The Hugo Ross Trophy was named after a Winnipeg real estate broker, Hugo Ross, who donated the championship trophy to the Western Canada Rugby Football Union (WCRFU). Hugo Ross died a year earlier in April 1912, as he was one of many who drowned in the sinking of .[1]
When the WCRFU joined the Canadian Rugby Union in 1921, the Hugo Ross Trophy champion were able to play for the Grey Cup against teams outside Western Canada. In 1935, the Winnipeg 'Pegs became the only WCRFU team to win the Grey Cup.
By 1936, the Hugo Ross Trophy was awarded to the champion of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). The winner of the trophy usually ended up playing against the IRFU champions for the Grey Cup. The Hugo Ross Trophy was awarded to the WIFU champion from 1936 to 1947.
In the 1948 season, the Hugo Ross Trophy was replaced by the N. J. Taylor Trophy as the official WIFU trophy. The N. J. Taylor Trophy was awarded to the CFL West Division champions until 2003.