1912 in Canadian football

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]

Note: All dates in 1912