.

===Head-to-head===
Winnipeg and BC met twice during the regular season. The Bombers won both games against the Lions, sweeping both meetings. The first game was a 25–20 win by the Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg on July 28, 2011, which was the first game played after former Lion defensive line coach and then Bomber defensive line and assistant head coach [[Richard Harris (American football)|Richard Harris]] suddenly died on July 26, 2011. Both teams joined each other at the center of the field for a moment of silence before the game. The second game at [[Empire Field]] in Vancouver on August 13, 2011, was much more decisive with the Bombers defeating the Lions by a score of 30–17. Despite the Blue Bombers sweep over the Lions, the Bombers sudden decline along with the Lions resurgence resulted in BC being named Grey Cup favourites.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}

Winnipeg and BC have only met once before in the Grey Cup game, the [[76th Grey Cup]] in [[Ottawa]] in 1988. The Lions were also favoured in that game, but the Blue Bombers edged the Lions 22–21 in front of 50,604 fans in Ottawa.

==Game summary==
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/scores/boxscore/?id=1042304|title=99th Grey Cup – Box Score|date= November 27, 2011|work=TSN.ca|access-date=November 28, 2011}}</ref>

'''Winnipeg Blue Bombers''' (23) – TDs [[Greg Carr (American football)|Greg Carr]], [[Terrence Edwards]]; FGs [[Justin Palardy]] (3); cons., Palardy (2).

'''BC Lions''' (34) – TDs, [[Andrew Harris (Canadian football)|Andrew Harris]], [[Kierrie Johnson]], [[Arland Bruce III|Arland Bruce]]; FGs [[Paul McCallum (Canadian football)|Paul McCallum]] (4); cons., McCallum (3); singles, McCallum (1).

;First Quarter
:BC – TD Harris 19 run (6:54) (McCallum convert) '''7 – 0 BC'''
:BC – FG McCallum 22 (3:42) '''10 – 0 BC'''
:BC – Single McCallum 57 punt (00:48) '''11 – 0 BC'''
;Second Quarter
:BC – FG McCallum 16 (4:44) '''14 – 0 BC'''
:WPG – FG Palardy 30 (2:41) '''14 – 3 BC'''
:WPG – FG Palardy 15 (00:33) '''14 – 6 BC'''
;Third Quarter
:WPG – FG Palardy 33 (10:25) '''14 – 9 BC'''
:BC – FG McCallum 22 (2:59) '''17 – 9 BC'''
:BC – TD Johnson 66 pass from Lulay (McCallum convert) (00:30) '''24 – 9 BC'''
;Fourth Quarter
:BC – TD Bruce 6 pass from Lulay (McCallum convert) (7:13) '''31 – 9 BC'''
:WPG – TD Carr 45 pass from Pierce (Palardy convert) (3:51) '''31 – 16 BC'''
:WPG – TD Edwards 13 pass from Pierce (Palardy convert) (1:52) '''31 – 23 BC'''
:BC – FG McCallum 34 (1:20) '''34 – 23 BC'''

==CFL playoffs==
===Playoff bracket===
{{8TeamBracket
| RD1 = November 13: Division Semi-Finals
| RD2 = November 20: Division Finals
| RD3 = November 27: 99th Grey Cup [[BC Place Stadium]] – [[Vancouver]]
| byes = 1
| RD1-group1 = East
| RD1-group2 = West
| RD1-seed4 = E2
| RD1-team4 = [[Montreal Alouettes]]
| RD1-score4 = 44
| RD1-seed3 = '''E3'''
| RD1-team3 = '''[[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]]'''
| RD1-score3 = '''52*'''
| RD1-seed8 = '''W2'''
| RD1-team8 = '''[[Edmonton Eskimos]]'''
| RD1-score8 = '''33'''
| RD1-seed7 = W3
| RD1-team7 = [[Calgary Stampeders]]
| RD1-score7 = 19
| RD2-seed2 = '''E1'''
| RD2-team2 = '''[[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]'''
| RD2-score2 = '''19'''
| RD2-seed1 = E3
| RD2-team1 = [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]]
| RD2-score1 = 3
| RD2-seed4 = '''W1'''
| RD2-team4 = '''[[BC Lions]]'''
| RD2-score4 = '''40'''
| RD2-seed3 = W2
| RD2-team3 = [[Edmonton Eskimos]]
| RD2-score3 = 23
| RD3-seed1 = E1
| RD3-team1 = [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]
| RD3-score1 = 23
| RD3-seed2 = '''W1'''
| RD3-team2 = '''[[BC Lions]]'''
| RD3-score2 = '''34'''
}}
'''*-Team won in overtime.'''

===Division Semi-Finals===
====East Semi-Final====
Date and time: Sunday, November 13, 1 PM [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Standard Time]] Venue: [[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]], [[Montreal|Montreal, Quebec]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Team !! Q1 !! Q2 !! Q3 !! Q4 !! OT !! Total
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|[[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] ||10 ||14 || 3 || 17 || 8 || 52
|-
|[[Montreal Alouettes]] ||3 || 13 || 7 || 21 || 0 || 44
|}

====West Semi-Final====
Date and time: Sunday, November 13, 3 PM [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain Standard Time]] Venue: [[Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)|Commonwealth Stadium]], [[Edmonton|Edmonton, Alberta]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Team !! Q1 !! Q2 !! Q3 !! Q4 !! Total
|-
|[[Calgary Stampeders]] ||8 ||1 ||6 || 4 || 19
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|[[Edmonton Eskimos]] ||3 ||22 ||1 || 7 || 33
|}

===Division Finals===
====East Final====
Date and time: Sunday, November 20, 12 PM [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central Standard Time]] Venue: [[Canad Inns Stadium]], [[Winnipeg|Winnipeg, Manitoba]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Team !! Q1 !! Q2 !! Q3 !! Q4 !! Total
|-
|[[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] ||3 ||0 || 0 || 0 || 3
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|[[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] ||0 ||10 || 3 || 6 || 19
|}

====West Final====
Date and time: Sunday, November 20, 1:30 PM [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific Standard Time]] Venue: [[BC Place|BC Place Stadium]], [[Vancouver|Vancouver, BC]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Team !! Q1 !! Q2 !! Q3 !! Q4 !! Total
|-
|[[Edmonton Eskimos]] ||0 || 3 || 6 || 14 || 23
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|[[BC Lions]] ||6 || 20 || 7 || 7 || 40
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://greycup.ca/ Official website]

{{Winnipeg Blue Bombers}}
{{BC Lions}}
{{99th Grey Cup}}
{{Grey Cup}}
{{2011 CFL season by team}}

[[Category:Grey Cup]]
[[Category:Canadian football competitions in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]
[[Category:BC Lions]]
[[Category:2011 in Vancouver|Grey Cup]]
[[Category:2011 in Canadian football|Grey Cup]]
[[Category:2011 in sports in British Columbia|Grey Cup]]
[[Category:2011 sports awards|Grey Cup]]
[[Category:2011 in Canadian television|Grey Cup]]
[[Category:November 2011 sports events in Canada|Grey Cup]]

99th Grey Cup - Revision history

imported>Bigdaddy1999 at 04:07, 3 September 2024