A moment in history: Nov. 6, 1979

On this day in 1979, Edmonton's CFL team was prepping for the Western Conference Finals, on the road to what would become a record-setting Grey Cup dynasty.

First, the team then known as the Eskimos would have to get past their southern rivals, the Calgary Stampeders. Reserved seat tickets for the Alberta showdown in the West were going for $7 to $13 a couple of weeks ahead of the game.

Edmonton beat Calgary 26-13, earning the right to move on to face a familiar foe in the 67th Grey Cup: the Montreal Alouettes. It was the fifth time in six seasons that the two teams had faced off for the Grey Cup, and the third year in a row. Montreal had handed Edmonton a frustrating 41-6 defeat in the 1977 Ice Bowl, with Edmonton coming back with a 20-13 win the following year. So both teams were eager for another rematch.

The 1979 season had seen Edmonton trading duties between its two quarterbacks, Tom Wilkinson and Warren Moon. That trend continued in the final game: Wilkinson took QB duties in the first half, opening up the scoring in the first quarter with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Waddell Smith. But Montreal would respond with three unanswered field goals, putting them in the lead in the third quarter. Moon would eventually find Tom Scott for a 33-yard touchdown pass, followed by a field goal to end the third quarter, leading to Edmonton's 17-9 win.

It was an odd game, especially when it came to the numbers. Stats-wise, Montreal led in most offensive categories. In fact, despite being the winning team, Edmonton was locked out of the individual player awards, which all went to Montreal. The Edmonton defence played its part, keeping the Alouettes out of the end zone and limited to a single-digit score, something that has not since been repeated in a Grey Cup game. Part of it was due to Montreal's lack of discipline — the team took 16 penalties for a total of 145 yards, compared to four flags for Edmonton.

The 1979 win was Edmonton's second in a row, but they didn't stop there. Moon would be chosen as the team's starting quarterback midway through the next season and led the Esks to three more consecutive Grey Cups, creating the CFL's longest dynasty. Combined with the Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup wins, that streak would cement Edmonton's remarkable sports legacy in the 1980s.

The team, now named the Edmonton Elks, are headed to the Western Final again, facing the B.C. Lions at Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 7. This is Edmonton's first playoff appearance since 2019 after a few dismal years. However, the Elks are coming off a strong regular season, leading the Western Conference with a 13-5 record. The winner of the game will head to the 2026 Grey Cup in Calgary to face either Montreal or the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.