1912 in Canadian football

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Canadian football news in 1912

The Regina Rugby Club adopted red and black as their jersey colours, one explanation being that these were the colours of the (supposed) Canadian contingent with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the Spanish–American War.^[1] They also agreed to play in the Western playoffs as SRFU champion for the first time, after the Western Canada Rugby Football Union agreed to change the format so that the Saskatchewan champion would receive a bye to the Western final in exchange for the semi-final winner having the right to host the game. Regina would go in to win every Western championship contested from 1912 until 1920.

The Hamilton Alerts were suspended by the ORFU on November 23 for flaunting the authority of the Union. The Toronto Rowing and Athletic Club had protested a penalty call which had resulted in a victory for the Alerts. The ORFU ordered the game be re-played on the 23rd, but the Alerts refused to field a full team. The Alerts lost to Toronto, 39–7, while the main squad lost a regularly scheduled match in Hamilton to the Tigers, 12–8. The Alerts went on to defeat the Toronto Argonauts, 11–4, in the Grey Cup game. Many of the players joined the Tigers of IRFU the following season.^[2]

McGill University ended Varsity's reign as Grey Cup champions in 1912, but refused to challenge for the trophy because the students didn't want to take time away from their studies.^[3]

Regular season

Final regular season standings

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union[4] Team GP W L T PF PA Pts Toronto Argonauts 6 5 1 0 78 56 10 Ottawa Rough Riders 6 4 2 0 77 65 8 Hamilton Tigers 6 3 3 0 90 66 6 Montreal Football Club 6 0 6 0 54 112 0

Ontario Rugby Football Union[5] Team GP W L T PF PA Pts Hamilton Alerts 4 3 1 0 85 54 6 Toronto Rowing and Athletic Association 3 2 1 0 64 29 4 Parkdale Canoe Club 3 0 3 0 16 81 0

Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union[5] Team GP W L T PF PA Pts McGill Redmen 4 3 1 0 70 41 6 Varsity Blues 4 3 1 0 59 55 6 Queen's University 4 0 4 0 22 55 0

*Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs

Manitoba Rugby Football Union

Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Winnipeg Rowing Club	5	3	1	1	54	28	7
St.John's Rugby Football Club	5	1	3	1	28	54	3

Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union

Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Regina Rugby Club	4	3	1	0	50	45	6
Moose Jaw Tigers	4	2	2	0	45	39	4
Saskatoon Rugby Club	4	1	3	0	36	47	2

Alberta Rugby Football Union

Team	GP	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pts
Calgary Tigers *	4	3	1	0	73	19	6
Edmonton Eskimos	4	3	1	0	55	20	6
Calgary YMCA	4	0	4	0	3	92	0

* Calgary Tigers awarded first place based on 20-16 score in head-to-head games

League Champions

Football Union	League Champion
IRFU	Toronto Argonauts
WCRFU	Regina Rugby Club
CIRFU	McGill University
ORFU	Hamilton Alerts
MRFU	Winnipeg Rowing Club
SRFU	Regina Rugby Club
ARFU	Calgary Tigers

Grey Cup playoffs

Note: All dates in 1912

Western semifinal

Date Away Home November 2 Calgary Tigers 3 Winnipeg Rowing Club 4

Western Final - SRFU–MRFU Inter-League Playoff

Date Away Home November 9 Regina Rugby Club 5 Winnipeg Rowing Club 0

ORFU Playoff

Date Away Home November 23 Toronto Rowing and Athletic Association 10 Hamilton Alerts 23

• Hamilton advances to the Grey Cup.

East final

Date Away Home November 23 Toronto Argonauts 22 Toronto Varsity Blues 16

• Toronto Argonauts advance to the Grey Cup.

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Grey Cup final

IRFU

Toronto Argonauts

22

CIRFU

University of Toronto

16

CIRFU

University of Toronto

3

CIRFU

McGill University

14

IRFU

Toronto Argonauts

4

ORFU

Hamilton Alerts

11

ORFU

Hamilton Alerts

23

ORFU

Toronto Rowing Club

10

Grey Cup Championship

November 30 4th Annual Grey Cup Game: A.A.A. Grounds – Hamilton, Ontario Toronto Argonauts 4 Hamilton Alerts 11 Hamilton Alerts are the 1912 Grey Cup Champions