The 1978 CFL season is considered to be the 25th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 21st Canadian Football League season.
| 1978 CFL season | |
|---|---|
| East champions | Montreal Alouettes |
| West champions | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 66th Grey Cup | |
| Date | November 26, 1978 |
| Venue | Exhibition Stadium, Toronto |
| Champions | Edmonton Eskimos |
The league drew 2,229,834 fans to its 72 regular season games, a record that would stand until the 2005 season by which time the league had extended its schedule from 16 to 18 games. The league's average attendance of 31,831 spectators per game remains a league record as of 2024.
Regular season standings
editFinal regular season standings
editNote: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Eskimos | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 452 | 301 | 22 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 381 | 311 | 21 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 371 | 351 | 18 |
| BC Lions | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 359 | 308 | 16 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 16 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 330 | 459 | 9 |
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Rough Riders | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 395 | 261 | 22 |
| Montreal Alouettes | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 331 | 295 | 17 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 16 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 225 | 403 | 11 |
| Toronto Argonauts | 16 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 234 | 389 | 8 |
- Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs..
- Edmonton and Ottawa have first round byes.
Grey Cup playoffs
editThe Edmonton Eskimos are the 1978 Grey Cup champions, defeating the Montreal Alouettes, 20–13, at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. This was the fourth championship meeting between Edmonton and Montreal within the last six years. The Eskimos' Tom Wilkinson (QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Offence and Dave "Dr. Death" Fennell (DT) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defence. While Angelo Santucci (RB) was named Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.
Playoff bracket
edit| November 11/12: Division Semifinals | November 18/19: Division Finals | November 26: 66th Grey Cup @ Exhibition Stadium – Toronto, Ontario | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Montreal Alouettes | 21 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 20 | E1 | Ottawa Rough Riders | 16 | |||||||||
| E2 | Montreal Alouettes | 35 | E2 | Montreal Alouettes | 13 | |||||||||
| W1 | Edmonton Eskimos | 20 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Calgary Stampeders | 13 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 4 | W1 | Edmonton Eskimos | 26 | |||||||||
| W2 | Calgary Stampeders | 38 | ||||||||||||
CFL Leaders
edit1978 CFL All-Stars
editOffence
edit- QB – Tom Wilkinson, Edmonton Eskimos
- RB – James Sykes, Calgary Stampeders
- RB – Mike Strickland, Saskatchewan Roughriders
- SB – Tom Scott, Edmonton Eskimos
- TE – Tony Gabriel, Ottawa Rough Riders
- WR – Joe Poplawski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- WR – Bob Gaddis, Montreal Alouettes
- C – Al Wilson, BC Lions
- OG – Harold Holton, Calgary Stampeders
- OG – Bill Stevenson, Edmonton Eskimos
- OT – Jim Coode, Ottawa Rough Riders
- OT – Dan Yochum, Montreal Alouettes
Defence
edit- DT – Dave Fennell, Edmonton Eskimos
- DT – John Helton, Calgary Stampeders
- DE – Mike Fanucci, Ottawa Rough Riders
- DE – Reggie Lewis, Calgary Stampeders
- LB – Danny Kepley, Edmonton Eskimos
- LB – Ben Zambiasi, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- LB – Chuck Zapiec, Montreal Alouettes
- DB – Joe Hollimon, Edmonton Eskimos
- DB – Dickie Harris, Montreal Alouettes
- DB – Larry Brune, Ottawa Rough Riders
- DB – Gregg Butler, Edmonton Eskimos
- DB – Randy Rhino, Montreal Alouettes
Special teams
edit- P – Hank Ilesic, Edmonton Eskimos
- K – Dave Cutler, Edmonton Eskimos
1978 Eastern All-Stars
editOffence
edit- QB – Condredge Holloway, Ottawa Rough Riders
- RB – Jimmy Edwards, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- RB – Mike Murphy, Ottawa Rough Riders
- SB – Art Green, Ottawa Rough Riders
- WR – Bob Gaddis, Montreal Alouettes
- TE – Tony Gabriel, Ottawa Rough Riders
- WR – Jeff Avery, Ottawa Rough Riders
- C – Donn Smith, Ottawa Rough Riders
- OG – Charlie Brandon, Ottawa Rough Riders
- OG – Larry Butler, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- OT – Jim Coode, Ottawa Rough Riders
- OT – Dan Yochum, Montreal Alouettes
Defence
edit- DT – Glen Weir, Montreal Alouettes
- DT – Mike Raines, Ottawa Rough Riders
- DE – Mike Fanucci, Ottawa Rough Riders
- DE – Jim Corrigall, Toronto Argonauts
- LB – Carl Crennell, Montreal Alouettes
- LB – Ben Zambiasi, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- LB – Chuck Zapiec, Montreal Alouettes
- DB – Eric Harris, Toronto Argonauts
- DB – Dickie Harris, Montreal Alouettes
- DB – Larry Brune, Ottawa Rough Riders
- DB – Jim Burrow, Montreal Alouettes
- DB – Randy Rhino, Montreal Alouettes
Special teams
edit1978 Western All-Stars
editOffence
edit- QB – Tom Wilkinson, Edmonton Eskimos
- RB – James Sykes, Calgary Stampeders
- RB – Mike Strickland, Saskatchewan Roughriders
- SB – Tom Scott, Edmonton Eskimos
- TE – Willie Armstead, Calgary Stampeders
- WR – Joe Poplawski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- WR – Mike Holmes, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- C – Al Wilson, BC Lions
- OG – Harold Holton, Calgary Stampeders
- OG – Bill Stevenson, Edmonton Eskimos
- OT – Lloyd Fairbanks, Calgary Stampeders
- OT – Butch Norman, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Defence
edit- DT – Dave Fennell, Edmonton Eskimos
- DT – John Helton, Calgary Stampeders
- DE – Ron Estay, Edmonton Eskimos
- DE – Reggie Lewis, Calgary Stampeders
- LB – Danny Kepley, Edmonton Eskimos
- LB – Tom Towns, Edmonton Eskimos
- LB – Glen Jackson, BC Lions
- DB – Joe Hollimon, Edmonton Eskimos
- DB – Terry Irvin, Calgary Stampeders
- DB – Ed Jones, Edmonton Eskimos
- DB – Gregg Butler, Edmonton Eskimos
- DB – Al Burleson, Calgary Stampeders
Special teams
edit- P – Hank Ilesic, Edmonton Eskimos
- K – Dave Cutler, Edmonton Eskimos
1978 CFL Awards
edit- CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Tony Gabriel (TE), Ottawa Rough Riders
- CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Tony Gabriel (TE), Ottawa Rough Riders
- CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Dave "Dr. Death" Fennell (DT), Edmonton Eskimos
- CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Jim Coode (OT), Ottawa Rough Riders
- CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – Joe Poplawski (WR), Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award – Peter Muller (TE), Toronto Argonauts
- CFL's Coach of the Year – Jack Gotta, Calgary Stampeders