The 1971 CFL season is considered to be the 18th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it was officially the 14th Canadian Football League season.

CFL News for 1971 The Grey Cup Championship was played on artificial turf for the first time in Vancouver. The BC Lions also wore special "CCC"-logo helmets to commemorate the Canadian Confederation Centennial of British Columbia, the province having entered into Canadian Confederation a hundred years earlier, in 1871. The flower in the centre of the "CCC" logo is the pacific dogwood, the official provincial flower of British Columbia.

All CFL teams had their player's last names appearing on the jersey backs (at shoulder height, above the back number) beginning this season.

This would be the last year until 2006 that the Edmonton Eskimos would miss the playoffs; in the intervening years, they would reach the playoffs for 33 straight years.

Regular season standings

Calgary and Toronto had first round byes.

1971 Grey Cup Playoffs

Conference Semi-Finals

+ Western Semi-Finals Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders Date Away Home November 6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23 Saskatchewan Roughriders 34

+ Eastern Semi-Finals Ottawa Rough Riders @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats Date Away Home November 7 Ottawa Rough Riders 4 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 23

Conference Finals + Western FinalsSaskatchewan Roughriders vs Calgary StampedersGame Date Away Home1 November 13 Saskatchewan Roughriders 21 Calgary Stampeders 302November 17Calgary Stampeders 23Saskatchewan Roughriders 21Calgary won best-of-three series 2–0 +Eastern FinalsToronto Argonauts vs Hamilton Tiger-CatsGame Date Away Home1 November 14 Toronto Argonauts 23Hamilton Tiger-Cats 82November 20Hamilton Tiger-Cats 17Toronto Argonauts 17Toronto won two-game total-point series 40–25

Playoff bracket

Grey Cup Championship November 28 59th Annual Grey Cup Game: Empire Stadium – Vancouver, British Columbia Western Champion Eastern Champion Calgary Stampeders 14 Toronto Argonauts 11 The Calgary Stampeders were 1971 Grey Cup ChampionsWayne Harris (LB), Calgary Stampeders – Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Dick Suderman (DE), Calgary Stampeders – Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian

1971 CFL All-Stars

Offence QB – Don Jonas, Winnipeg Blue Bombers RB – George Reed, Saskatchewan Roughriders RB – Jim Evenson, BC Lions RB – Leon McQuay, Toronto Argonauts TE – Mel Profit, Toronto Argonauts SE – Jim Thorpe, Winnipeg Blue Bombers WR – Bob LaRose, Winnipeg Blue Bombers C – Bob Swift, Winnipeg Blue Bombers OG – Jack Abendschan, Saskatchewan Roughriders OG – Granville Liggins, Calgary Stampeders OT – Bill Frank, Winnipeg Blue Bombers OT – Ed George, Montreal Alouettes

Defence DT – John Helton, Calgary Stampeders DT – Jim Stillwagon, Toronto Argonauts DE – Jim Corrigall, Toronto Argonauts DE – Craig Koinzan, Calgary Stampeders LB – Wayne Harris, Calgary Stampeders LB – Mark Kosmos, Montreal Alouettes LB – Jerry Campbell, Ottawa Rough Riders DB – Dick Dupuis, Edmonton Eskimos DB – Frank Andruski, Calgary Stampeders DB – Garney Henley, Hamilton Tiger-Cats DB – Marv Luster, Toronto Argonauts DB – Dick Thornton, Toronto Argonauts

1971 Eastern All-Stars

Offence QB – Joe Theismann, Toronto Argonauts RB – Dennis Duncan, Ottawa Rough Riders RB – Bruce Van Ness, Montreal Alouettes RB – Leon McQuay, Toronto Argonauts TE – Mel Profit, Toronto Argonauts SE – Terry Evanshen, Montreal Alouettes WR – Mike Eben, Toronto Argonauts C – Paul Desjardins, Toronto Argonauts OG – Charlie Bray, Toronto Argonauts OG – Justin Canale, Montreal Alouettes OT – Ellison Kelly, Toronto Argonauts OT – Ed George, Montreal Alouettes

Defence DT – Rudy Sims, Ottawa Rough Riders DT – Jim Stillwagon, Toronto Argonauts DE – Jim Corrigall, Toronto Argonauts DE – Tom Laputka, Ottawa Rough Riders LB – Mike Blum, Hamilton Tiger-Cats LB – Mark Kosmos, Montreal Alouettes LB – Steve Smear, Montreal Alouettes DB – Johnny Williams, Hamilton Tiger-Cats DB – Gene Gaines, Montreal Alouettes DB – Garney Henley, Hamilton Tiger-Cats DB – Marv Luster, Toronto Argonauts DB – Dick Thornton, Toronto Argonauts

1971 Western All-Stars

Offence QB – Don Jonas, Winnipeg Blue Bombers RB – George Reed, Saskatchewan Roughriders RB – Jim Evenson, BC Lions RB – Mack Herron, Winnipeg Blue Bombers TE – Herm Harrison, Calgary Stampeders SE – Jim Thorpe, Winnipeg Blue Bombers WR – Bob LaRose, Winnipeg Blue Bombers C – Bob Swift, Winnipeg Blue Bombers C – Basil Bark, Calgary Stampeders OG – Jack Abendschan, Saskatchewan Roughriders OG – Granville Liggins, Calgary Stampeders OT – Bill Frank, Winnipeg Blue Bombers OT – Ken Sugarman, BC Lions

Defence DT – John Helton, Calgary Stampeders DT – John LaGrone, Edmonton Eskimos DE – Bill Baker, Saskatchewan Roughriders DE – Dick Suderman, Calgary Stampeders DE – Craig Koinzan, Calgary Stampeders LB – Wayne Harris, Calgary Stampeders LB – Dave Gasser, Edmonton Eskimos LB – Rob McLaren, Winnipeg Blue Bombers LB – Wayne Shaw, Saskatchewan Roughriders DB – Dick Dupuis, Edmonton Eskimos DB – Frank Andruski, Calgary Stampeders DB – Bruce Bennett, Saskatchewan Roughriders DB – Larry Robinson, Calgary Stampeders DB – Howard Starks, Calgary Stampeders

1971 CFL awards CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Don Jonas (QB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Terry Evanshen (WR), Montreal Alouettes CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award – Wayne Harris (LB), Calgary Stampeders CFL's Coach of the Year – Leo Cahill, Toronto Argonauts Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy (Eastern MVP) – Mel Profit (TE), Toronto Argonauts Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy (Western MVP) - Don Jonas (QB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers Gruen Trophy (Eastern Rookie of the Year) - Jim Foley (SB), Montreal Alouettes Dr. Beattie Martin Trophy (Western Rookie of the Year) - Bob Kraemer (DB), Winnipeg Blue Bombers DeMarco–Becket Memorial Trophy (Western Outstanding Lineman) - Wayne Harris (LB), Calgary Stampeders

References