The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, commonly shortened to Laurier Golden Hawks, is the name used by the varsity sports teams of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports and, where applicable, in the west division.
Marc Marlyn Trestman is an American professional football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. He was also named CFL Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2017. He has also coached in the National Football League (NFL).
Graham Stanton Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback. He played college football for Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2004 to 2008. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 to 2013, with his longest tenure as a player with the Green Bay Packers. He served as the offensive coordinator of the North Texas Mean Green (2016–2018), USC Trojans (2019–2021) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2022).
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.
Danny Brannagan is a former professional Canadian football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Taurean Allen is a former professional Canadian football defensive back who played for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Stampeders selected Allen in the second round of the 2010 CFL Draft. He played college football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. In 2010, Allen played in six regular season games for the Stampeders, recording seven tackles. He did not play in the 2011 season due to injury and was released shortly thereafter.
Elizabeth Knox is a Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender. She ranks second all-time among Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) goaltenders for games played and won the Clarkson Cup in 2018. An outspoken leader among players, she served as chair of the CWHL Player's Association and was a founding board member of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) after the collapse of the CWHL. Knox is currently a member of the executive committee of the Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association (PWHLPA).
Stefan Ptaszek is the head coach for the McMaster Marauders. He is a former Canadian football wide receiver and former offensive coordinator for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, and UBC Thunderbirds.
Gary Jeffries is the former head coach for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team, women's basketball team, and men's basketball team. Most prominently, he served as the football team's head coach from 2002 to 2012, winning the CIS Coach of the Year award in 2003 and a Vanier Cup championship in 2005. Jeffries also played baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization from 1966-1969.
Tommy Denison is a former quarterback in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and a football coach. He is currently an analyst for the Edmonton Elks of the CFL, a role he has held since 2023. Previous to this he was the offensive coordinator for York University's football team, the York Lions of U Sports. As a player, he is a two-time All-Canadian and two-time winner of the Hec Crighton Trophy in 2002 and 2003. He played professionally for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders, and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Ese Mrabure-Ajufo is a Canadian former professional football defensive lineman. He played CIS football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
Michael Daly is a former professional Canadian football defensive back and is currently the special teams assistant coach for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks of U Sports football. He spent nine years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Jesse Alexander is a former Canadian football linebacker who played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He played college football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. In 2004, he was named a second-year CIS all-star. The following year, Alexander helped the Golden Hawks win their second Vanier Cup.
The York Lions Football team represents York University in Toronto, Ontario, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The York Lions football team has been in continuous operation since 1968 and are one of two teams currently playing in U Sports football to have never won a conference championship. The other team, the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, did not begin their current program until 2003.
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team represents Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario in the sport of Canadian football in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports. The Golden Hawks football team has been in continuous operation since 1961 and has been playing U Sports football in every year since 1962. The team has appeared in five Vanier Cup championships, losing in 1966, 1968 and 1972, and winning the national title in 1991 and 2005. The team has also won nine Yates Cup conference championships, most recently in 2024. The Golden Hawks have had two Hec Crighton Trophy winners, Bill Kubas in 1994 and Taylor Elgersma in 2024.
Chris Ackie is a former professional Canadian football linebacker. Ackie spent the majority of his professional career playing for the Montreal Alouettes Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks from 2011 to 2014. He was drafted fourth overall by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2015 CFL Draft. Ackie was also a member of the New York Giants, Ottawa Redblacks and Toronto Argonauts.
Kurleigh Gittens Jr. is a Guyanese professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played U Sports football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks where he was the OUA Most Valuable Player in 2017.
Chris Merchant is a gridiron football quarterback for the Fehérvár Enthroners of the Hungarian American Football League (HAFL). He is a Vanier Cup champion after leading the Western Mustangs to a win in 2017 and a Hec Crighton Trophy winner after he earned the award in the final year of his university playing eligibility in 2019.
Greg Knox is a Canadian football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the York Lions of U Sports football. He played professionally as a defensive back with the Calgary Stampeders for seven years where he won two Grey Cup championships. He is also a two-time Vanier Cup champion after winning as a player with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in 1991 and then as a defensive coordinator with the McMaster Marauders in 2011. He was formerly the head coach of the Marauders from 2016 to 2018.
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