Ninety-one-year-old Brian McCallum has seen every Grey Cup hosted in Calgary since 1975. This Sunday’s 113th Grey Cup will be his sixth. “It’s fantastic, no doubt about it. We have a great time, every game we went to was wonderful to sit down and enjoy them,” McCallum said. He, alongside the rest of Calgary, are preparing for the showdown between the Edmonton Elks and Montreal Alouettes. To kick off a week of festivities, a special ceremony was held at the Mewata Armoury: a ceremony that saw the Grey Cup arrive on a horse-drawn wagon. “I’m not sure there is another championship trophy in all of sport that can make an entrance like that and somehow feel completely at home,” said CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston. Celebration and Remembrance Military personnel escorted the Grey Cup into the armoury for a welcoming yet solemn ceremony that reflected on the significance of bringing the cup to a military base. “It is a fitting place to welcome one of Canada’s most cherished national symbols, the Grey Cup,” Col. Kyle Clapperton, Commander of the 41 Canadian Brigade Group, told attendees. “The connection between the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Football League is longstanding and obviously uniquely Canadian. Both institutions have helped shape our national identity through teamwork, perseverance, discipline and service.” Clapperton was one of several speakers who paid tribute to the four soldiers killed in a fire at CFB Wainwright last month. “Today is therefore both a celebration and a moment of reflection. A chance to proudly celebrate what brings Canadians together while remembering those who serve our nation,” Clapperton said. Johnston echoed that sentiment. “(The Grey Cup) has been celebrated in times of joy and carried with Canadians through times of sacrifice, so there is something especially meaningful about having members of the Canadian Armed Forces help carry it to Calgary today,” he said. “This isn’t just a trophy arriving in a city, it’s more than a century of Canadian stories arriving with it.” A full-circle family moment Brian McCallum won’t be attending his sixth Grey Cup alone — all his children will join him to carry on his tradition. “It’s a full circle moment for me. I remember as a kid in the 70s how big the Grey Cup was for us. We’d get together with a couple of other families and each year we would rotate around, so it was a big tradition,” Mike McCallum, Brian’s son, told CTV News. Brian still has his ticket from the 1975 game in excellent condition, which has since been passed on to Mike. It’s a keepsake Brian says carries decades of treasured memories. “A lot of memories come back of being at all of the Grey Cup games with a good buddy of mine,” Brian said. “And the big thing was this ticket cost $12!” He remembers the pure elation and devastating heartbreak in the 13th man incident that saw the Saskatchewan Roughriders lose the 2009 Grey Cup. He also recalled the absolute frigid 1975 game that had an unbelievable pregame sight. “I was so cold. However, when it started off and we had the streaker coming out, I couldn’t believe it. I spoke to the guy next to me and said ‘she must be frozen,’” Brian said. With less than one week until the game, Mike says he’s proud to be a part of his father’s 51-year tradition. “I’ve been telling a lot of friends that my dad’s been to every Grey Cup. And of course, dad tells everyone who wants to listen,” Mike said. “It’s really exciting that we can keep this tradition, and I’m really happy this time that all my siblings are coming as well.” A week of festivities Whether you have a decades-long tradition or not, there will still be plenty of fun to be had in Calgary this week. The Calgary Grey Cup Committee says there is a week full of festivities leading up to Sunday’s game. That includes a Legion breakfast, as well as a Stampede breakfast at Stampede Park from Thursday through Saturday starting at 11 a.m. Ian Busby with the Grey Cup Committee added Calgary Stampeders mascot Tuffy Nuff would also make an appearance at Stamps House on Thursday night. Busby also said Tuffy Nuff will check into a hotel on Thursday—a tradition that got started in Calgary in 1948. “It’s like our Christmas. Honestly, it’s several days of festival fun,” Busby said. “People from all over the country coming to Calgary is absolutely the best.”
