Fifty years after its founding, the head of the Ottawa Heart Institute reflects on a past preoccupation with a different kind of victory. Beanlands, son of the institute’s co-founder Dr. Donald Beanlands, admits that as a teenager in 1976, his attention was more fully captured by the Ottawa Rough Riders’ Grey Cup win than by the nascent cardiac care centre that would develop into his life’s operate.
The 64th Grey Cup, played on November 28, 1976, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, saw the Ottawa Rough Riders defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 23-20. The game is remembered as one of the most thrilling in Grey Cup history, marked by several memorable plays. A crowd of 53,467 attended, a record at the time, boosted by recent renovations to Exhibition Stadium undertaken to accommodate the expansion Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.
Tom Clements, the Rough Riders’ quarterback, was named the Most Valuable Player on offence, although linebacker Cleveland Vann earned the defensive MVP honour. Tony Gabriel, a tight end for Ottawa, was selected as the Most Valuable Canadian. The Rough Riders’ scoring included touchdowns by Gabriel and Bill Hatanaka, along with three field goals from Gerry Organ, who likewise converted two touchdowns.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders responded with touchdowns from Steve Mazurak and Bob Richardson, and two field goals each from Bob Macoritti. However, Ottawa’s early lead, established with a record-setting 79-yard punt return for a touchdown by Bill Hatanaka, proved decisive. The win marked a high point for the Rough Riders, who had a regular season record of 9-6-1 in 1976, finishing first in the Eastern Conference.
The 1976 season saw the Rough Riders, coached by George Brancato, navigate a schedule that included matchups against the Edmonton Eskimos, Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team’s roster included players like Tom Dimitroff and Gerry Organ, who played key roles in their championship run. The Eastern Final, played against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, was won by Ottawa 17-15, securing their place in the Grey Cup.
The Grey Cup victory occurred during a period of growth for Canadian football, with attendance figures rising alongside the development of new stadiums like Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The attendance record set at Exhibition Stadium in 1976 would be broken the following year at the 65th Grey Cup in Montreal.
