Fog Bowl

For other uses, see Fog Bowl (disambiguation).

The Fog Bowl is the colloquial name for the 1962 Grey Cup Championship game won by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 28–27. It was played at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. It remains the only Grey Cup game ever suspended during play.

The game started normally on Saturday, December 1, 1962. However, by the second quarter, a thick smog started to roll in over the field, a combination of cold, moist, humid air off of Lake Ontario and Toronto's pollution. Fans could not make out the action on the field. Receivers lost sight of the ball after it left the quarterbacks' hand. Punt returners could not find punts until they hit the ground.

The fog only got worse as the afternoon wore on, and with 9 minutes and 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the game was suspended with Winnipeg leading 28–27. The game continued the following afternoon, but there was no further scoring.

Afternoon fog in Toronto is a rare occurance, but the Fog Bowl was just one of several weather disasters to occur at Exhibition Stadium. The stadium's close proximity to Lake Ontario made it succeptible to rapid weather changes and extreme conditions. It remains the site of the only major league baseball game to be played with snow on the field (ironically, the Toronto Blue Jays' inaugural game in 1977), and the only major league baseball game to be suspended due to high wind. The 1982 Grey Cup (the Rain Bowl) was played in a driving rain. The limitations of Exhibition Stadium eventually led to the construction of the Skydome.

Source

The Canadian Encyclopedia [[1]]