St. Francis Xavier X-Men | |
---|---|
First season | 1954 |
Athletic director | Leo MacPherson |
Head coach | Gary Waterman 14th year, 69–49–0 (.585) |
Home stadium | Oland Stadium |
Stadium capacity | 4000 |
Stadium surface | FieldTurf |
Location | Antigonish, Nova Scotia |
League | U Sports |
Conference | AUS (1999 – present) |
Past associations | AUAA (1974–1998) |
All-time record | – |
Postseason record | – |
Titles | |
Vanier Cups | 1 1966 |
Atlantic Bowls | 5 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1996 |
Jewett Trophies | 16 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1996, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
Hec Crighton winners | 0 |
Colours | Blue and White |
Outfitter | Adidas |
Website | goxgo.ca |
The St. Francis Xavier X-Men football team represents the St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The X-Men program has been competing at the varsity level since 1954 and won the second ever Vanier Cup national championship in 1966. The team has played in two National Championship games overall when they were runners-up in 1996 and have won 16 conference championships in total.
The X-Men have won the Atlantic Conference Championship 16 times and have been runners-up an additional 12 times. [2]
Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | PCT | PF | PA | Standing | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.750 | 227 | 147 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in Loney Bowl 30–22 Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in Atlantic Bowl 13–5 Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in 32nd Vanier Cup 31–12 |
1997 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.875 | 190 | 120 | 1st in AUS | Lost to Mount Allison Mounties in Loney Bowl 20–17 |
1998 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.125 | 112 | 219 | 4th in AUS | Out of playoffs |
1999 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.125 | 132 | 270 | 4th in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2000 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.375 | 65 | 228 | 3rd in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2001 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.375 | 106 | 202 | 3rd in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2002 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.750 | 215 | 134 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 25–11 Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 63–14 |
2003 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 139 | 143 | 3rd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 30–28 Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 36–12 |
2004 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.375 | 155 | 245 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to Acadia Axemen in semi-final 15–8 |
2005 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.625 | 219 | 189 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in semi-final 47–29 Lost to Acadia Axemen in Loney Bowl 69–6 |
2006 | 7 | 2 | 5 | – | 0.286 | 80 | 176 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in semi-final 24–6 |
2007 | 8 | 3 | 5 | – | 0.375 | 158 | 284 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 38–17 Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 25–24 |
2008 | 8 | 4 | 4 | – | 0.500 | 186 | 205 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in semi-final 52–12 Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 29–27 |
2009 | 8 | 6 | 2 | – | 0.750 | 201 | 166 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 33–30 Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 31–22 |
2010 | 8 | 1 | 7 | – | 0.125 | 98 | 247 | 4th in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2011 | 8 | 2 | 6 | – | 0.250 | 148 | 300 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in semi-final 25–2 |
2012 | 8 | 2 | 6 | – | 0.250 | 137 | 239 | 4th in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2013 | 8 | 3 | 5 | – | 0.375 | 150 | 183 | 4th in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2014 | 8 | 4 | 4 | – | 0.500 | 181 | 180 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 18–17 Lost to Mount Allison Mounties in Loney Bowl 29–7 |
2015 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | 0.625 | 172 | 179 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 26–4 Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in Loney Bowl 14–12 Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in Uteck Bowl 36–9 |
2016 | 8 | 7 | 1 | – | 0.875 | 299 | 129 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in Loney Bowl 29–8 Lost to Calgary Dinos in Mitchell Bowl 50–24 |
2017 | 8 | 4 | 4 | – | 0.500 | 179 | 168 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in semi-final 16–15 |
2018 | 8 | 6 | 2 | – | 0.750 | 224 | 156 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 33–10 Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 33–9 Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Uteck Bowl 63–0 |
2019 | 8 | 2 | 6 | – | 0.250 | 128 | 214 | 5th in AUS | Out of playoffs |
2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
2021 | 6 | 6 | 0 | – | 1.000 | 193 | 99 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Acadia Axemen in semi-final 27–22 Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in Loney Bowl 25–17 Lost to Western Mustangs in Mitchell Bowl 61–6 |
2022 | 8 | 8 | 0 | – | 1.000 | 261 | 83 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in Loney Bowl 21–14 Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Uteck Bowl 36–19 |
2023 | 8 | 8 | 0 | – | 1.000 | 267 | 90 | 1st in AUS | Defeated St. Mary's Huskies in semi-final 36–20 Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in Loney Bowl 34–23 Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in Mitchell Bowl 47–17 |
2024 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | 0.625 | 240 | 155 | 2nd in AUS | Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in semi-final 21–17 |
Name | Years | Notes |
---|---|---|
Frank Germann | 1954–1956 | |
Don Loney | 1957–1973 | |
Cam Innes | 1974–1977 | |
John Musselman | 1978–1983 | |
Lance Bullock | 1984–1988 | |
Mark Heidebrecht | 1989–1992 | |
John Stevens | 1993–2001 | |
Dennis McPhee | 2002–2003 | |
John Bloomfield | 2004–2008 | |
Gary Waterman | 2009–present |
In the 2011 CFL Draft, Hénoc Muamba became the first X-Men player to be selected first overall in the Canadian College Draft, having been drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. [5]
As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, three former X-Men players are on CFL teams' rosters:
The Regina Rams represent the University of Regina, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Rams joined U Sports in 1999 and have competed in the Canada West Conference since then. The program has won one U Sports football conference championship, in 2000, and the team has made one appearance in the Vanier Cup championship game.
The Saint Mary's Huskies are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary home turf is Huskies Stadium, located in the centre of the university's campus.
The U Sports Men's Ice Hockey Championship, is a Canadian university ice hockey tournament conducted by U Sports, and determines the men's national champion. The tournament involves the champions from each of Canada's four regional sports conferences. The David Johnston University Cup is awarded to the winners.
St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada.
The St. Francis Xavier X-Men and X-Women are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary home turf is Oland Stadium located at the University's campus.
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.
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.
Cauchy Muamba is a Congolese-born former Canadian football player who played defensive back. He most recently played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 34th overall by the BC Lions in the 2010 CFL Draft and signed a contract with the team on May 25, 2010. He played CIS football for the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.
The 2011 Winnipeg Blue Bombers was the 54th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 79th overall. The Blue Bombers finished in first place in the East Division with a 10–8 record. The team clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 on October 7, 2011, after a 33–17 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. On November 20, 2011, The Blue Bombers defeated the Tiger-Cats 19–3 in the East Final, advancing to the 99th Grey Cup and extending their Grey Cup appearances record to 24. However, the Bombers lost the Grey Cup game 34–23 to the BC Lions, extending their drought to 21 years without a Grey Cup championship. Their Grey Cup appearance marked their final playoff game played in five seasons, failing to make the playoffs in the four subsequent seasons following their loss to the Lions team. Incidentally, their first playoff game subsequent to their four-year playoff drought was also against the same BC Lions team they lost in the Grey Cup game in 2011, losing in a 32-31 come-from-behind victory for the Lions, ending the 2016 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season. Additionally, the Blue Bombers wouldn't host another playoff game again until the 2017 CFL season, this time losing to the Edmonton Eskimos 39-32.
Henoc Muamba is a Congolese-Canadian former professional football linebacker who played in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was a two-time CFL All-Star, three-time CFL Divisional All-Star, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2017. In 2022, he won the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) and Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian, becoming the second player in history to earn both awards. He was also a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Indianapolis Colts, Montreal Alouettes, Dallas Cowboys, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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Gary Waterman is the head coach for St. Francis Xavier University's football team, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, a position he has held since the 2009 U Sports season. He is a six-time Loney Bowl Champion and six-time Atlantic University Sport Coach of the Year winner. In 2022, he was awarded the Frank Tindall Trophy as the U Sports Football Coach of the Year.
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