The Edmonton Eskimos defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the first Grey Cup held in the west. This was also the first year that the Grey Cup was open to professional teams only, as the amateur Ontario Rugby Football Union was not invited to compete in an inter-union playdown, leaving only the Eastern Canadian Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and the Western Canadian Western Interprovincial Football Union to compete for the Canadian championship. Canadian Football News in 1955 For 45 years the Grey Cup classic was an event held exclusively in the province of Ontario, with the one exception in 1931 when the game was staged in Montreal. This all changed in 1955 when the game was awarded to Vancouver, B.C. The then largest crowd in the history of organized team sports in Canada packed Empire Stadium to witness the Edmonton Eskimos defeat the Montreal Alouettes. The 39,417 in attendance remained a Grey Cup record until 1976. The Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU) allowed the third place team to qualify for a playoff berth. The Grey Cup had a gross revenue of $198,000. In January 1955, the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) announced that a playoff game with the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was no longer desired. The WIFU and IRFU both scheduled their games so as not to leave an open date for the traditional game with the ORFU. At the March meeting of the CRU, the ORFU withdrew from Grey Cup competition for 1955. 1955 became the first year that only the IRFU and the WIFU competed for the Grey Cup. Montreal's Tex Coulter became the first player to win the Most Outstanding Lineman Award. Regular season 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. Edmonton and Montreal both have first round byes. Grey Cup playoffs Note: All dates in 1955 Semifinals Winnipeg won the total-point series by 24–16. The Blue Bombers will play the Edmonton Eskimos in the WIFU Finals. The Argonauts will play the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern finals. Final Edmonton wins the best of three series 2–0. The Eskimos will advance to the Grey Cup game. The Alouettes will advance to the Grey Cup game. Playoff bracket Grey Cup Championship Note: IRFU and Eastern Final