In honor of the 100th playing of the Grey Cup. The 1973 Coleco CFL Canadian Awards Electric Football Game.

Electric football once had a relationship with a professional football league that was not the NFL. That league still exists, and in fact, played its championship game this past Sunday night. Not only was this game the pinnacle of the season, it was the 100th time this championship game was played. (Can you imagine the over-the-top celebration the NFL will conjure up for the 100th Super Bowl?)

So we offer a hearty and heartfelt congratulations to our Canadian neighbors. On Sunday the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 35-22 in the 100th playing of the Grey Cup. The game was played in Toronto in the Rodgers Dome, so it didn’t have that classic frosty Canadian background that often accompanies outdoor CFL games. But any football game that celebrates a 100th anniversary is something very special.

And during the early 1970’s Coleco and Munro made special Canadian electric football games. In Canada they might not have been special, but for us here in the U.S. they truly were. With the dual 50-yard lines, the CFL logo, and 12-man teams, the games were downright exotic for those of us who grew up watching nothing but the NFL.

Mostly they were “rumor” back in the day. Someone had seen one while on trip to Canada, or had seen a Canadian Christmas catalog (Eaton or Simpson-Sears), and there were usually hints for CFL play in the Coleco rulebook. Then as adult collectors we were finally able to score these unique games that were not aimed for American toy stores. And the games do not disappoint.

Featured in this post is the 1973 Coleco CFL Canadian Award game. It was a full size Coleco game (38” x 21”), with Coleco’s new streamlined grandstand. CFL stars had their images on the sides of the game, and there were CFL logos in the end zone. And of course there were two 50-yard lines and 12-players per team (where does that extra man go??).

1973 Eaton Christmas Catalog

It was featured in the 1973 Eaton catalog on page 147. The players, thank goodness, did not come with Coleco’s new round Direct-O-Matic bases. It’s a beautiful game that really shows off Coleco at its best in electric football.

Again, congratulations to the CFL and the Toronto Argonauts. The NFL only needs to play 54 more Super Bowls to reach 100.

Earl