The following is an overview of the events of 1883 in Canadian football, primarily focusing on the senior teams that played in this era. This includes news, standings, playoff games, and championships. This was the first season of the creation of the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) and the Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU).
In this season, a point scoring system was established where a goal from field was worth six points, a try was worth four points, a safety was worth two points, and kicks to the deadline and rouges were worth one point.[1] Each team had 15 players on the field at a time and each game was composed of two 45-minute halves.[1] The Ontario Rugby Football Union was formed on January 6, 1883, and the Quebec Rugby Football Union would organize ten days later.[1] [2]
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Quebec City Foot-Ball Club | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Football Union | League Champion | |
|---|---|---|
| ORFU | Toronto Foot-Ball Club | |
| QRFU | Montreal Football Club | |
| There were no playoff due to the Tie Schedule. | ||
| Ottawa Football Club 14 | Hamilton Tigers 9 |
| Toronto Foot-Ball Club 9 | Ottawa Football Club 7 |
No dominion championship was played.