1990 was another competitive season for the Canadian Football League, as all eight teams won at least 6 games. In the Western Division it was Calgary (11-6-1) taking the division by 1.5 games over Edmonton (10-8-0), while Winnipeg (12-6-0) would win the Eastern Division by two games over the second place Toronto Argonauts. In the first round of the playoffs, Toronto would take care of Ottawa 34-25, while Edmonton would roll over Saskatchewan 43-27. In the Division Finals, it was Winnipeg getting by a tough Toronto team 20-17, while the
Edmonton Eskimos would upset the top-seeded Calgary Stampeders 43-23, setting up the match-up for the 78th Grey Cup Championship. The 78th Grey Cup was played between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC. The Blue Bombers defeated the Eskimos, 50–11. Edmonton started using a receiver formation known as the "five-pack" which had been very effective in the Western final. Quarterback Tracy Ham drove Edmonton from their own 32 yard line to the Winnipeg 16. After a procedure penalty, Ham's pass was intercepted by Greg Battle at the 1 yard line and returned to the Edmonton 43. Bomber quarterback Tom Burgess led his team to the Edmonton 14 yard line, but could not score the touchdown, as his pass was nearly intercepted by Brett "The Toaster" Williams. Trevor Kennard kicked a 14-yard field goal. Edmonton's Blake Marshall fumbled on the Eskimo 45. The Bombers scored a TD on this drive, moving to the 11 where Burgess hit Lee Hull on an end-zone pattern. At the end of the quarter Winnipeg running back Robert Mimbs fumbled, giving Edmonton possession on their own 43 yard line. They were unable to benefit from this opportunity and scored a 56-yard single on Ray Macoritti's punt. Neither offense was able to mount a sustained drive until the end of the quarter, when Ham got the Eskimos to the Bomber 37 yard line. They had to settle for a Macoritti field goal on the last play of the half, making the halftime score 10-4. Early in the second half Greg Battle made his second interception and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. Edmonton's offense could not move the ball and had to punt. Burgess completed a 55-yard pass to Perry Tuttle who was tackled on the Edmonton 5. Two plays later Tuttle made a fingertip shoestring catch at the goal line for the touchdown. Edmonton's next series came to a halt when Eskimo receiver Craig Ellis fumbled after a pass reception and Ken Hailey recovered. The Bombers were unable to advance and punted. Edmonton punt returner Henry "The Gizmo" Williams was stripped of the ball at the Edmonton 18 yard line and Bombers' Tyrone Jones recovered. On the next play Burgess completed a pass to fullback Warren Hudson who dodged several tackles to score. Winnipeg was close to scoring again when
Edmonton was called for pass interference at their four-yard line. Warren Hudson ran in the touchdown at the end of the quarter. Tracy Ham was able to get his team moving to start the fourth quarter, driving to the Winnipeg 20 yard line. His pass into the end zone was tipped by Less Browne but caught by Larry Willis for the touchdown. Later Ham was sacked by James "Wild" West for a safety. Burgess put together another drive, including a pass to Ken Winey at the Edmonton 6, which resulted in a Trevor Kennerd field goal. On the next sequence Ham completed a 30-yard pass and run to Willis who then fumbled and Winnipeg safety Dave Bovell recovered. Danny McManus, coming off the bench, hit Rick House with a 56-yard pass and run for a touchdown. The Blue Bombers' Tom Burgess (QB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Offense and Greg Battle (LB) was named Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player on Defense, while Warren Hudson (FB) was named the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian.