Tigers Organization Is the Bomb

The Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the Winnipeg Tribune in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with the June 11, 1930 headline of:

Tiger Grid Club Changes Name

They were, of course, referring to the June 10, 1930, meeting in Winnipeg, Canada, when three football clubs formerly known as the Winnipeg Tigers grew and expanded. On this day in 1930, all three clubs amalgamated to form the Winnipeg Winnipegs Rugby Football Club, which became a member of the Western Rugby Football Union (WIFU), according to the CommunityStories.ca website. The Winnipeg Victorias, the Winnipeg St. John's, which was a team consisting of students from the University of Manitoba, and the Royal School of Infantry were all part of the Manitoba Rugby Union that had been playing since 1888.

Winnipeg made their first Grey Cup appearance in 1935, when the Winnipegs defeated the Hamilton Tigers 18-12, making Winnipeg the first Western city to win the Grey Cup. This Grey Cup was the first and last time the Winnipeg Winnipegs would ever win a Grey Cup. The Canadian rugby game evolved and transformed into the Canadian Football League in the 1950s, straying from the rugby game and adopting the rules of the gridiron.

The area in the Manitoba Province has been well represented in the CFL by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers since then. Our friends, Sports History Network Greg and Scott, on their From the 55 Yardline Podcast, had a great interview on Blue Bombers history with a very entertaining and longtime fan. Give them a listen here.