If you've ever attended festivities surrounding a CFL championship game, you've probably experienced a Gray Cup hangover.
Today, however, we're discussing a different kind of Gray Cup hangover—the type that plagues teams that win a big game and then see a significant decline the following season.
Although the Gray Cup was first played in 1909, this list only covers the winning teams of the league's modern era from 1958 to the present. The worst regression in league history among Gray Cup losers is the Ottawa Redblacks, who went 3-15 in 2019 after losing to the Calgary Stampeders last year.
1965 BC Lyons
Record: 6-9-1 (five wins less than last year)
Not only did the Lions fail to repeat after winning their first Gray Cup in 1964, they didn't even make the playoffs. The team started strong with a 4-2-1 record, but lost five games in a row to finish the regular season with four of them by double-digit scores. Joe Cupp threw a career-worst 19 interceptions, Willie Fleming tied the record with eight touchdowns, and defensive lineman Dick Fouts was BC's only All-CFL selection.
2025 Toronto Argonauts
Record: 5–13 (five fewer wins than last year)
The Argonauts were without quarterback Chad Kelly the entire 2025 season, and it showed. Toronto earned only two All-East Division selections and scored a league-worst 583 points, 46 more than any other team. The club gave its fans some hope by going on a three-game winning streak at the end of the summer before losing five matches in a row to end the year. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has since left the team for a promotion in Ottawa.
2018 Toronto Argonauts
Record: 4–14 (five fewer wins than last year)
Ricky Ray suited up for just two games in his final CFL season, leaving the then relatively inexperienced McLeod Bethel-Thompson and James Franklin to handle center duties. The Argonauts scored a league-worst 560 points in the regular season and did not earn a single All-CFL selection. This year was so terrible that it cost head coach Marc Trestman his job just 11 months before winning the championship.
1998 Toronto Argonauts
Record: 9-9 (six wins less than last year)
Doug Flutie left for the NFL after helping the Argonauts win back-to-back Gray Cups, leaving Kerwin Bell as the starting quarterback. The pocket passer had a strong year, posting a league-best 4,991 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, although Toronto still lost in the first round of the playoffs. Derrell Mitchell, who set a new league record with 160 receptions for 2,000 yards, was the team's only player selected All-CFL.
1992 Toronto Argonauts
Record: 6-12 (seven wins less than last year)
There was always a hangover from the John Candy, Wayne Gretzky, Bruce McNall and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail circus of 1991, but this one was truly epic. Adam Rita was fired as the team's head coach after a 3-8 start, and his replacement, Dennis Meyer, didn't fare much better. It was the first in a multi-year skid for the Argonauts, who went 3–15 in 1993 and didn't win a playoff game again until 1996.
1970 Ottawa Rough Riders
Record: 4–10 (seven wins less than last year)
Not only was it a hangover from the Gray Cup, but it was also a hangover from Russ Jackson, arguably the best Canadian football player of all time, who retired after the 1969 season. Gary Wood was a decent player under center in 1970—he threw 18 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, which was decent for the time—but he was no Jackson. Ottawa's worst loss came at home against the Blue Bombers, who had two wins in Week 10, by a score of 15–0.
