Portal:Canadian football

Canadian football is a form of football played chiefly in Canada in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play 110 yards (100.6 m) long and 65 yards (59.4 m) wide, attempting to advance a prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's end zone. In Canada, the term "football" is used to refer to Canadian football and American football collectively, or either sport specifically, depending on the context. The two sports have some shared origins and are closely related; there are, however, significant differences: see comparison of Canadian and American football for details.

Rugby football in Canada had its origins in the early 1860s, and over time, the unique code known as Canadian football developed. Both the Canadian Football League (CFL), the sport's only major professional league, and Football Canada, the governing body for amateur play, trace their roots to 1884 and the founding of the Canadian Rugby Football Union. Several currently active teams have similar longevity.

The CFL's Grey Cup championship is the country's single largest sporting event and is watched by nearly one third of Canadian television households. Amateur play is widespread at junior, high school, collegiate, and senior levels: the Canadian Junior Football League and Quebec Junior Football League are large leagues for players aged 18-22, many post-secondary institutions compete in Canadian Interuniversity Sport for the Vanier Cup, and senior amateur leagues have grown in popularity in recent years. Great achievements in the sport are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

More about...Canadian football, its teams and players

Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header

...that Commonwealth Stadium (pictured), home of the 98th Grey Cup, set a CFL record when it sold out 173 days before the Grey Cup game?
...that the Toronto Argonauts have 15 Grey Cup championship victories, the most in CFL history?
...that the Baltimore Stallions are the only non-Canadian based team to win the Grey Cup?
...that Bud Grant and Marv Levy are the only head coaches to guide both a CFL and NFL team to the championship game?
...that Giulio Caravatta was the last Canadian quarterback to start a CFL game, dating back to 1996?
...that Piffles Taylor, the namesake of the N. J. Taylor Trophy and Saskatchewan's Taylor Field, quarterbacked the Regina Roughriders to a championship after losing an eye in World War I?
... that Winnipeg Blue Bombers star Jeff Nicklin was one of the first Canadians to jump into Normandy on D-Day and into Germany?
... that former Michigan quarterback Jim Van Pelt set Canadian Football League records with a 107-yard touchdown pass and seven touchdown passes in one game?
... that Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Stu Foord is the only player to have scored a touchdown on both his first CFL rushing attempt and his first pass reception?
... that in April 1995, the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League drafted Derrell Robertson, even though he had died in a car accident in December 1994?
...that Raghib Ismail became the highest-paid player in gridiron football history when he joined the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League?

Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header Template:/Selected article Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header Template:/Selected biography Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header

Hall of Fame • Leagues • Media • Players • Teams
Terminology • Trophies • Venues

Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header Template:/Selected picture Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header Template:/Selected quote Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header

Spearing: An unnecessary roughness penalty of 15 yards imposed when the player drives his helmet into an opponent in an unnecessary and excessive manner. The referee's signal is a chopping motion above the head.

More terms...

Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header Template:/Categories Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header