Guelph Gryphons football

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Guelph Gryphons
Guelph Gryphons Football Logo 2025 Big.png
Guelph Gryphons logo
First season1950
Athletic directorScott McRoberts
Head coach Mark Surya
1st year, 6–2  (.750)
Other staffMatt Berry (DC)
Mark Surya (OC)
Donnavan Carter (STC)
Home stadium Alumni Stadium
Stadium capacity8,000
Stadium surfaceField Turf
LocationGuelph, Ontario
League U Sports
Conference OUA (1980–present)
Past associationsOIFC (1957–1966)
CCIFC (1967–1970)
OUAA (1971–1973)
OQIFC (1974–1979)
All-time record– 
Postseason record– 
Titles
Vanier Cups1
1984
Churchill Bowls1
1984
Yates Cups4
1984, 1992, 1996, 2015
Hec Crighton winners0
ColoursRed, Black, and Gold [1]
     
Outfitter Adidas
Rivals Western Mustangs
Waterloo Warriors
Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Website gryphons.ca

The Guelph Gryphons football team represents the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario in the sport of Canadian football in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports. The Guelph Gryphons football team has been in continuous operation since 1950. [2] The team has won one Vanier Cup national championship in 1984, which is also their only appearance in the title game. The Gryphons are the only program with a perfect record in Vanier Cup games. The team has also won four Yates Cup conference championships, in 1984, 1992, 1996 and 2015.

Contents

History

The team can trace their roots back to 1950 when the team played in the Intercollegiate Intermediate Football Union. [2] Through numerous league evolutions, the Gryphons were a founding member of the Ontario University Athletics in 1980 and continue to play there to this day. [3] The team won their first Yates Cup championship in 1984 and also won their first and only Vanier Cup championship that year against the Mount Allison Mounties. While the team was competitive in the 1990s and won two more Yates Cup championships in 1992 and 1996, the 1984 Vanier Cup was the program's only appearance in the title game.

The Gryphons on offense against the Concordia Stingers in 2010. Guelph Gryphons at Concordia Stingers (August 26 2010) (4972226934).jpg
The Gryphons on offense against the Concordia Stingers in 2010.

In the early 2000s, the program remained largely in the middle of the standings as the team had been at or within one game of .500 for six of those years and did not have a winning record at any point in the decade. However, led by then-head coach Kyle Walters, the upstart 4-4 Gryphons made a Yates Cup appearance in the 2007 OUA championship game, but lost to the Western Mustangs.

Stu Lang was named head coach for the 2010 season and the program established a dominant run. [4] The team finished with a 7–1 record and a 2nd-place finish for four straight seasons from 2012 to 2015, culminating in the program's fourth Yates Cup win in 2015.

Lang resigned after the successful 2015 season and Kevin MacNeill was named interim head coach for 2016. In the fall of 2017, the football team officially opened the Football Pavilion, a state of the art locker room and complex for the football team, and its coaches, donated by Lang. [5] The team continued to qualify for the playoffs and remain competitive under MacNeill, finishing 5–3 in 2017. However, the team was blown out in a 66-12 OUA semi-final loss to the Western Mustangs. After MacNeill left the program, Todd Galloway was named interim head coach for the 2018 season and led the team all the way to the Yates Cup where they were again soundly defeated by the Mustangs. Ryan Sheahan was named head coach on January 10, 2019 and led the team to a 6–2 record and third-place finish in his first season. The COVID-19 Pandemic cancelled the 2020 season. In the shortened 2021 season, the Gryphons dropped to 3-3, and fell even further during the 2022 season to 1-7 under Sheahan's hand. [6]

Recent season results

SeasonGamesWonLostOLPct %PFPAStandingPlayoffs
2000 83500.3751652105th in OUADid not qualify
2001 83500.3751642377th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 38-15
2002 82600.2501022378th in OUALost to McMaster Marauders in OUA quarter-finals 71-11
2003 82600.2501612859th in OUADid not qualify
2004 84400.5001692385th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 33-9
2005 83510.3752082426th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 35-21
2006 826-0.2502062178th in OUADid not qualify
2007 844-0.5002781245th in OUADefeated McMaster Marauders in OUA quarter-finals 25-21
Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA semi-finals 38-31
Lost to Western Mustangs in Yates Cup 34-21
2008 844-0.5002551734th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 42-37
2009 835-0.3753102536th in OUALost to Western Mustangs in OUA quarter-finals 37-18
2010 844-0.5001591925th in OUALost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA quarter-finals 42-10
2011 826-0.2502091978th in OUADid not qualify
2012 871-0.8752512092nd in OUADefeated Queen's Golden Gaels in OUA semi-finals 42-39
Lost to McMaster Marauders in Yates Cup 30-13
2013 871-0.8752521392nd in OUALost to Queen's Golden Gaels in OUA semi-finals 34-17
2014 871-0.8753431742nd in OUADefeated Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 51-26
Lost to McMaster Marauders in Yates Cup 20-15
2015 871-0.8754042222nd in OUADefeated Carleton Ravens in OUA semi-finals 33-21
Defeated Western Mustangs in Yates Cup 23-17
Lost to Montreal Carabins in Mitchell Bowl 25-10
2016 835-0.3752442276th in OUALost to McMaster Marauders in OUA quarter-finals 17-11
2017 853-0.6252931965th in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 30-8
Lost to Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 66-12
2018 853-0.6252361753rd in OUADefeated Waterloo Warriors in OUA quarter-finals 45-34
Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA semi-finals 27-22
Lost to Western Mustangs in Yates Cup 63-14
2019 862-0.7502421423rd in OUADefeated Carleton Ravens in OUA quarter-finals 22-17
Lost to McMaster Marauders in OUA semi-finals 19-9
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 633-0.500140863rd in OUA WestDefeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA quarter-finals 31-18
Lost to Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 33–12
2022 817-0.1251583199th in OUADid not qualify
2023 835-0.3752482148th in OUADid not qualify
2024 862-0.7502762003rd in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 26-15
Lost to Western Mustangs in semi-finals 30-19

[7] [8]

National Postseason Results

Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)
YearGameOpponentResult
1984 Churchill Bowl

Vanier Cup

Calgary

Mount Allison

W 12-7

W 22-13

1992Churchill Bowl Queen's L 16-23
1996Churchill Bowl Saskatchewan L 9-33
2015 Mitchell Bowl Montreal L 10-25

Guelph is 1-3 in national semi-final games and 1-0 in the Vanier Cup.

Head coaches

NameYearsNotes
Bill Mitchell1950–1953
Jay Fry1954–1955
Tom Mooney1956–1960
Don Hayes1961–1962
Bill Graham 1963–1965
Bill Mitchell1966–1969
Dick Brown 1970–1978
Tom Dimitroff Sr. 1979–1983
John Musselman1984–1986
Dan McNally1987–2000
Tom Arnott2001–2005
Kyle Walters 2006–2009
Stu Lang 2010–2015
Kevin MacNeill2016–2017
Todd Galloway2018
Ryan Sheahan2019–2023
Mark Surya 2024–present

National award winners

Guelph Gryphons in the CFL

As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, 11 former Gryphons players are on CFL teams' rosters:

[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Guelph Gryphon Brand Guidelines". Guelph Gryphons. August 15, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Football - History" (PDF). Guelph Gryphons. April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ Watkins, Robert. "A History of Canadian University Football". cisfootball.org. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Stu Lang - 2011-12 Football Coaching Staff". Guelph Gryphons . Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ "The Pavilion at Alumni Stadium Officially Opens". Guelph Gryphons. October 2, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ryan Sheahan Named Head Coach of Gryphon Football". Guelph Gryphons. January 10, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Bob Adams CIS Sportspage". Chebucto Community Net. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  8. ↑ "U Sports football standings". U Sports . Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ "CFL players". Canadian Football League . Retrieved November 4, 2024.
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