In 1912, 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). During the regular season, the teams in each league would play each other, but not the teams from the other two leagues. On the field, the Toronto Argonauts (5-1) would qualify for the post-season by taking the IRFU by one game over Ottawa (4-2), while the Hamilton Alerts (3-1) and the Toronto RAA (2-1) would qualify in the ORFU. In the CIRFU, the McGill Redmen (3-1) and the University of Toronto (3-1) would also qualify. In the first round of the playoffs, McGill University ended Varsity's reign as Grey Cup champions in 1912 with a 41-3 victory, but refused to challenge for the trophy because the students didn't want to take time away from their studies. As a result, the University of Toronto would go on to the Semi-Final round against the Toronto Argonauts for the chance to play in the 4th Grey Cup Championship game. The Hamilton Alerts were suspended by the ORFU on November 23 for flaunting the authority of the Union. The Toronto Rowing and Athletic Club had protested a penalty call which had resulted in a victory for the Alerts. The ORFU ordered the game be re-played on the 23rd, but the Alerts refused to field a full team. The Alerts lost to Toronto, 39–7, while the main squad lost a regularly scheduled match in Hamilton to the Tigers, 12–8. The 4th Grey Cup was played on November 30, 1912, before 5,337 fans at A.A.A. Grounds at Hamilton, where the Hamilton Alerts defeated the Toronto Argonauts 11 to 4. The game was delayed for about an hour as a groundskeeper forgot to provide a game ball to the combatants. Someone finally kicked in a locked dressing room door, and recovered the only available football. Many did not give the Alerts much of a chance to win the game, but those in attendance at the Hamilton Cricket Grounds were treated to the first upset in Grey Cup history. The Alerts took the lead in the opening quarter on a pair of rouges. The Argonauts best opportunity for a touchdown came in the second quarter when Tout Leckie mishandled a punt behind Hamilton's goal line. The Argonauts swarmed the ball, ready to pounce on it for a touchdown when an Alert player appeared out of nowhere and kicked it behind the dead line for a safety. Hamilton added a pair of rouges to take a 4-2 lead into halftime. Penalties against the Alerts
gave the Argonauts a number of chances in the second half, but Toronto could not capitalize. Hamilton scored the only touchdown of the game in the third quarter when Ross Craig bucked through the line between the goal posts. The try was converted to give the Alerts an 11-2 lead. The Argonauts went on to score a couple of rouges in the fourth quarter, but were simply no match for the Alerts on this day.