Simon Fraser Red Leafs football

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Simon Fraser Red Leafs football
Simon-fraser logo from NCAA.svg
First season1965
Last season2022
Athletic directorVacant
Head coachMike Rigell
2nd season, 2–16 (.111)
Stadium Terry Fox Field
Field surfaceArtificial turf
Conference Lone Star
All-time record1863212 (.367)
Bowl record01 (.000)
Conference titles1 (2003)
Current uniform
NCAA SFU Jersey 2019.png
ColorsRed and White
   
MascotMcFogg the Dog
Website athletics.sfu.ca

The SFU Red Leafs football or Simon Fraser Red Leafs football team represented Simon Fraser University since the athletic department's inception in 1965 until 2022. The team played by American rules while they competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics from 1965 to 2001 against other American teams. Along with other SFU teams, the football program transferred to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports) and thereby switched to playing Canadian football against Canadian University teams in 2002. While playing in the CIS, SFU won its first and only Hardy Trophy conference championship in 2003 while qualifying for the playoffs twice. After playing eight seasons in the Canada West Conference of the CIS, the football team began competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II in 2010, and started played the American format of football again. [1] Kristie Elliott became the first Canadian woman to play, and to score, in an NCAA football game, on September 11, 2021, as a kicker for the team. [2] [3] After the GNAC dropped football after the 2021 season, SFU and the other two GNAC members that still sponsored the sport became football-only members of the Lone Star Conference. [4] After the 2022 season, it was announced on April 4, 2023, that football would be dropped from the school after it was previously announced the Lone Star Conference was ending its affiliation with Simon Fraser after the 2023–24 season. [5]

Contents

The team previously used the names "Clansmen" and "Clan;" those names were retired in 2020. [6] The new nickname "Red Leafs" was announced in September 2022. [7]

Rivalry

The team had maintained a cross-town rivalry with the Vancouver-based University of British Columbia Thunderbirds as they are also the only two universities in British Columbia that field football teams. Since 1967, the two teams have competed in the Shrum Bowl, an annual game played at alternating venues with alternating rules. SFU holds a 17–16–1 series lead after winning in three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010 to claim the lead. Due to the two schools playing in two different leagues, the scheduling of these games has often been difficult, with no game being played from 2011 to 2021. [8] The Shrum Bowl was revived and played again on December 2, 2022, where UBC defeated SFU 18-17 under American rules. [9]

Season results

YearCoachOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs Highest#Final°
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)(1965–2001)
Canada West (CIS)(2002–2009)
2002Chris Beaton2–66thNRNR
2003Chris Beaton5–32ndW Canada West semi-final
W Hardy Trophy
L Uteck Bowl
88
2004Chris Beaton3–56th6NR
2005Chris Beaton0–7–17thNRNR
2006Frank Boehres0–7–17thNRNR
2007 Dave Johnson 0–87thNRNR
2008Dave Johnson5–34thW Canada West semi-final
L Hardy Trophy
78
2009Dave Johnson1–6 (*)7th7NR
CIS:16–47–2
Great Northwest (NCAA Division II)(2010–2021)
2010Dave Johnson1–9 (0–9 NCAA)0–85thNRNR
2011Dave Johnson3–72–64thNRNR
2012Dave Johnson5–64–64thNRNR
2013Dave Johnson3–73–75thNRNR
2014 Jacques Chapdelaine 2–92–75thNRNR
2015 Kelly Bates 0–90–67thNRNR
2016Kelly Bates0–100–85thNRNR
2017Kelly Bates0–100–85thNRNR
2018Thomas Ford1–80–75thNRNR
2019Thomas Ford1–91–53rdNRNR
2021 Mike Rigell1–70–43rdNRNR
Lone Star Conference (NCAA Division II)(2022)
2022 Mike Rigell1–91–810th (Last)NRNR
NCAA:18–9913–80
Total:
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth
  • #Highest rank during the course of the season (NR=not ranked).
  • °Final rank.
  • Since 2000, the final rankings were released following the playoffs.

[10]

(*) In 2009, two victories were nullified because CWUAA accused SFU for having ineligible players in both games. However, SFU argued that they followed CWUAA's guidelines perfectly and that the player was eligible at the time of the accusation. The Manitoba Bisons also used an ineligible player in a Simon Fraser win, so the game was declared "no contest."

Head coaches

NameYearsNotes
Lorne Davies 1965–1972
Bob De Julius1973–1979
Rod Woodward 1980–1982
Chris Beaton1983–2005
Frank Boehres2006
Dave Johnson 2007–2013
Jacques Chapdelaine 2014
Kelly Bates 2015–2017
Thomas Ford2018–2019
Mike Rigell2020–2022

CIS playoff results

Red Leafs in the CFL

Lemar Durant with SFU in 2012. Lemar Durant, SFU Football, 2012.jpg
Lemar Durant with SFU in 2012.

Since the program first began in 1965, Simon Fraser University has had the most first overall selections with five. [11] [12]

As of the start of the 2024 CFL season, five former SFU players were on CFL teams' rosters:

[13]

Red Leafs in the NFL

Former SFU wide receiver Victor Marshall was invited to the Seattle Seahawks rookie camp in May 2013 and earned a contract on May 13 to take part in Organized Team Activities and training camp as a tight end. [14] On July 30, 2013, the Seahawks released Marshall during training camp. [15]

On April 27, 2018, former SFU DE Nathan Shepherd was selected 72nd overall in the 2018 NFL draft by the New York Jets and made the 53-man roster out of training camp. As of the end of the 2023 NFL season, Shepherd was on the New Orleans Saints' roster.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, with two members in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington competing as affiliates for football only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Fraser Red Leafs</span> Athletic teams of Simon Fraser University

The SFU Red Leafs or Simon Fraser Red Leafs teams represent Simon Fraser University (SFU), which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The Red Leafs are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian university affiliated with the U.S.-based National Collegiate Athletic Association. The teams previously used the nicknames "Clan" and "Clansmen," which were used as a tribute to the Scottish heritage of the university's namesake, Simon Fraser. The names were retired in 2020 due to the negative connotation surrounding those terms. In September 2022, the updated nickname "Red Leafs" was announced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada West Universities Athletic Association</span> Association for universities in Western Canada

Canada West is a regional membership association for universities in Western Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public and the media. This is similar to what would be called a college athletic conference in the United States. Canada West is one of four such bodies that are members of the country's governing body for university athletics, U Sports. The other three regional associations coordinating university-level sports in Canada are Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Atlantic University Sport (AUS), and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Bates</span> Canadian football player

Kelly Bates is the offensive line coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a former professional Canadian football guard and former head coach of the Simon Fraser Clan. He was drafted by the Lions in fourth round of the 2001 CFL Draft. He played CIS football for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports football</span> University competition in Canadian football

U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, the champions of each conference advance to semifinal bowl games; the winners of these meet in the Vanier Cup national championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Fox Field</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia

SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field is a multi-purpose sport field on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, British Columbia. It serves as the home field of the Simon Fraser University Red Leafs for association football, Canadian football and American football matches. The Red Leafs men's lacrosse club also plays their home matches on Terry Fox Field, and Simon Fraser University's Department of Recreation and Athletics regularly hosts sport camps on Terry Fox Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Koch (soccer)</span> South African soccer coach (born 1975)

Alan Koch is a South African soccer coach who is the head coach of Western Suburbs FC and technical director for Olé Football Academy. Koch is a former South African youth national team player, professional player and coach. He is a graduate of Simon Fraser University where he earned his bachelor's degree. He earned his master's degree from Midwestern State University in 2005. He was previously the head coach of FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrum Bowl</span> Canadian university football rivalry

The Shrum Bowl was a university rivalry game played between the gridiron football teams of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds and the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Red Leafs. The game was named after Gordon Shrum who was a professor and later a dean at UBC from 1925 to 1961 and served as the first chancellor of SFU from 1964 to 1968. It was a cross-town rivalry with UBC being located in the University Endowment Lands just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, and SFU located approximately 30 kilometres away in Burnaby, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UBC Thunderbirds football</span> University Canadian football team

The UBC Thunderbirds football team represents the University of British Columbia athletics teams in U Sports and is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Thunderbirds program has won the CWUAA Hardy Trophy conference championship 17 times, which is third all-time among competing teams. On a national level, the team has won the Vanier Cup championship four times, in 1982, 1986, 1997 and, most recently, in 2015. The team has also lost twice in the title game, in 1978 and 1987. The Thunderbirds program has also yielded three Hec Crighton Trophy winners: Jordan Gagner in 1987, Mark Nohra in 1997, and, most recently, Billy Greene in 2011.

Lorenzo Jerome is an American football free safety. He played college football at St. Francis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Herdman-Reed</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1994)

Jordan Herdman-Reed is a Canadian professional football linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football with the Simon Fraser Clan. His twin brother Justin Herdman-Reed also plays in the CFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Herdman-Reed</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1994)

Justin Herdman-Reed is a Canadian professional football linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football with the Simon Fraser Clan. His twin brother Jordan Herdman-Reed also plays in the CFL.

Dave Johnson is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia from 2007 to 2013. Johnson oversaw the program's transition from the CIS to NCAA Division II. Under Johnson, the Clan would finish the 2008 season going 5–3, losing in the Hardy Trophy game; the 2012 team finished 5–6, which would be the program's best record while competing in the NCAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rysen John</span> Canadian football player (born 1997)

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Deronn "Bo" Palmer is a Canadian former gridiron football running back who played one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played college football for Simon Fraser and was drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 CFL Draft by the Tiger-Cats. He later was on the practice roster of the Calgary Stampeders, and won the 102nd Grey Cup in 2014.

The 2022 Simon Fraser Red Leafs football team represented Simon Fraser University (SFU) in the 2022 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The team played most of its home games at Terry Fox Field on the university's campus in Burnaby, British Columbia, while Borderite Stadium in nearby Blaine, Washington hosted two games. Led by third-year head coach Mike Rigell, the Red Leafs finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 1–9, going 1–8 in LSC play to finish 10th in the conference.

The 2021 Simon Fraser football team represented Simon Fraser University (SFU) in the 2021 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The team played its home game at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, British Columbia. The team finished the season with an overall record of 1–7, going 0–4 in GNAC play. Simon Fraser was led by interim head coach Mike Rigell in his first season as the program's coach. On November 30, the university announced that Rigell would become the program's full-time head coach.

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References

  1. Simon Fraser University (July 10, 2009). "SFU first Canadian school in NCAA". Simon Fraser University. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  2. "Kristie Elliott becomes first woman in Canada to play and score in a college football game". The Peak. November 21, 2021.
  3. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sfu-football-first-canadian-woman-scores-1.6179046
  4. "Three football teams to join LSC as affiliate members" (Press release). Lone Star Conference. November 18, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  5. "Simon Fraser, NCAA's Only Canadian Member School, Ends Football Program" Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  6. "SFU Athletics name change". SFU Athletics. August 12, 2020.
  7. "SFU Announces New Varsity Team Name". SFU Athletics. September 6, 2022.
  8. Josh Curran (August 30, 2011). "Shrum Bowl called off for 2011 season". The Ubyssey. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  9. "Shrum Bowl rebirth ends in Red Leaf 18-17 loss in front of 2,922 fans". Simon Fraser Red Leafs. December 2, 2022.
  10. "SFU Clan football Year by Year Record". Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  11. "2021 CFL Draft Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League . Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  12. "SFU CFL Draft". SFU Athletics. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  13. "CFL players". Canadian Football League . Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  14. Seahawks make roster moves
  15. Seahawks make roster moves