1987 CFL season

The Canadian Football League celebrated the 75th Annual Grey Cup game at BC Place Stadium on Sunday, November 29.

The Canadian Football Network, which was syndicated on Canadian television stations, was created by the league, taking the place of CTV, which ended its partnership with the CFL the previous season.[1] The CFL experimented with their blackout policy by blacking out four televised games in both, Hamilton and Toronto (two in Hamilton and two in Toronto). The cable outlet TSN also began broadcasting the CFL in 1987, gaining the rights to games that had been passed on by CBC and CFN;[1] TSN has aired CFL games ever since, eventually becoming the exclusive broadcaster in 2008. The CFL made money off the CBC and TSN agreements, money that largely covered the startup costs for CFN for the first year.[1]

Game rosters were revised from 35 to 34 that included 19 Non-Imports, 13 Imports and 2 Quarterbacks. The reserve list was increased from three to four. Even with these reductions, all eight remaining CFL teams lost money.[1]

After losing money for three years, Charles Bronfman sold the Concordes to Norm Kimball, who renamed them the Alouettes the previous year to renew interest in the team, but after losing money during the 1986 season, and playing before sparse Olympic Stadium crowds of less than 10,000, he, along with the CFL decided enough was enough, so they decided that the Montreal Alouettes would fold for the second time, this time for good on June 24 (the first week of the regular season), after the team played two preseason games on the road.[1] With the team's demise the CFL revised the season schedule and moved the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to the East Division to balance out the divisions. The Alouettes, however, would return in 1996 when the CFL's American operations ended with the Baltimore Stallions moving to Montreal to become the third and current incarnation of the team.

In January 1987, the league rejected a proposal from Arizona Outlaws owner Bill Tatham to allow the Outlaws, then without a league after the collapse of the United States Football League, to play in the CFL.[2]

The single-elimination Semi-Final/Final playoff format (in use since 1972) that was scrapped last season in favour of the "total point series" format was restored; the crossover playoff format was not revisited until 1997.

The Edmonton Eskimos are the 1987 Grey Cup champions, defeating the Toronto Argonauts 38–36, at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium. This game eventually became the battle of the backups when starters, Matt Dunigan and Gilbert Renfroe became injured leaving backups Damon Allen and Danny Barrett to take over. The Eskimos' Damon Allen (QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Offence and Stewart Hill (DE) was named Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defence, while Milson Jones (RB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.

• CFL Passing Leaders
• CFL Rushing Leaders
• CFL Receiving Leaders[3]

• CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Tom Clements (QB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Scott Flagel (DS), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Greg Stumon (DE), BC Lions
• CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Chris Walby (OT), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – Gill Fenerty (RB), Toronto Argonauts
• CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award – Nick Arakgi (DE), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• CFL's Coach of the Year – Bob O'Billovich, Toronto Argonauts