Chicago Cardinals 55
Toronto Argonauts 26
Aug. 5, 1959
In 1959, the Toronto Argonauts moved from Varsity Stadium to the
brand new C.N.E. grounds. They opened their new facility in a unique way
by hosting the NFL's Chicago Cardinals in an exhibition game. Football
fans on both sides of the border were curious as to how the game would
take shape and 27,700 showed up for the contest. A blend of Canadian and
American rules were employed in the game. The coaches were Hamp Pool for
Toronto and Pop Ivy (former Edmonton coach) for Chicago
The Argos surprised everyone by jumping into a quick 13-1 lead using the
“Argos Shift”, a formation with three ends and two flankers to get five
receivers downfield quickly. Dave Mann caught a touchdown pass from
Ronnie Knox to cap a 50 yard, four play drive. Then, Argo defender Bob Dehlinger intercepted a M.C. Reynolds pass and returned it 70 yards for
a “major”. Still leading well into the second quarter, the Argos were
stunned when their
leading defensive player, Don Caraway suffered torn
ligaments and had to leave the game. The Cards, who outweighed the Argos
by almost 20 pounds per man, seemed to take over at that point. The
halftime score was 21-13, Chicago. The Cardinals’ scoring was evenly
distributed among its offensive threats as the Chicago offensive line
took over the game. The Cardinals scored seven TD’s with Joe Childress,
Bob Conrad, Bob Watkins, King Hill, John David Crow, Mal Hammack, Leo
Sugar and Lee Williams scoring. Conrad added six conversions and a rouge
while Toronto’s Vic Kristopaitis kicked two conversions. The Cardinals
had steamrolled the Argos for an easy 55-26 victory.
Regular Season:
The Chicago Cardinals posted a disappointing 2-10-0 record in 1959. Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow, in his rookie season, led the
Cards in rushing. Perhaps one of the reasons Chicago handled Toronto so
easily in the exhibition was that their coach was so familiar with the
Canadian game. Pop Ivy, former Eskimos coach from 1954 through ‘57 and
still the winningest coach in CFL history (.781), coached the Cardinals.
Toronto was a talented team with Dick Shatto, Danny Nykoluk, Norm Stoneburgh, Ronnie Knox, Dave Mann, and Jim Rountree. But, 1959 was a
frustrating year as the team finished with a 4-10 record and a
last-place finish in the Eastern Division. Dick Shatto rushed for 950
yards and led the team with 46 receptions, while a newcomer named
Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist won the team's scoring title
with 75 points.
An amazing book by Argos historian, Craig Wallace
