History
Historically, the Ravens football team first began play just after the Second World War in 1945 and was in continuous operation until the program was dropped in 1998. [2] While the team had some success in the mid-1980s, poor performances and a plan by the Carleton Athletic department to invest more funds in other sports led to the sport being cut after the 1998 season. [3] [4] In their history, the Ravens won one Dunsmore Cup conference championship in 1985, but lost in the following Western Bowl to the Calgary Dinos 56 to 14. [5]
Beginnings (1945-1949)
The Originals, the first Carleton College football team, played its first organized game on a rainy October day in 1945. The Second World War had just ended and 36 war veterans, turned students, lined up to face their opponents Macdonald College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Que. Though the Carleton College team was bigger and more experienced, Macdonald took home the win (15-0). Carleton College, established in 1942, did not have the facilities or finances for academics, let alone a football team. Citizens of Ottawa rallied to help out the newborn squad. W.D.T. Atkinson allowed the team to practice at Glebe Collegiate, the school where he was principal. Charlie Kerr, one of the players, found the team matching brown and orange hockey jerseys to wear and the Strathcona junior team donated equipment. Tiny Hermann, a former Rough Rider star, agreed to volunteer his time as head coach. Joe Scanlon, author of History of Football at Carleton, lists these fine gentlemen as the members of the Originals:
Bob Forbes, Frank MacIntyre, Mel Carson, Bill O'Neill, Johnny Urquhart, Bill Rankin, Charlie Kerr, Don Sim, Johnny Moore, Charlie Charlebois, Donald McGregor, Merton Keith Salisbury, Wayne Dunphy, Ross Cavey, Al Holtby, Johnny Chown, Jim McNee, Lyall Graham, Bernard Garand, Harold Barnhart, Jim McKnight, Chuck Winters, Peter Ayearst, Russ Brown, Rock Robillard, Ted Graves, Robert Forbes, John Bell, Bill Morgan, Doug Good, Dave Morgan, Al Holley, J W York, Ted Ricker, Peter McDougal and Johnny Shore. The two managers were Jim Hanna and Don Anderson.
The Originals ended their first season with one win, two losses and a tie. The "Ravens" name came from the Carleton College student newspaper staff in 1948, when they started using that moniker with no explanation. It may have had something to do with the team's raven-like black uniform. By 1946, Carleton College was located on First Avenue, with the Ravens occupying a 12'x15' locker room in the basement. The dressing room was in the attic and practices were held in a small, poorly-lit yard behind the school. In 1947, the team entered the intermediate league with St. Patrick's College, the University of Ottawa and Queen's University. It was in this newly-formed league that the long rivalry between the University of Ottawa and Carleton College began, and the Ravens became an integral part of university life. Fans would rally and march from First Avenue to Lansdowne Park for home games and pile onto buses for the away games. The first decade of Ravens football history endured hardships such as under-funding, changes in leadership and, as veterans graduated, depleting numbers. [6]
Trying times and turnaround (1950-1959*)
The early 1950s were trying years for the Ravens. The low enrolment and roster numbers left Coach McWatters with a "patchwork" team. High scoring losses against teams in the newly formed Ottawa-St. Lawrence Conference left the Ravens low on morale. Ravens football came to a grinding halt, with no inter-varsity team in the 1951 season after the loss of college grant money. The seemingly bleak future of the Ravens was brightened when the college revived the program in 1952. Norm Fenn, assistant coach and full-time director of Athletics, provided the first link between the college administration and the football team, and would prove vital in the years to come. The new team entered a league with Macdonald College, Bishop's University and St. Patrick's College. There was little carryover of players from the previous decade, but the new players were ready and willing pupils.
The Ravens were on their way to a significant turnaround in 1953, with their first winning season. The new head coach, Bill Stanton, led the team to winning games against Loyola (now Concordia University) and McGill. For the first time, in 1954, Carleton was in the running for a league title. They ended the season in a tie for second place with the Royal Military College (RMC), and won the first Panda game in 1955. This season was one of the best in Ravens' history, with Carleton holding first in the league until a final game with the University of Ottawa (U of 0). However, the success would be shortlived1955 to 1959 were not to be as successful as the years before. The competition grew with the establishment of the Ontario Intercollegiate Football League, with the inclusion of the University of Ottawa, RMC, McMaster University, University of Waterloo and the Ontario Agricultural and Veterinary College at Guelph (now University of Guelph). [7]
(*)Carleton football suspended operations for one year in 1951 due to financial constraints and began play again in 1952.
Keith Harris era begins (1960-1969)
Coach Keith Harris arrived for the start of the 1959 season, bringing needed leadership and routine to the Ravens squad. He began the Monday night "horror movie" tradition where films of previous games were picked apart and analyzed. Primitive but effective recruitment strategies picked young men from the registration lines in September. The 1960s also saw the first football training camps, where tactical knowledge and skills, along with kinship, were developed. The players did odd jobs on campus to earn room and board in the new campus fieldhouse at the newly opened Rideau Campus. Harris was also the assistant director of Athletics while Norm Fenn, assistant coach, filled the position of director.
The results of these changes began to surface as early as the 1960 season, when the Ravens beat RMC twice in a row and non-winning games had small point spreads. For the first time in five years, no team shut the Ravens out, and player retention from year-to-year was on the rise. In 1962, Carleton fought its way to the top of the Ottawa-St. Lawrence conference, ready to take the conference title. Carleton challenged the first-place team in the conference: the McMaster Marauders. Although both morale and skill were at an all-time high, the McMaster team won, putting Carleton in second place. The 1963 season was also very successful, and 1964 brought Pedro the Panda back to Carleton after an eight-year stay with the Gee-Gees. Players like Bob Amer, Dave Dalton and Gord Pranschke set league records. These three players, along with Murray Thrift, Larry Matheson and Earl Hammond, made the 1965 league all-star game. A unique challenge was presented to Carleton's football Ravens in 1967, when St. Patrick's College, one of Carleton's frequent opponents, was incorporated into Carleton University. The two very separate football teams were to become one squad. By 1968, the integrated Ravens team earned a second-place finish and sixth-place nationally. The 1960s were truly the Ravens' first Golden Age. [8]
Tougher competition (1970-1979)
The Ravens football club moved from the mediocre Central Canada Intercollegiate Conference (CCIC) into the highly-competitive Ontario University Athletic Association (OUAA) in 1971. This league contained the nationally ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Queen's University Golden Gaels. Carleton's first game in the OUAA was against the Varsity Blues. Though they were the underdogs, the Ravens upset the Blues with an impressive 12-3 win. One of the highlights of the 1971 season was the Panda Game, when the number one team in the nation, the Gee-Gees, was upset by the Ravens 28-14. All in all, the 1971 season was an impressive debut in the OUAA.
The 1972 highlights included a phenomenal game against Waterloo, where the offence finally proved themselves with a 35-6 score. The Ravens seemed to score every time they touched the ball. After shattering 21 team records, the Ravens were proud going into the 1974 season. The Ravens struggled, but secured a 10th-place national ranking, obtaining a playoff spot in the OUAA eastern division. Though the Ravens didn't take the Panda game or the playoff semi-final with Toronto, 1974 was a season where the Ravens commanded the respect of the OUAA.
1975 and 1976 were rough years for the team. Coach McCuaig left to work full time with the Athletics Department and was replaced by Brian Kealey. These two seasons were, in fact, winless, but the 1977, 1978 and 1979 seasons got the attention of the league and eventually the entire nation! Pat Stoqua, a Ravens basketball star, joined the team in 1977 and was a key contributor to the defence strategy. A whopping 61-0 exhibition win against Royal Military College gave the Ravens the spirit and confidence needed to win against the Gee-Gees, in a tremendous show of defensive skills. This was the first time in six years that the Ravens had won against their eternal foe. The Ravens were legitimate contenders in the league and the 1977 Panda game was won 36-16 by Carleton.
The 1978 team won a title at the Ontario-Quebec pre-season jamboree, and was ready for anything. When Coach Kealey joined the team in 1975, he vowed that the team would reach the College Bowl by 1980, and this dream was finally looking attainable. The Panda Game was, yet again, the deciding game for a playoff spot. The Ravens repeated their stellar performance from the previous year and won 24-13.
1979 was being called the Year of the Ravens. College football forecasters predicted that the team would finish first or second in the eastern division. The dream team went on to win three consecutive games, making them the only undefeated team in the conference and third in the country, the highest ranking ever obtained by a Ravens football team. The club began to receive media attention as the newest legitimate national contender on the block. Queen's Golden Gaels became the team to beat to solidify the conference title. The Ravens lost the semifinal against the Gaels. The last season of the decade was like a roller-coaster that ended in disappointment, yet the Ravens had much to be happy about. The club went from division doormat to well-respected national contenders and a team to be reckoned with. [9]
Successful years (1980-1989)
The Ravens entered 1980 with a positive outlook and the determination to take it one game at a time, with Coach Kealey being backed by a completely new team of assistant coaches. Though the Birds lost the first three games of the year, the season was redeemed when the Ravens brought "Pedro the Panda" home with a 30-21 win over the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
1982 brought a new head coach, Wayne (Ace) Powell Jr., as well as some reforms. Training camp had the Ravens practicing two or three times a day, with a largely veteran team that was hungry for a taste of success. Highlights of the season included the first win against Queen's Golden Gaels since 1974. Things were definitely starting to look up for the team, with a 28-17 win over Bishop's that placed the Ravens in second place in the Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference (O-QIFC). However, the next loss (19-7) against the Gee-Gees, ended the season.
Cam Collins, Clark Oliver, Dan Petschenig, Steve Hamlin and Tom Timlin formed the nucleus of the 1983 team. An exciting see-saw battle between the Ravens and fIfth-ranked Bishop's team gave the Ravens their first win of the season. A three-game winning streak followed and wide receiver John Dawley helped to turn around the Panda Game, which the Ravens snagged 33-28. After just one season of heading up the coaching staff, Ace Powell managed to bring the Ravens to the O-QIFC playoffs.
The 1984 team was stacked with many potential CFL drafts. A 10-9 win over Queen's, which was in the midst of negotiating the establishment of an elite league with Western, Toronto and McGill, was the highlight of the season. The Ravens bulldozed over Bishop's, the third-ranked team in Canada at the time. After this game, the Bishop's coach stated, "I said at the season's start that I felt Carleton had the best team in the conference and today they went out and proved it." The Ravens were ninth in the country going into the 1984 Panda game. Predictions from NFL executives to local radio personalities pointed to a Ravens'victory. As expected, Pedro went to the Ravens. The 1984 season was the best year the Ravens had had for years. Yet no one was prepared for 1985 and 1986, the two most successful seasons in Ravens history.
The 1985 team began the season with a very balanced attack against its opponents, using the new Cam Collins-Mark Brown quarterback-wide receiver combination to fuel the offence. Fan support was at an all-time high and the Ravens took home their third Panda game in a row, a first in Ravens' history. After a 40-20 win over Bishop's in play-offs, the Birds found themselves heading to the Ontario-Quebec-conference final to meet the Concordia Stingers for the first time since the days of Coach Harris (1962). Fullback, Mark Skidmore, in his first start for Ravens scored 4 touchdowns (tied record CIS most touchdowns in a playoff game) to lead to Carleton to victory 46-21.
Everyone in Ottawa and the surrounding areas had Ravens fever as the Carleton team headed to Calgary to face the Dinosaurs in the Western Bowl (Vanier Cup semi-final). In -32C weather, the Ravens season came to an end with a 56-14 win for the Calgary Dinosaurs. However, all was not lost - the Ravens enjoyed the best season in the history of the club. They were the first to win a playoff game as well as a league championship, and the first to enter the Final Four.
The 1986 team fed off the fire of the 1985 squad. Many chose the Ravens to repeat their O-QIFC title. Mark Brown and Mark Skidmore in the backfield on fire for Five consecutive wins over Bishop's, Ottawa U., Queen's and McGill made it seem as if the Ravens were surely on their way to the Western Bowl once again. The 30-29 Panda game loss that followed was felt to be perhaps the biggest upset of the year. But the Ravens didn't let it stop them. Their 6- 1-0 record sent them to the conference semi-finals, where sweet revenge for the Panda game loss was obtained with a win over the Gee-Gees. The Ravens, the defending championship team, lost in a heartbreaking game against the Bishop's Gaiters. In 1987, the Panda came back to Carleton, but 1988 and 1989 proved to be years of famine in the land of the Ravens. Would the 1990s bring years of plenty? [10]
End of an era (1990-1998)
1990 marked the 45th year of football at Carleton University. Gary Shaver, a former Raven and assistant coach to Ace Powell, took over leadership in the 1989 season. Shaver began his second season with a very young and inexperienced team, as only two players were in their fourth year with the squad. The team experienced difficulties establishing an effective offence, a problem that would continue throughout the decade. However, two Ravens players, Phil Schnepf and Mark Whitton, were named to the 1990 O-QIFC all-star team.
1991 brought another win against the Ravens' cross-town rivals, and 1992 brought four new assistant coaches. Gary Shaver decided to step down as head coach in 1993. Over his four-year tenure, Shaver encouraged both the academic standards and performance of the players through individual counselling and assistance.
New coach Donn Smith had experience with championship teams and brought an air of success to the demoralized Ravens. A group of 11 Ottawa Sooners followed their former coach to Carleton, adding a new energy to the squad. These members knew what it was like to play for a winning team and their enthusiasm was contagious. Spirits began to rise after a respectable loss to McGill and a close 19-18 win over Ottawa University. During Smith's first season with the team, they beat the defending Vanier Cup champions the Queen's Golden Gaels. This win, after a 12-game losing streak, put the Ravens in a three-way tie for second place in the O-QIFC. Although the Ravens missed the playoffs that year, they were the most improved team in the conference. They doubled their offensive output from the previous season and trimmed points allowed by 71.
Expectations were high for the team going into the 1994 season. Veteran starting quarterback Sean O'Neil and Harry Van Hofwegan on defence were expected to help bring the team new success. After a longawaited Panda game win, the Ravens went on to win a match against the Gaels, however, they continued to struggle throughout 1995. Dave Bosveld, Harry Van Hofwegan (the O-QIFC outstanding lineman of the year) and Sean O'Neil (the TSN Russ Jackson Award winner) had individual successes that shed a positive light on the team.
The 1996 season was truly the high point of the decade as the Ravens started out well with wins against Laval, Ottawa, and Bishop's. This gave them the best start to a season since 1986. While sitting in first place in the conference and eighth nationally, a rainy day in Kingston brought a bitter loss against Queen's. A playoff spot was secured after winning against Laval, McGill and Concordia. For the third time that year, the Ravens would meet the Gee-Gees; this time in the O-QIFC semi-final. For the first time in almost a decade, the Ravens entered the realm of post-season play. Losing this playoff game was painful, but the Ravens could bask in the success of their first winning season in years. As a part of the restructuring of the Carleton University Department of Physical Recreation and Athletics, and the University Administration, the Ravens football team played its final game on October 31, 1998. From the small group of war veterans in 1945 to its 78-member squad in 1998, Ravens football made a memorable contribution to the rich heritage of Carleton University and to sports in the Ottawa area. [11]
The Old Crow Society
The Old Crow Society, established in 1963, is a group of Carleton University football alumni. With the encouragement of coach Keith Harris, Ravens veterans Jim Sevigny, Norm Jamison, Jeff White and Kim McCuaig established this group to further football at Carleton and nurture lasting team kinship. Over the years, the Old Crows have provided support through fundraising, contests and selling concessions at the home games, like Crow Burgers. The Old Crow Society held an annual dinner to honour Ravens, young and old, and to present the O-QIFC Frank Tindall Trophy for Coach of the Year, an award the Crows inaugurated in 1969. The Old Crow Society serves as the living testimony of Carleton's football legacy. [12]
Historical regular season results
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Pct % | PF | PA | Standing | Playoffs |
| 1985 [13] | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | | | 2nd in OQIFC | Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 40–20 [14]
Defeated Concordia Stingers in final 46–21 [15]
Lost to Calgary Dinos in Western Bowl 56–14 [16] |
| 1986 [17] | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | 258 | 149 | 1st in OQIFC | Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 33–15 [18]
Lost to Bishop's Gaiters in final 38–19 [19] |
| 1987 [20] | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | 112 | 152 | 4th in OQIFC | Lost to Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 39–0 [21] |
| 1988 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.000 | 53 | 244 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1989 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.000 | 42 | 289 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1990 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.143 | 83 | 225 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1991 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.143 | 99 | 225 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1992 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.000 | 44 | 237 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1993 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.286 | 94 | 166 | 5th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1994 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.286 | 97 | 224 | 5th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1995 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0.188 | 136 | 221 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1996 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.625 | 137 | 149 | 4th in OQIFC | Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 28–0 |
| 1997 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.125 | 106 | 174 | 7th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
| 1998 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.125 | 102 | 187 | 7th in OQIFC | Did not qualify |
[22]
Revival
For a number of years, there had been movements to revive the team, but there was no real interest from the university. However, on June 25, 2009, an announcement was made that the Lansdowne Live group, which owns the Ottawa Redblacks, the new Canadian Football League team, was in negotiations with the university to bring back the football program and play at a rebuilt Frank Clair Stadium to be shared with the CFL team and the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Lansdowne Live partner and Ravens alumnus John Ruddy has pledged $2.5 million to provide funding for the program and it would follow the private partnership model that has proved successful both financially and on the field with the Regina Rams and Laval Rouge et Or teams. [23] The program needed to raise a minimum of $5 million in pledge commitments in order to secure final approvals, and establish Old Crows Football Inc. by May 2011 for the team to start play in time for the 2012 season. [24]
While the group closely missed the May deadline, Old Crows Football Inc. and Carleton University announced on July 6, 2011 that the program would return in 2013. The $5 million was raised and the team operates independently by Old Crows Football Inc. as a non-profit corporate entity that will fund and market the program. Renovations to the locker rooms, coaches' offices and Keith Harris Stadium will be paid for by the Old Crows. [1] [25] On January 16, 2012, Steve Sumarah was named the team's head coach. [26]
The 2013 team began the new era of Ravens football on September 2 against the Western Mustangs in London, Ontario with a 71-4 loss. They would finish the season with eight losses in eight games as was expected for a program in its first year. In 2014, the Ravens earned the revived program's first win with an away victory against the Waterloo Warriors. Overall, the team finished with a 4-4 record that year, including a memorable Hail Mary Panda Game victory over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. [27] In 2015, the Ravens qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 1996 season with a 5-3 record. They defeated the Queen's Golden Gaels in the first round, but lost to the Guelph Gryphons in the semi-finals. In 2016, the team hosted their first playoff game since 1986, with both games featuring wins over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. [28] The team suffered a setback in 2017 as they finished with a 3-5 record and out of the playoffs. Three of their five losses were by five points or less. In 2018, the team went on to finish the regular season with a 5-3 record. This was enough to put them into the playoffs, where they lost in the semi-finals to the Western Mustangs. The 2019 season saw the Ravens go 2-4 through six games, making the last two regular season games must wins to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Ravens went on to upset the second place McMaster Marauders, and beat the Laurier Golden Hawks in the final two games of the season to secure a playoff spot at a 4-4 record on the season. In the quarter-final game, the Ravens lead the Guelph Gryphons 17-16 with under two minutes to play. A blocked punt by the Gryphons lead to a touchdown and a last-minute heartbreaker to end Carleton’s season.
