Montreal Carabins football

Last updated
Montreal Carabins
Montreal carabins monogram.png
Montreal Carabins logo
First season2002;23 years ago (2002)
Athletic director Manon Simard
Head coach Marco Iadeluca
4th year, 275  (.844)
Other staffDenis Touchette (DC)
Home stadium CEPSUM Stadium
Stadium capacity5100
Stadium surfaceFieldTurf
LocationMontreal, Quebec
League U Sports
Conference QUFL/RSEQ (2002 - present)
Past associationsOIFC (1966)
CCIFC (1967-1970)
QUAA (1971)
All-time record129490 (.725)
Postseason record2419 (.558)
Titles
Vanier Cups2 (2014, 2023)
Uteck Bowls3 (2014, 2019, 2023)
Mitchell Bowls1 (2015)
Dunsmore Cups5 (2014, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Hec Crighton winners1
(Jonathan Sénécal, 2023)
Current uniform
Montreal-uniform.jpg
ColoursRoyal Blue, White, and Black
     
Outfitter Adidas
Rivals Laval Rouge et Or
Website carabins.umontreal.ca/football

The Montreal Carabins football team represents the University of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Carabins program has been in operation since its resurrection in the 2002 football season and has established itself as a provincial and national powerhouse with five RSEQ conference championships and two national championships, in 2014 and 2023. [1]

Contents

History

The team began its second incarnation in 2002 after over thirty years of being dormant. The Carabins first began play in 1966 in the Ontario Intercollegiate Football Conference and continued play for the next six seasons. [2] The program was dropped after the 1971 season due to a shift in philosophy as many francophone universities placed an emphasis on community involvement and intramural athletic activities as opposed to intercollegiate athletics. That philosophy has shifted back to intercollegiate sports as Université Laval, Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke each began programs in 1996, 2002 and 2003, respectively. [3]

The current program has seen marked success in the regular season, having qualified for the playoffs in every season since 2003. However, the program had difficulty winning their conference championship in the early years, with five losses in their first five appearances. That changed under the leadership of former head coach, Danny Maciocia, in 2014, as the Carabins defeated the Laval Rouge et Or to win their first Dunsmore Cup. The team then won the national semi-final Uteck Bowl against the Manitoba Bisons to qualify for the first Vanier Cup game in program history. In the 50th Vanier Cup, the Carabins defeated the McMaster Marauders by a score of 20–19 to win the first national championship in program history.

The Carabins on offence in the 55th Vanier Cup game 55th Vanier Cup, Carabins offence.jpg
The Carabins on offence in the 55th Vanier Cup game

The team won two more Dunsmore Cups in 2015 and 2019, but eventually lost in the Vanier Cup games in both seasons to the UBC Thunderbirds and the Calgary Dinos. Maciocia resigned following the 2019 season to join the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes and was replaced by Marco Iadeluca on February 11, 2020. [4]

In 2021, the first season after the COVID-19 pandemic, the team finished first of the regular season with a record of 7-1, and two straight wins against their rivals, the Laval Rouge et Or. They hosted the 2021 Dunsmore Cup at home, and managed to lift it in Montréal - their fourth Dunsmore Cup - following a decisive victory of 28-19 against Laval, the program's first Dunsmore Cup win at home - and finished the season with three wins against their rivals for the first time in their history.

In 2022, the team finished second in the RSEQ with a record of 6-2. They participated in their ninth straight Dunsmore Cup, and lost 24-25 in Québec, against the Rouge et Or on a single.

For the 2023 campaign, the 2022 provincial runner-up finished the regular season with a 7-1 record, suffering their only loss in the final season game at home to the Concordia Stingers, with a score of 14-16 on a walk-off field goal on a meaningless game. In a rare occurrence, Montreal completely outscored Laval in Quebec with a score of 31-14, thanks to their impressive six turnovers. They also shut down the Rouge et Or 28-0 at home, marking Laval's second-ever scoreless game. The Carabins then secured their fifth Dunsmore Cup with a 12-6 victory over Laval in Montreal. In the following week, Montreal defeated the No. 1-ranked team in Canada, the Western Mustangs, by scoring 29-3 in the Uteck Bowl. To cap off the successful campaign, which had already crowned Montreal quarterback Jonathan Sénécal with the HEC Creighton Trophy for the most outstanding player and the Presidents' Trophy for the most outstanding defensive player, Harold Miessan, the Carabins won their second Vanier Cup title, defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 16-9 in the 58th Vanier Cup. During their four playoff games, Montreal did not concede a single touchdown and finished with an impressive combined score of 111-21.

While under the Montreal Alouettes colors in a preseason game in 2025, Jonathan Sénécal, Montreal's quarterback from 2021 to 2024, became the Carabins' first-ever quarterback to complete a pass as a professional. [5] [6]

Season-by-season record

SeasonPWLPCTPFPAStandingPlayoffs
2002 8080.000623595th in QUFLDid not qualify
2003 8620.6252201603rd in QUFLLost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 35-8
2004 8801.000256751st in QUFLDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 38-18
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 30-12
2005 8620.8752291582nd in QUFLDefeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 28-17
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 19-13
2006 8620.7501881383rd in QUFLLost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 23-3
2007 8440.5001511494th in QUFLLost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 28-16
2008 8530.6252731384th in QUFLLost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 32-7
2009 8530.6252221462nd in QUFLDefeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 40-15
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 31-7
2010 9540.5562271512nd in QUFLLost to Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 33-26
2011 9630.6672021523rd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 33-15
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 30-7
2012 9810.8892991022nd in RSEQLost to Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 42-24
2013 8530.6252111203rd in RSEQDefeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 51-8
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 14-11
2014 8710.8752711002nd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 40-13
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 12-9 (OT)
Defeated Manitoba Bisons in Uteck Bowl 29-26
Defeated McMaster Marauders in 50th Vanier Cup 20-19
2015 8620.7502321092nd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 31-24
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 18-16
Defeated Guelph Gryphons in Mitchell Bowl 25-10
Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in 51st Vanier Cup 26-23
2016 8710.875296721st in RSEQDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 42-0
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 20-17
2017 7610.857176932nd in RSEQDefeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 42-20
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 25-22
2018 8620.750256462nd in RSEQDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 48-2
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 14-1
2019 8620.750144932nd in RSEQDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 31-0
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 25-10
Defeated Acadia Axemen in Uteck Bowl 38-0
Lost to Calgary Dinos in 55th Vanier Cup 27-13
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 8710.8752261131st in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 31-3
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 28-19
Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Uteck Bowl 14-10
2022 8620.7501631242nd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 23-15
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 25-24
2023 8710.875288931st in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 54-3
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 12-6
Defeated Western Mustangs in Uteck Bowl 29-3
Defeated UBC Thunderbirds in 58th Vanier Cup 16-9
2024 8710.8752731312nd in RSEQDefeated McGill Redbirds in semi-final 42-3
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 22-17

[7]

National Postseason Results

Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)
YearGameOpponentResult
2014 Uteck Bowl

Vanier Cup

Manitoba

McMaster

W 29-26

W 20-19

2015 Mitchell Bowl

Vanier Cup

Guelph

UBC

W 25-10

L 23-26

2019 Uteck Bowl

Vanier Cup

Acadia

Calgary

W 38-0

L 13-27

2021 Uteck Bowl Saskatchewan L 10-14
2023 Uteck Bowl

Vanier Cup

Western

UBC

W 29-3

W 16-9

Montreal is 4-1 in national semi-final games and 2-2 in the Vanier Cup.

Head coaches

NameYearsNotes
Jacques Dussault 2002-2005
Marc Santerre 2006-2010
Danny Maciocia 2011–2019
Marco Iadeluca 2020–present

National award winners

Carabins in the CFL

Montreal Carabins helmets Montreal-helmet-history.jpg
Montreal Carabins helmets

As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, 16 former Carabins players are on CFL teams' rosters:

[8]

References

  1. "Preview: 55th Vanier Cup presented by Promutuel Insurance". U Sports. November 19, 2019.
  2. "University Football in Ontario and Quebec from 1967 to 1979". cisfootball.org. March 2006. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007.
  3. "A History of Canadian University Football, 1980 to the Present". cisfootball.org. March 2006. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007.
  4. "Marco Iadeluca de retour pour diriger les Carabins" (in French). Montreal Carabins. February 11, 2020.
  5. "2025-05-24 Game Tracker - MONTREAL Alouettes vs. OTTAWA REDBLACKS (6488)". CFL.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  6. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  7. RSEQ Standings
  8. "Canadian Football League, Players". Canadian Football League . Retrieved November 21, 2024.