Ottawa Redblacks fans jubilant with Grey Cup upset
Ottawa pulls off huge upset to win 104th Grey Cup against Calgary Stampeders
The Charlie Brown team of the CFL finally got to kick that football.
It's been 40 years since Ottawa football fans watched their team hoist the Grey Cup over their heads, but that all changed Sunday when Redblacks quarterback Henry Burris led the reincarnated team to a 39-33 win over the Calgary Stampeders in overtime.
- Redblacks pull off huge upset to win 104th Grey Cup in OT
- PHOTO GALLERY: Stampeders, Redblacks clash in 104th Grey Cup
Last year the team landed in the finals only to have Edmonton yank the prize away at the last minute.
"Forty years later we made it happen ... a lot of us have been waiting a long time," said fan David Adjeleian.
"A lot of people obviously were handing this game to Calgary before it even started and Ottawa came in as underdogs and it was a role that suited them very well. At the end of the day it's really an incredible feeling for the city of Ottawa. I'm so proud. It exorcises a lot of demons from the past."
Listen to Jim Watson react to the win on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Monday.
The win even has Toronto sports fans happy for Ottawa sports fans. <a href="https://t.co/h1UT21hKZa">pic.twitter.com/h1UT21hKZa</a>
—@amkfooteFans like Jenna Macdonald had little doubt the Redblacks would pull a win off, despite finishing atop the East Division with an 8-9-1 mark.
"They've been good the whole second half of the season. They play great in big games," she said.
The Ottawa Rough Riders last seized the cup in 1976 when Tony Gabriel made a game-winning catch in the end zone to best Saskatchewan in Toronto.
The return to Toronto was not lost on Ottawa fans who easily made the drive, turning BMO Field into a home away from home.
"You can't write a better story than this. This is going to be talked about for years and years and years to come," said Faran Mirza.
Many fans sticking around as the team parties in the end zone. They're chanting "WE WANT BURRIS" and singing We Are The Champions. <a href="https://t.co/Dlwl0USDdM">pic.twitter.com/Dlwl0USDdM</a>
—@amkfooteThe last-minute gains by Calgary and heart-racing overtime play made for an exciting game for fans like Joan Hyatt, who is neither a Redblacks nor a Stampeders supporter.
"I'm a fan of good football and this was good football," she said.
"It was a great Grey Cup, one of the best I've ever seen," added Argo's fan Doug Kingsland.
"It is a classic, right down to the last second,"
Fans will get the chance to celebrate on home turf on Tuesday when Ottawa hosts a champion parade starting at the Pretoria Bridge at noon.
"We'll bring it back home to Ottawa," said Kyle Piche. "Let's keep this party going."
