Churchill Bowl

Last updated
Churchill Bowl
Sport Canadian football
League CIS
Awarded forWinning the CIS Semifinal Championship
CountryCanada
History
First award1953
Editions46
Final award2002
First winner McGill Redmen
Most wins Western Mustangs (9)
Most recent Saint Mary's Huskies (2002)

The Sir Winston Churchill Bowl was one of two semi-final bowl games played in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football that would determine a participant in the Vanier Cup national championship. [1] The trophy was originally donated and managed by McGill University to serve as an annual, often pre-season, invitational football contest between the sister universities of McGill and UBC in aid of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. The Churchill Bowl was retired in 2003 and replaced by the Mitchell Bowl. [1]

Contents

History

The Churchill Bowl was originally created for Canadian University football invitational competition in 1953. [2] The trophy was a sculpture created by R. Tait McKenzie entitled "The Onslaught". [2]

Many of the games were regarded as an unofficial national championship of Canada, although three other university football leagues were not invited to play and disputed this claim. [2] From 1953 through 1958 the game was a pre-season interconference exhibition. In 1959 and 1960, the Churchill Bowl was switched to a post-season game, pitting the Yates Cup and Hardy Trophy champions against each other in the first attempt in an unofficial national championship. [2] There were eleven unofficial national championship or challenge games played between 1953 and 1964.

Staging games could prove to be difficult at times. In 1961 the Queen's Golden Gaels were the Yates Cup champions scheduled to play the Western Canadian Hardy Cup champion Alberta Golden Bears. However, the Ontario Intercollegiate Football Conference champion McMaster Marauders challenged Queen's to a post-season match which the Gaels were forced to play. With no game scheduled, the McGill Redmen hosted the Jewett Trophy champion St. Francis Xavier X-Men. [2]

In 1963, the Hardy and Yates champions again faced off in the "Golden Bowl" between the Alberta Golden Bears and Queen's Golden Gaels, [3] but McGill chose to hold onto to Churchill Bowl and play the Atlantic champion St. FX for a third consecutive year. Alberta's 25-7 victory marked the first major western victory over an eastern team, with McGill also losing to the X-Men in the Churchill. These events spurred an effort to create an official national championship. [4]

When the Vanier Cup was staged as an official national championship in 1965, the trophy was retired. From 1968 to 1988 one of the national semi-final games was variously named Western Bowl, Forest City Bowl and Central Bowl. [1]

In 1989, the CIAU requested and were given permission by the trustees of the trophy to reinstate the award for annual presentation to the winner of the National semi-final game, the Churchill Bowl. The trophy was taken out of storage at McGill and presented as the winner of this game. The winner of the Atlantic Bowl would meet the winner of the Churchill Bowl for the Vanier Cup. [5] In 2003, the Churchill Bowl game was renamed the Uteck Bowl in honour of Larry Uteck. The trophy was retired for the second time. [6]

Churchill Bowl Games

DateChampionScoreRunner UpLocation
1953 McGill Redmen 22-7 UBC Thunderbirds Percival Molson Stadium/Montreal, PQ
1954 McGill Redmen 8-5 UBC Thunderbirds Percival Molson Stadium/Montreal, PQ
1955 UBC Thunderbirds 0-0 McGill Redmen Varsity Stadium/Vancouver, BC
1956 Western Mustangs 38-13 UBC Thunderbirds Varsity Stadium/Vancouver, BC
1957-09-21 Western Mustangs 54-0 UBC Thunderbirds J.W. Little Stadium/London, ON
1958 McGill Redmen 9–6 UBC Thunderbirds Percival Molson Stadium/Montreal, PQ
1959-11-14 Western Mustangs 34–7 UBC Thunderbirds Varsity Stadium, Toronto, ON [7]
1960 McGill Redmen 46–7 Alberta Golden Bears Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal, PQ
1961 McGill Redmen 21-7 St. Francis Xavier X-Men Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal, PQ
1962 McGill Redmen 13-6 St. Francis Xavier X-Men Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal, PQ
1963 St. Francis Xavier X-Men 14-7 McGill Redmen Oland Field, Antigonish, NS
1964 Queen's Golden Gaels vs. Alberta Golden Bears, not played
1965No competition
1966No competition
1967No competition
1968 Queen's Golden Gaels 29–6 Manitoba Bisons Winnipeg, MB
1969 Manitoba Bisons 41–7 Windsor Lancers Winnipeg, MB
1970 Manitoba Bisons 24–20 (OT) Queen's Golden Gaels Winnipeg, MB
1971-11-13 Alberta Golden Bears 53–2 Bishop's Gaiters Edmonton, AB
1972-11-18 Alberta Golden Bears 58–6 Loyola College Edmonton, AB
1973-11-17 McGill Redmen 16–0 Manitoba Bisons
1974-11-16 Western Mustangs 41–17 Saskatchewan Huskies London, ON
1975-11-15 Ottawa Gee-Gees 45–6 Windsor Lancers Ottawa, ON
1976-11-13 Western Mustangs 30–8 UBC Thunderbirds London, ON
1977-11-12 Western Mustangs 24–22 Calgary Dinos London, ON
1978-11-11 UBC Thunderbirds 25–16 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Vancouver, BC
1979-11-10 Western Mustangs 32–14 Queen's Golden Gaels London, ON
1980-11-15 Alberta Golden Bears 14–4 Western Mustangs Edmonton, AB
1981-11-21 Alberta Golden Bears 32–31 Western Mustangs Edmonton, AB
1982-11-13 Western Mustangs 17–7 Concordia Stingers London, ON
1983-11-12 Queen's Golden Gaels 21–7 Toronto Varsity Blues Kingston, ON
1984-11-17 Guelph Gryphons 12–7 Calgary Dinos Guelph, ON
1985-11-23 Calgary Dinos 56–14 Carleton Ravens McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB
1986-11-15 UBC Thunderbirds 32–30 Bishop's Gaiters Lennoxville, PQ
1987-11-14 UBC Thunderbirds 33–31 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Vancouver, BC
1988-11-12 Calgary Dinos 34–15 Western Mustangs London, ON
1989-11-11 Saskatchewan Huskies 30–10 Queen's Golden Gaels Saskatoon, SK
1990-11-17 Saskatchewan Huskies 41–13 Bishop's Gaiters Montreal, PQ
1991-11-16 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 42–22 Queen's Golden Gaels SkyDome, Toronto, ON
1992-11-14 Queen's Golden Gaels 23–16 Guelph Gryphons SkyDome, Toronto, ON
1993-11-13 Toronto Varsity Blues 26–16 Concordia Stingers SkyDome, Toronto, ON
1994-11-12 Western Mustangs 41–24 Bishop's Gaiters Lennoxville, PQ
1995-11-18 Calgary Dinos 37–7 Ottawa Gee-Gees Calgary, AB
1996-11-16 Saskatchewan Huskies 33–9 Guelph Gryphons Waterloo, ON
1997-11-15 Waterloo Warriors (*)37–44 Ottawa Gee-Gees (*)Ottawa, ON
1998-11-21 Saskatchewan Huskies 33–17 Western Mustangs Saskatoon, SK
1999-11-20 Laval Rouge et Or 27–21 Saskatchewan Huskies Ste. Foy, PQ
2000-11-18 Ottawa Gee-Gees 20–15 McMaster Marauders Hamilton, ON
2001-11-17 Manitoba Bisons 27–6 McMaster Marauders Winnipeg, MB
2002-11-16 Saint Mary's Huskies 36–25 McMaster Marauders Hamilton, ON

[1]

(*) Note: The Ottawa Gee-Gees were forced to forfeit all of their post-season titles in 1997 because they had ineligible players on their roster.

Related Research Articles

The Atlantic Bowl was one of the two national semifinal men's football games of Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The winner of the Atlantic Bowl would meet the winner of the Churchill Bowl for the Vanier Cup. It was replaced by the Uteck Bowl in 2001 following the death of Larry Uteck, a former athletic director at Saint Mary's University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports football</span> University competition in Canadian football

U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, the champions of each conference advance to semifinal bowl games; the winners of these meet in the Vanier Cup national championship.

The 2008 CIS football season began on August 23, 2008, and concluded with the 44th Vanier Cup national championship on November 22 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning their fifth championship. Twenty-seven universities across Canada compete in CIS football, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

The 2009 CIS football season began on August 29, 2009, and concluded its campaign with the 45th Vanier Cup national championship on November 28 at PEPS stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. Twenty-seven universities across Canada compete in CIS football, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The Queen's Golden Gaels defeated the Calgary Dinos 33-31 in the Vanier Cup to claim the 2009 national championship and their fourth in school history.

The 45th Vanier Cup was played on November 28, 2009, at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec, and decided the CIS Football champion for the 2009 season. In the first Vanier Cup game played in the province of Quebec, the Queen's Golden Gaels came from behind to defeat the Calgary Dinos 33-31. The Gaels, who were down by 18 points at halftime, scored 25 unanswered points in what was the biggest overcome deficit in Vanier Cup history.

The 2011 CIS football season began on September 1, 2011, with the Montreal Carabins hosting the McGill Redmen at CEPSUM Stadium. The season concluded on November 25 at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia with the 47th Vanier Cup championship. This year, 26 university teams in Canada played CIS football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.

The 2005 CIS football season began on September 1, 2005, and concluded with the 41st Vanier Cup national championship on December 3 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks winning their second championship. Twenty-seven universities across Canada competed in CIS football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

The 2004 CIS football season began on September 2, 2004, and concluded with the 40th Vanier Cup national championship on November 27 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning their third championship and second consecutive. Twenty-seven universities across Canada competed in CIS football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

The 2003 CIS football season began on August 29, 2003, and concluded with the 39th Vanier Cup national championship on November 22 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning their second championship. Twenty-seven universities across Canada competed in CIS football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

The 2002 CIS football season began on August 27, 2002, and concluded with the 38th Vanier Cup national championship on November 23 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Saint Mary's Huskies winning their second consecutive championship and third overall. Twenty-six universities across Canada competed in CIS football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

The 2001 CIAU football season began on August 31, 2001, and concluded with the 37th Vanier Cup national championship on December 1 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Saint Mary's Huskies winning their second championship. Twenty-four universities across Canada competed in CIAU football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU).

The 2000 CIAU football season began on September 2, 2000, and concluded with the 36th Vanier Cup national championship on December 2 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Ottawa Gee-Gees winning their second championship. Twenty-four universities across Canada competed in CIAU football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McMaster Marauders football</span> University Canadian football team

The McMaster Marauders football team represents McMaster University based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The team plays U Sports football in the Ontario University Athletics conference. The Marauders have been playing organized football since 1901 when they played their first exhibition game in the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union. The team has appeared in four Vanier Cup games, winning one in 2011.

The 2014 CIS football season began on September 1, 2014 with ten Ontario University Athletics teams playing that day. The season concluded on November 29 with the 50th Vanier Cup championship at Molson Stadium in Montreal. This year, 27 university teams in Canada are scheduled to play Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">51st Vanier Cup</span>

The 2015 Vanier Cup, the 51st edition of the Canadian university football championship took place on Saturday, November 28, 2015 at Telus Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. It was the fourth time that the city of Quebec has hosted the Vanier Cup. For the third consecutive year the championship game was played in the province of Quebec. The game featured the Canada West Champion UBC Thunderbirds and the RSEQ Champion Montreal Carabins. This was the second appearance for the Carabins and the sixth for the Thunderbirds.

The 2017 U Sports football season began on August 25 with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Montreal Carabins visiting the Concordia Stingers in Montreal, Quebec. The season concluded on November 25 with the 53rd Vanier Cup championship at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. This season saw the first conference shift since 2001 with the Bishop's Gaiters moving from the Quebec Student Sport Federation to the Atlantic University Sport conference. 27 university teams in Canada participated in the newly re-branded U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football. The Western Mustangs defeated the Laval Rouge et Or, 39-17, to win their first Vanier Cup since 1994.

The 2018 U Sports football season began on August 24, 2018, with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Quebec Student Sport Federation teams played an hour later with the Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or and the McGill Redmen playing the Montreal Carabins. The Ontario University Athletics teams began play on August 25, 2018, and the Canada West teams opened their season one week later on August 31, 2018.

The 1999 CIAU football season began on September 10, 1999, and concluded with the 35th Vanier Cup national championship on November 27, 1999, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning the first Vanier Cup in program history. Twenty-four universities across Canada competed in CIAU football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU). The Regina Rams began their first season of play in the CIAU after previously playing in the Canadian Junior Football League.

The 1998 CIAU football season began on September 2, 1998, and concluded with the 34th Vanier Cup national championship on November 28, 1998, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Saskatchewan Huskies winning the third Vanier Cup championship in program history. Twenty-four universities across Canada competed in CIAU football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU). This year would be the last for the Carelton Ravens until their re-establishment in 2013 as the program was discontinued in 1998.

The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023. On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams will open their season on September 1, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mitchell Bowl History". U Sports . Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "A History of Canadian University Football, Churchill Bowl (and other early inter-league play) 1953-1964". cisfootball.org. 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ The Gateway November 19, 1963 – http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/GAT/1963/11/19/6/Ar00601.html
  4. ↑ TSN's history of the Vanier Cup, 2010. – https://www.tsn.ca/ctvnews/default2.aspx?id=342669
  5. ↑ Watkins, Robert (2004). "Brief historical overview of Canadian University Football". Football New Brunswick. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  6. ↑ History of the Uteck Bowl Archived 2011-10-02 at archive.today
  7. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "1959 Churchill Cup: UWO Mustangs vs. UBC Thunderbirds". YouTube .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.