The Vanier Cup is a post season college football championship game, used to determine the national champion in U Sports football. The game is the final for the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. In turn, the participating teams are determined by the winners of 4 bowl games: the Loney Bowl (AUS), Hardy Cup, Dunsmore Cup (RSEQ), and Yates Cup (OUA).
The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game goes on to play against the Uteck Bowl champions for the Vanier Cup. The home of the Mitchell Bowl, as well as the two conference champions, changes each year on a rotating basis. The Mitchell Bowl was named after Douglas H. Mitchell, a former Canadian Football League commissioner and member of the National Hockey League board of governors.
The Uteck Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the easternmost of the two semifinal venues. The Uteck Bowl champion moves on to face the Mitchell Bowl champion for the Vanier Cup. It was named for Larry Uteck, a former professional football player and university coach who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2002.
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 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 44th Vanier Cup was played on November 22, 2008, at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, and decided the CIS Football champion for the 2008 season. The Laval Rouge et Or dominated the Western Mustangs to win the championship 44-21, en route to a perfect 12-0 season. The win gave Laval its fifth Vanier Cup in school history and its fourth in the last six years.
The 46th Vanier Cup took place on November 27, 2010, at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec, determining the CIS Football champions for 2010. The Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Calgary Dinos 29–2 to win their sixth national title in twelve years. Including the playoffs, the Rouge et Or won thirteen games, a single season record. Laval's defence held Calgary to 147 yards on offence; the Dinos' only points came on a conceded safety in the second quarter.
The 42nd Vanier Cup was played on November 25, 2006, at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and decided the CIS Football champion for the 2006 season. The hometown Saskatchewan Huskies lost their CIS record third straight Vanier Cup to the Laval Rouge et Or by a score of 13–8. Laval became the second team in CIS history to win three championships over a four-year period after the Western Ontario Mustangs won in 1974, 1976, and 1977.
The 2011 Vanier Cup, the 47th edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Friday, November 25, 2011, at BC Place in Vancouver. The McMaster Marauders defeated the Laval Rouge et Or 41–38 in only the second ever Vanier Cup to go into overtime. The Marauders won their first ever national championship while the Rouge et Or lost a Vanier Cup game for the first time. BC Place underwent a renovation, including a retractable roof, and hosted the Vanier Cup on the same weekend it hosted the Grey Cup. This marked the first time the two games were played at the same venue on the same weekend since 2007. This Vanier Cup is notable for being considered one of the best Canadian football games ever played.
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 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 2012 CIS football season began on August 31, 2012 with the Saskatchewan Huskies hosting the Alberta Golden Bears at Griffiths Stadium. The season concluded on November 23 in Toronto, Ontario with the 48th Vanier Cup championship, won by the Laval Rouge et Or after they defeated the McMaster Marauders 37-14. This year, 26 university teams in Canada are scheduled to play Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
The 2013 CIS football season began on August 25, 2013, with ten Ontario University Athletics teams playing that day. The season concluded on November 23 with the 49th Vanier Cup championship in Quebec City, won by the Laval Rouge et Or after they defeated the Calgary Dinos 25–14. This year, 27 university teams in Canada played Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football. The Carleton Ravens football team re-joined the CIS after a 14-year absence, increasing the number of OUA teams to 11 and necessitating the use of bye weeks in that conference.
The 2013 Vanier Cup, the 49th edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at TELUS-Université Laval Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. This was the third time in five years that Université Laval hosted the Vanier Cup. For the previous two years, the game had been held in conjunction with the Canadian Football League's championship, the Grey Cup, but due to logistical issues by this year's host, Regina, a joint venture was not possible.
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.
The 2014 Vanier Cup, the 50th edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Saturday, November 29, 2014 at Molson Stadium in Montreal, Quebec. It featured the OUA champion McMaster Marauders and the RSEQ champion Montréal Carabins. This was the first appearance for the Carabins and the fourth for the Marauders. It was the first time that the city of Montreal hosted the Vanier Cup and it was organized by the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes as opposed to a member CIS club. For the second consecutive year the championship game was played in the province of Quebec.
The 2016 Vanier Cup, the 52nd edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton was awarded both the 2016 and 2017 Vanier Cup games, respectively the fourth and fifth to be hosted by Hamilton.
The Laval Rouge et Or football team represents Laval University in Quebec City in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The program began its first regular season in 1996 and has quickly become one of the most successful programs in Canadian university football history. The Rouge et Or have won a record 11 Vanier Cup championships and their most recent victory occurred at the 57th Vanier Cup in 2022. They are also the only program to have played in four straight Vanier Cups and have a record of 11–2 in Vanier Cup games. The Rouge et Or have also won the Dunsmore Cup 16 times since 1999, demonstrating their historical dominance in their conference.
Kyle Graves is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver who played for five years in the Canadian Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Alouettes after being bypassed in the 2012 CFL Draft. He played quarterback and punter for the Acadia Axemen in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football from 2008 to 2012. He also spent time as the offensive coordinator for the Mount Allison Mounties of U Sports football.
The 2022 Vanier Cup, the 57th edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on November 26, 2022 at Western Alumni Stadium in London, Ontario. The game determined the U Sports football national champion for the 2022 season.
