1976 CFL season

The 1976 CFL season is considered to be the 23rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 19th Canadian Football League season.

CFL news in 1976
For the first time in Canadian Football League history, more than two million fans attended CFL games, with a total attendance of 2,029,586.

In the CFL All-Star Game, the East team defeated the West, 27-16, in front of 21,762 fans at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton. The game was played before the pre-season on May 29, the first time a CFL contest was held in the month of May (and the last time until 2018).

Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points


 * Bold text means that they have clinched the playoffs.
 * Saskatchewan and Ottawa have first round byes.

Grey Cup playoffs
The Ottawa Rough Riders are the 1976 Grey Cup champions, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 23–20, at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. This was the third championship game between the two Rough Riders with Ottawa winning two out of three games. Ottawa's Tom Clements (QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Offence and Saskatchewan's Cleveland Vann (LB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defence. Ottawa's Tony Gabriel (TE) was named Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.

This was the only year between 1973 and 1982 that the Edmonton Eskimos did not appear in the Grey Cup game.

CFL Leaders

 * CFL Passing Leaders
 * CFL Rushing Leaders
 * CFL Receiving Leaders

Offence

 * QB – Ron Lancaster, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * RB – Jimmy Edwards, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * RB – Jim Washington, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * SB – Art Green, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * TE – Tony Gabriel, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * WR – Rhett Dawson, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * WR – George McGowan, Edmonton Eskimos
 * C – Al Wilson, BC Lions
 * OG – Ralph Galloway, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * OG – Dave Braggins, Montreal Alouettes
 * OT – Dan Yochum, Montreal Alouettes
 * OT – Butch Norman, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defence

 * DT – Granville Liggins, Toronto Argonauts
 * DT – John Helton, Calgary Stampeders
 * DE – Bill Baker, BC Lions
 * DE – Junior Ah You, Montreal Alouettes
 * LB – Harry Walters, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * LB – Mark Kosmos, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * LB – Roger Goree, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DB – Lorne Richardson, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DB – Brian Herosian, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * DB – Dickie Harris, Montreal Alouettes
 * DB – David Shaw, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * DB – Paul Williams, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DB – Lewis Porter, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Offence

 * QB – Tom Clements, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * RB – Jimmy Edwards, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * RB – Andy Hopkins, Montreal Alouettes
 * SB – Art Green, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * TE – Tony Gabriel, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * WR – Mike Eben, Toronto Argonauts
 * WR – Johnny Rodgers, Montreal Alouettes
 * C – Donn Smith, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * OG – Larry Butler, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * OG – Dave Braggins, Montreal Alouettes
 * OT – Dan Yochum, Montreal Alouettes
 * OT – Jim Coode, Ottawa Rough Riders

Defence

 * DT – Glen Weir, Montreal Alouettes
 * DT – Granville Liggins, Toronto Argonauts
 * DE – Mike Samples, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * DE – Junior Ah You, Montreal Alouettes
 * LB – Larry Cameron, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * LB – Mark Kosmos, Ottawa Rough Riders
 * LB – Chuck Zapiec, Montreal Alouettes
 * DB – Steve Dennis, Toronto Argonauts
 * DB – Phil Price, Montreal Alouettes
 * DB – Dickie Harris, Montreal Alouettes
 * DB – David Shaw, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * DB – Larry Uteck, Toronto Argonauts
 * DB – Lewis Porter, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Offence

 * QB – Ron Lancaster, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * RB – Mike Strickland, BC Lions
 * RB – Jim Washington, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * RB – Steve Beaird, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * TE – Bob Richardson, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * WR – Rhett Dawson, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * WR – George McGowan, Edmonton Eskimos
 * C – Al Wilson, BC Lions
 * OG – Ralph Galloway, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * OG – Buddy Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * OT – Layne McDowell, BC Lions
 * OT – Butch Norman, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Defence

 * DT – Tim Roth, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DT – John Helton, Calgary Stampeders
 * DE – Bill Baker, BC Lions
 * DE – George Wells, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * LB – Harry Walters, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * LB – Bill Manchuk, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * LB – Roger Goree, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DB – Lorne Richardson, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DB – Brian Herosian, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * DB – Joe Hollimon, Edmonton Eskimos
 * DB – Ken McEachern, Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * DB – Paul Williams, Saskatchewan Roughriders

1976 CFL Awards

 * CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Ron Lancaster (QB), Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Tony Gabriel (TE), Ottawa Rough Riders
 * CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Bill Baker (DE), BC Lions
 * CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Dan Yochum (OT), Montreal Alouettes
 * CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award – John Sciarra (QB), BC Lions
 * CFLPA's Outstanding Community Service Award – George Reed (RB), Saskatchewan Roughriders
 * CFL's Coach of the Year – Bob Shaw, Hamilton Tiger-Cats