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The Miss Grey Cup had been an eagerly anticipated part of Grey Cup festivities since 1951. To be eligible, women had to be between 18 and 24, and the Miss portion of the title was literal: The married, divorced or widowed did not make the cut. The contest remained largely unchanged until 1988, when it slowly caught up with the times. Then, any woman over 18 was welcome to enter and cheerleader outfits were replaced with business suits. But the revamped Miss Grey Cup didn’t last long; the league scrapped it entirely in the early 1990s. As The Canadian Press reported at the time, “the Miss Grey Cup pageant has gone the way of the dodo bird.”

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Together for the first time in Toronto in 1953 were all the finalists for the Miss Grey Cup title, representing senior Canadian football teamsJohn Boyd/The Globe and Mail

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Miss Grey Cup 1953 was chosen from a dozen finalists on the eve of the East-West football classic is Miss Saskatchewan Roughrider -- Joanne Baird, 18-year-old Regina high school student, winner of several beauty and popularity awards in her home town.John Boyd/The Globe and Mail

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Adding a touch of beauty to the Grey Cup game to be held December 1, 1962 in Toronto, will be these nine young ladies who are contestants for the title of Miss Grey Cup. Captured in a group portrait taken at the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto on November 28, 1962.Harold Robinson/The Globe and Mail

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Renata Pikelis, newly crowned Miss Grey Cup at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on November 30, 1962.Harry McLorinan/The Globe and Mail

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Miss Montreal Alouette, Susan Browne, crowned Miss Grey Cup 1964, beams as she is kissed by Miss Blue Bomber, Holly Evans who placed third. At right is Miss Calgary Stampeder, Caroyl Taylor, who placed second in contest held in Toronto on November 27, 1964.Harry McLorinan/The Globe and Mail

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Glenda Olberg, centre, smiles after being chosen Miss Grey Cup on November 26,1965 in Toronto. She is Miss Calgary Stampeder. Dawn Richlew, Miss Winnipeg Blue Bomber and second-runner-up, is at left, Betty Christianson, Miss Edmonton Eskimo, first runner-up, right.John McNeill/The Globe and Mail

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Barbara Casault, Miss Grey Cup 1968, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Ontario Premier John Robarts at the start of the 56th playing of the Grey Cup game at CNE Stadium in Toronto.John Maiola/The Globe and Mail

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Ebullient Mayor of Montreal, Jean Drapeau, finds it fun to pose for photographers, after Grey Cup Parade in Toronto, November 28, 1970, with Nancy Durrell, who holds double title of Miss Montreal Alouette 1970 and Miss Grey Cup 1970.James Lewcun/The Globe and Mail

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Wendy Mills holds the title of Miss Saskatchewan Rough Rider and now Miss Grey Cup for 1973, crowned November 23, 1973 in Toronto.John McNeill/The Globe and Mail

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View of the Grey Cup parade on University Avenue in Toronto on November 28, 1976. Miss Grey Cup (also Miss Eskimo) Jo Zacharko, waves to bystanders.Barrie Davis/The Globe and Mail

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Miss Grey Cup, Lynn MacKenzie of Calgary, waves to crowd during Grey Cup parade in downtown Toronto on November 26, 1978.Barrie Davis/The Globe and Mail

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Leslie McNaughton, from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, won the annual Miss Grey Cup contest in Toronto, on November 27, 1982.Edward Regan/The Globe and Mail

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Argo coach Bob O'Billovich, flanked by Miss Argonaut Debbie Spring, waves the Grey Cup above Bay Street crowds during celebratory parade through the streets of downtown Toronto on Nov. 29, 1983.Tibor Kolley/The Globe and Mail

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Miss Grey Cup ambassadors, left to right: Ann Holtz-Petric, Miss Ottawa Rough Rider, Nancy Lyn Olsen, Miss Calgary Stampeder, Julia Vanderzweep, Miss Winnipeg Blue Bomber, Debra Jones, Miss Saskatchewan Roughrider, Juliana Mohamed, Miss Hamilton Tiger-Cat, Yvette Fung, Miss Edmonton Eskimo, Catharine Horton, Miss B.C. Lions and Karen Spellacy, Miss Toronto Argonaut pose with the Grey Cup trophy in the SkyDome in Toronto on Nov. 22, 1989.Gary Hershorn/Reuters

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