Alberta Golden Bears football

Last updated
Alberta Golden Bears
Alberta Golden Bears Football Logo.png
Alberta Golden Bears logo
First season1910
Athletic directorDr. Ian Reade
Head coach Stevenson Bone
1st year,  
Home stadium Foote Field
Year built2001
Stadium capacity3500
Stadium surfacePureGrass
LocationEdmonton, Alberta
League U Sports
Conference CWUAA (1910 - present)
All-time record3533519 (.501)
Postseason record 
Titles
Vanier Cups3
1967, 1972, 1980
Churchill Bowls4
1971, 1972, 1980, 1981
Hardy Cups18
1922, 1926, 1928, 1944,
1946, 1947, 1948, 1960,
1962, 1963, 1964, 1965,
1967, 1971, 1972, 1979,
1980, 1981
Hec Crighton winners3
Mel Smith, Brian Fryer, Ed Ilnicki
Current uniform
Alberta Golden Bears football uniform since 2014.png
ColoursGreen and Gold
   
Rivals Calgary Dinos
Website bears.ualberta.ca

The Alberta Golden Bears football team represents the University of Alberta in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Golden Bears have been in competition since 1910 and the team has won three Vanier Cup national championships, in 1967, 1972, and most recently in 1980. [1] The Golden Bears have also won 18 Hardy Cup conference titles, second only to the Saskatchewan Huskies who have won 19 of them. The Golden Bears have also had three players win the Hec Crighton Trophy, with Mel Smith winning in 1971, Brian Fryer winning in 1975, and most recently Ed Ilnicki winning the award in 2017.

Contents

Recent history

The Golden Bears vs the Saskatchewan Huskies football team in 2008. TouchDown-Huskies-Bears.jpg
The Golden Bears vs the Saskatchewan Huskies football team in 2008.

In the 2000s, the Golden Bears had seen mixed results as the team made the playoffs in five of ten seasons between 2001 and 2010. In four of those seasons, Alberta reached the Hardy Cup, but came away with losses each time. Despite playing in the Hardy Cup in 2010, the Golden Bears finished winless in 2011 following the resignation of longtime head coach Jerry Friesen. UBC defaulted two wins to Alberta that year, but the following season was once again winless as the Golden Bears finished at the bottom of the standings. The Golden Bears saw improvement in 2014 by posting a 3-5 record, but finished fifth and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The program saw further regression in 2015 and 2016, posting just two and one win seasons, respectively.

In 2017, the Golden Bears returned to the playoffs following a six-year absence by qualifying in the last week of the season by defeating the powerhouse Calgary Dinos and finishing 3-5. Because UBC and Manitoba finished with 2-6 records, the Golden Bears finished in fourth place and in playoff position, led by the strong play of Hec Crighton Trophy winner, Ed Ilnicki. The team lost the Canada West Semi-Final to the same Dinos by a score of 39-22. In the following year, the team was once again out of the playoffs, finishing 2-6, which included a default win after the Regina Rams had to forfeit a victory due to the use of an ineligible player. [2]

Recent season results

SeasonGamesWonLostOTLPCTPFPAStandingPlayoffs
2001 8251.3131392176th in CWOut of Playoffs
2002 8170.1251411867th in CWOut of Playoffs
2003 8440.5002621644th in CWDefeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 10-4
Lost to Simon Fraser Clan in Hardy Cup 28-18
2004 8710.8752351451st in CWDefeated Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39-13
Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 21-20
2005 8710.8752261492nd in CWDefeated Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 33-24
Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 30-17
2006 8440.5001631985th in CWOut of Playoffs
2007 8260.2501762046th in CWOut of Playoffs
2008 8260.2501401947th in CWOut of Playoffs
2009 8440.5001642033rd in CWLost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 45-13
2010 8350.3751772204th in CWDefeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 31-30
Lost to Calgary Dinos in Hardy Cup 56-3
2011 8260.250732745th in CWOut of Playoffs
2012 8080.000823056th in CWOut of Playoffs
2013 8080.0001884196th in CWOut of Playoffs
2014 8350.3752282925th in CWOut of Playoffs
2015 8260.2501833565th in CWOut of Playoffs
2016 8170.1251553556th in CWOut of Playoffs
2017 8350.3752752764th in CWLost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39-22
2018 8260.2501092515th in CWOut of Playoffs
2019 8440.5001792083rd in CWLost to Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 28-23
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 6330.5001741863rd in CWLost to Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 43-17
2022 8350.3751752015th in CWOut of Playoffs
2023 6620.7502471962nd in CWDefeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 40-17
Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in semi-final 28-27
2024 8260.2502312296th in CWOut of Playoffs

National postseason results

Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)
YearGameOpponentResult
1965 Vanier Cup Toronto L 7-14
1967 Vanier Cup McMaster W 10-9
1971 Churchill Bowl

Vanier Cup

Bishop's

Western

W 53-2

L 14-15

1972Churchill Bowl

Vanier Cup

Loyola

Waterloo Lutheran

W 58-6

W 20-7

1979 Atlantic Bowl Acadia L 7-23
1980Churchill Bowl

Vanier Cup

Western

Ottawa

W 14-4

W 40-21

1981Churchill Bowl

Vanier Cup

Western

Acadia

W 32-31

L 12-18

Alberta is 4-1 in national semi-final games and 3-3 in the Vanier Cup.

Head coaches

NameYearsNotes
W. M. Edwards1910–1912
Whitney Lailey1913
Gordon McGuire1914–1915
No Team1916–1918
York Blayney1919
D. A. McGibbon1920–1921
Jimmy Bill1922–1926
Miles Palmer1927
Wallace Sterling 1928–1929
Bud Morgan1930–1931
Ken Thompson1932
Al Wilson1933–1934
Jake Jamieson1935–1936
Bill Broadfoot1937–1939
Bob Fritz1940–1941
Tommy Hays1942–1944
Maury Van Vliet 1945–1947
Don Smith1948
No Team1949–1958
Steve Mendryk 1959
Murray Smith1960–1961
Clare Drake 1962
Gino Fracas 1963–1966
Clare Drake 1967–1968
Harvey Scott1969–1970
Jim Donlevy 1971–1981
Jim Lazaruk1982–1983
Jim Donlevy 1984–1990
Tom Wilkinson 1991–2000
Jerry Friesen 2001–2010
Jeff Stead2011–2012
Chris Morris 2013–2024

[3]

National award winners

Golden Bears in the professional ranks

As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, nine former Golden Bears players were on CFL teams' rosters:

[4]

As of the start of the 2024 NFL season, one former Golden Bears player was on an NFL team's roster:

References

  1. Golden Bears Football Team History
  2. Calgary tops Alberta in regular season finale
  3. "Golden Bears Football Program History". University of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas. University of Alberta. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  4. "Players". Canadian Football League. Retrieved October 31, 2024.