Prior to 1921, Canadian Football consisted of three separate leagues: the IRFU (Interprovincial Rugby Football Union), the ORFU (Ontario Rugby Football Union), and the CIRFU (Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union). However, in 1921 Canadian Football expanded to include the teams from the Western Region to challenge for the Grey Cup Championship. This included the MRFU (Manitoba Rugby Football Union), the SRFU (Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union), and the ARFU (Alberta Rugby Football Union). In total, Canadian Football expanded from 9 teams to 21 teams that would challenge for the Grey Cup. On the field, the Toronto Argonauts had lost the 1920 Grey Cup to their varsity rivals, but there was no stopping the scullers in 1921. With Hugh Cochrane at quarterback, the sensational duo of Harry Batstone and Lional Conacher at halfback and Cap Fear at end, the Argonauts were not ony an undefeated 6-0 in regular season play, they outscored their opposition an outstanding 167-35. Toronto teams also captured the ORFU and CIRFU titles in 1921. Toronto Parkdlae led by Joseph Breen won the ORFU with a 4-0 record and also a very good points for / against of 104 to 25. In CIRFU play, the Toronto varsity team with
Warren Snyder leading the way came out on top. In the East playoffs, the Toronto Argonauts polished off their two city rivals, beating the University of Toronto 20-12 in the semi-final and then doubling Toronto Parkdale 16-8 in the East final. In the West, the Regina Rugby Club (later to be renamed the Roughriders), had dominated Western football over the past several seasons, but were upset in the provinical playoffs by the Saskatoon Quakers 9-6, and lost their chance to be the first Western team in the Grey Cup. The Regina loss might represeent the only time in Canadian football history where a game result was overturned on a protest. Regina beat Saskatoon 10-8, but there had been a controversial touuchdown early in the game. Regina kicked into the Saskatoon endzone and Saskatoon thought the ball was dead when it hit the fence around the endzone. A Regina player fell on the ball and was awarded a a touchdown which was converted. Those six points (touchdowns were worth five points then) made the difference, and Saskatoon protested the game. Meetings of the SRFU were called, one in each city that the other side didn't or couldn't attend with one unholding the protest and one disallowing it. Finally, the Regina team decided to replay the game in order to settle the dispute so a Saskatchewan winner could be declared for the playoff with the Manitoba winner. The Quakers won the rematch and ended up losing to the Winnipeg Victorias 16-1 in the West semi-final. The honour of being the first Western team in the Grey Cup ended up going to the Edmonton Eskimos who beat the Winnipeg Victorias 16-6. Edmonton almost ended up not going to the Grey Cup as they wanted a $4000 financial guarentee that the Canadian Rugby
Union (CRU) had trouble meeting. In the end, CRU president Billy Foulds put up most of the money himself to allow for the first truly Canadian championship. It might have been a national championship, but the Eskimos proved to be no match for the powerful Argonauts, losing 23-0. It was the only appearance in a Grey Cup by Conacher who made the most of it. Conacher scored 15 of Toronto's 23 points, on two touchdowns (5 points each), a field goal and two singles. Conacher took a bit of a rest, playing only three quarters as he also had a hockey game to play that same night.