Current season, competition or edition: 2024 U Sports football season | |
Formerly | CIAU football, CIS football |
---|---|
Sport | Canadian football |
Founded | 1961 |
No. of teams | 27, in four conferences |
Country | Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Laval Rouge et Or (2024) |
Most titles | Laval Rouge et Or (12) |
TV partner(s) |
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Related competitions | Vanier Cup |
Official website | en |
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. [1] 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 origins of North American football can be traced here, where the first documented game was played at University College at the University of Toronto in 1861. A number of U Sports programs have been in existence since the origins of the sport. It is from these Canadian universities that the game now known as Canadian football began. In 1874, McGill University (Montreal) challenged Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) to a series of games.
The Grey Cup, the championship trophy of the professional Canadian Football League (CFL) since its founding in the 1950s, was originally contested by teams from the University of Toronto and Queen's University and other amateur teams since 1909. Many U Sports players have gone on to professional careers in the CFL and elsewhere; a number are drafted annually in the Canadian College Draft. In 2021, there were a record 208 U Sports alumni on CFL rosters. [2]
Maya Turner became the first woman to play in any U Sports regular season football game, on September 23, 2023, as a Manitoba Bisons kicker. She kicked the game winning field goal in overtime for the Bisons in their game against the Regina Rams. [3]
The regular season is nine to ten weeks long, depending on the conference, and, as of 2019, opens on the weekend before the Labour Day weekend. Teams play eight regular season games and regular season games are in-conference with exhibition (pre-season) games being played between conferences. Throughout the season, there are featured homecoming and rivalry games in most regions. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Hec Crighton Trophy is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player of U Sports football.
After the regular season, single elimination playoff games are held between the top teams in each conference to determine conference champions. In the Atlantic, Canada West, and Quebec conferences, the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. In Ontario, the top seven teams qualify with the top team receiving a playoff bye to the next round. Because the OUA teams have conference playoffs that last three weeks instead of two, the first round of the post-season in the OUA occurs during the same week that each of the other three conferences are playing their last regular season games. Each conference has its own championship trophy; the Hardy Trophy in the West, the Yates Cup in Ontario, the Dunsmore Cup in Quebec and the Jewett Trophy in the Atlantic conference. The conference champions proceed to national semifinal bowl games: the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl. The participant conferences of each bowl are determined several years in advance on a rotating basis.
The winners of each bowl game meet in the Vanier Cup national championship, first established in 1965 and named in honour of Governor General Georges Vanier. The game was held in Toronto every year through 2003 when host conference bids were first accepted, yielding a move to Hamilton for 2004 and 2005, followed by Saskatoon in 2006. Quebec City, Vancouver, Montreal, London, and Kingston have since hosted Vanier Cup games.
Institution | Team | City | Province | Founded | Head coach | Enrollment | Endowment | Football stadium | Capacity | Jewett Trophies | Vanier Cups |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bishop's University | Gaiters | Sherbrooke | QC | 1884 | Chérif Nicolas | 1,817 | $32.5M | Coulter Field | 2,200 | 1 | 0 |
Mount Allison University | Mounties | Sackville | NB | 1955 | Peter Fraser | 2,694 | $110M | Alumni Field | 2,500 | 6 | 0 |
Acadia University | Axemen | Wolfville | NS | 1957 | Jeff Cummins | 4,358 | $96M | Raymond Field | 3,000 | 15 | 2 |
Saint Mary's University | Huskies | Halifax | NS | 1956 | Steve Sumarah | 7,586 | $52.9M | Huskies Stadium | 2,000 | 24 | 3 |
Saint Francis Xavier University | X-Men | Antigonish | NS | 1954 | Gary Waterman | 5,158 | $100M | StFX Stadium | 4,000 | 16 | 1 |
Institution | Team | City | Province | Founded | Head coach | Enrollment | Endowment | Football stadium | Capacity | Hardy Trophies | Vanier Cups |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of British Columbia | Thunderbirds | Vancouver | BC | 1923 | Blake Nill | 49,166 | $1.3B | Thunderbird Stadium | 3,500 | 17 | 4 |
University of Calgary | Dinos | Calgary | AB | 1964 | Ryan Sheahan | 30,900 | $790.6M | McMahon Stadium | 35,650 | 18 | 5 |
University of Alberta | Golden Bears | Edmonton | AB | 1910 | Vacant | 39,312 | $1.0B | Foote Field | 3,500 | 18 | 3 |
University of Saskatchewan | Huskies | Saskatoon | SK | 1912 | Scott Flory | 21,168 | $214M | Griffiths Stadium | 6,171 | 21 | 3 |
University of Regina | Rams | Regina | SK | 1999 | Mark McConkey | 12,270 | $25.9M | Mosaic Stadium | 33,350 | 2 | 0 |
University of Manitoba | Bisons | Winnipeg | MB | 1920 | Brian Dobie | 28,335 | $424M | Princess Auto Stadium | 33,422 | 12 | 3 |
Institution | Team | City | Province | Founded | Head coach | Enrollment | Endowment | Football stadium | Capacity | Dunsmore Cups | Vanier Cups |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Concordia University | Stingers | Montreal | QC | 1974 | Brad Collinson | 38,809 | $136.7M | Concordia Stadium | 4,000 | 3 | 0 |
Université de Montréal | Carabins | Montreal | QC | 2002 | Marco Iadeluca | 55,540 | $276.5M | CEPSUM | 5,100 | 5 | 2 |
McGill University | Redbirds | Montreal | QC | 1898 | Alex Surprenant | 39,497 | $1.45B | Molson Stadium | 20,025 | 3 | 1 |
Université Laval | Rouge et Or | Quebec City | QC | 1996 | Glen Constantin | 37,591 | $108.3M | Stade Telus | 12,817 | 17 | 12 |
Université de Sherbrooke | Vert et Or | Sherbrooke | QC | 1971 | Kevin Régimbald | 35,000 | --- | Stade de l'Université de Sherbrooke | 3,359 | 0 | 0 |
There have been efforts at establishing new varsity football programs at institutions that currently do not have teams. A group of alumni from Carleton University in Ottawa successfully revived that school's program which returned in 2013. The team is a member of the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports, returning football to Carleton University after a 15-year absence. [4]
The Université de Moncton investigated a possible football program in 2011, due to the construction of Moncton Stadium in 2010. [5] In May 2011, the athletics department submitted a feasibility report to the school's president and are based part of their decision upon how the fans in Moncton received the Uteck Bowl in 2011. [6] The 2011 Uteck Bowl was not well supported in Moncton, and there has been little support for a team since.
A club team league, the Atlantic Football League, features four-to-five universities, depending on the season. There is hope this may lead to varsity teams featured at some of these schools. [7] [8]
Following their successful application to become full members of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, the UBC Okanagan Heat explored the feasibility of starting their own football program, partnered with the CJFL's Okanagan Sun. [9] UBCO would have partnered with the Sun in much the same way that the University of Regina was paired with the Prairie Football Conference's Regina Rams.
However, UBC-O lacked a stadium on campus. The Kelowna city-owned Apple Bowl Stadium did not meet the guidelines required for entry into Canada West football after a conference site visit in 2014. [10]
The University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières explored the possibility of adding a football program with the launch planned for the 2017 season. [11] The program would have been similar to Carleton University's in that there would be private funding from football alumni, but operated by shareholders. [12] As of April 2015, $800,000 of the required $3 million had been raised in support of the varsity sport at UQTR. [13] The capacity of the football stadium would then be increased from 2000 to 6270 seats. [12] However, the UQTR Board of Regents refused to commit to the proposal. The UQTR Patriotes previously fielded a senior varsity team from 1971 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979. [14] [15]
In February 2015, businessman David Dube (an alumnus and supporter of the Saskatchewan Huskies) and Jim Mullin announced a proposal for a consortium known as the "Northern 8", which would organize interconference games between its member schools. Dube felt that this plan could help improve the prominence of CIS football on a national basis outside of the post-season (which, as of the 2014 season, was the only period of the season that featured nationally televised CIS games), as it would allow a nationally televised package of regular-season games to be sold to a major broadcaster. The Northern 8 would be structured as a non-profit corporation and would subsidize production costs for its telecasts: profits would be distributed to non-member schools. It would start with eight teams but could expand to 10 in the future. The Canada West conference backed the proposal. The OUA, RSEQ and AUS showed concerns for the plan due to travel costs and their effects on standings and rejected the plan. [16] [17]
There are post-season awards for on-the-field excellence. The players deemed to be the best at each position are named to the annual All-Canadian Football Team as first or second team players.
Additionally there are a number of individual awards for categories like "best defensive player".
Many players from U Sports football have become professional athletes with most of them playing in the Canadian Football League. Opening Day of the 2015 CFL season saw a record 199 U Sports football players on rosters around the League. [18] In 2022, 205 former U Sports football players were featured on CFL teams' rosters on opening day. [19]
The following is a list of recent numbers from the CFL Draft, which is an annual eight-round event with a current maximum of 74 players drafted. From 1997 to 2012 the CFL Draft had six rounds of selections and from 2013 to 2015 it had seven rounds. From 2002 to 2005, the CFL had nine teams, then reverted to eight teams from 2006 to 2013, and then was back to its current number of nine teams in 2014. The high-water mark of 60 players from the U Sports drafted was recorded in the 2022 CFL Draft, which was the most since 1978. [20]
Year | Picks | U Picks | 1st Rnd | Highest | Position | School |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 53 | 33 | 5 | Miguel Robede | DE | Laval Rouge et Or |
2006 | 50 | 26 | 5 | Jay Pottinger | LB | McMaster Marauders |
2007 | 47 | 31 | 5 | Chris Bauman | WR | Regina Rams |
2008 | 48 | 33 | 4 | Dylan Barker | DB | Saskatchewan Huskies |
2009 | 48 | 38 | 7 | Simeon Rottier | OT | Alberta Golden Bears |
2010 | 47 | 36 | 4 | Shomari Williams | LB | Queen's Gaels |
2011 | 47 | 34 | 4 | Henoc Muamba | LB | St. Francis Xavier X-Men |
2012 | 45 | 24 | 3 | Ben Heenan | OL | Saskatchewan Huskies |
2013 | 60 | 44 | 4 | Linden Gaydosh | DT | Calgary Dinos |
2014 | 65 | 59 | 8 | Pierre Lavertu | OL | Laval Rouge et Or |
2015 | 62 | 44 | 7 | Sukh Chungh | OL | Calgary Dinos |
2016 | 70 | 53 | 4 | Philippe Gagnon | OL | Laval Rouge et Or |
2017 | 71 | 56 | 6 | Daniel Vandervoort | WR | McMaster Marauders |
2018 | 69 | 56 | 4 | Mark Korte | OL | Alberta Golden Bears |
2019 | 73 | 52 | 2 | Jesse Gibbon | OL | Waterloo Warriors |
2020 | 73 | 57 | 4 | Coulter Woodmansey | OL | Guelph Gryphons |
2021 | 54 | 31 | 4 | Nelson Lokombo | DB | Saskatchewan Huskies |
2022 | 74 | 60 | 6 | Zach Pelehos | OL | Ottawa Gee-Gees |
2023 | 72 | 57 | 4 | Michael Brodrique | LB | Montreal Carabins |
2024 | 74 | 47 | 4 | Benjamin Labrosse | LB | McGill Redbirds |
There have been 15 U Sports players drafted into the National Football League with Giovanni Manu being the most recent. [21] [22]
Year | Round | Pick | NFL team | Player | Position | School |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | 8 | 234 | Washington Redskins | Brian Fryer | WR | Alberta Golden Bears |
1979 | 11 | 280 | Baltimore Colts | John Priestner | LB | Western Mustangs |
1982 | 12 | 333 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dan Feraday | QB | Toronto Varsity Blues |
1986 | 1 | 23 | Los Angeles Rams | Mike Schad | OG | Queen's Golden Gaels |
1992 | 9 | 239 | Phoenix Cardinals | Tyrone Williams | WR | Western Mustangs |
1995 | 7 | 237 | San Diego Chargers | Mark Montreuil | CB | Concordia Stingers |
1998 | 2 | 32 | Indianapolis Colts | Jerome Pathon | WR | Acadia Axemen |
2001 | 7 | 241 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Randy Chevrier | DE | McGill Redmen [a] |
2009 | 4 | 113 | San Diego Chargers | Vaughn Martin | DE | Western Mustangs |
2012 | 3 | 89 | New Orleans Saints | Akiem Hicks | DE | Regina Rams |
2014 | 6 | 200 | Kansas City Chiefs | Laurent Duvernay-Tardif | OT | McGill Redmen [a] |
2016 | 4 | 120 | New Orleans Saints | David Onyemata | DL | Manitoba Bisons |
2022 | 7 | 236 | Los Angeles Chargers | Deane Leonard | CB | Calgary Dinos |
2023 | 4 | 124 | Baltimore Ravens | Tavius Robinson | LB | Guelph Gryphons |
2024 | 4 | 126 | Detroit Lions | Giovanni Manu | OL | British Columbia |
As of 2023, U Sports had produced 41 players who have earned a spot on an NFL roster (including four who did not play a regular season game; players listed in chronological order by entry year in NFL):
The Vanier Cup is a post season university football championship game, used to determine the national champion in U Sports football. The game is the final for the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. In turn, the participating teams are determined by the winners of 4 bowl games: the Loney Bowl (AUS), Hardy Cup, Dunsmore Cup (RSEQ), and Yates Cup (OUA).
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 two U Sports football conference championships, in 2000 and 2024, and the team has made one appearance in the Vanier Cup championship game.
The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game goes on to play against the Uteck Bowl champions for the Vanier Cup. The home of the Mitchell Bowl, as well as the two conference champions, changes each year on a rotating basis. The Mitchell Bowl was named after Douglas H. Mitchell, a former Canadian Football League commissioner and member of the National Hockey League board of governors.
The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's championships, which is more than any top division college in Canada or the United States. The Ravens went on an 87-game winning streak from 2003 to 2006. They also had a 54-game home winning streak. The Ravens finished 2nd in the World University Basketball Championships in 2004.
The 2008 CIS football season began on August 23, 2008, and concluded with the 44th Vanier Cup national championship on November 22 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning their fifth championship. 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 2011 CIS football season began on September 1, 2011, with the Montreal Carabins hosting the McGill Redmen at CEPSUM Stadium. The season concluded on November 25 at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia with the 47th Vanier Cup championship. This year, 26 university teams in Canada played CIS football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
The 2012 CIS football season began on August 31, 2012 with the Saskatchewan Huskies hosting the Alberta Golden Bears at Griffiths Stadium. The season concluded on November 23 in Toronto, Ontario with the 48th Vanier Cup championship, won by the Laval Rouge et Or after they defeated the McMaster Marauders 37-14. This year, 26 university teams in Canada are scheduled to play Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees football team represents the University of Ottawa in the sport of Canadian football. The Gee-Gees compete in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference of U Sports. Football at the University of Ottawa began in 1881, it was one of the first established football programs in Canada.
The 2015 Vanier Cup, the 51st edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Saturday, November 28, 2015 at Telus Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. It was the fourth time that the city of Quebec has hosted the Vanier Cup. For the third consecutive year the championship game was played in the province of Quebec. The game featured the Canada West Champion UBC Thunderbirds and the RSEQ Champion Montreal Carabins. This was the second appearance for the Carabins - in back-to-back years - and the sixth for the Thunderbirds.
The 2015 CIS football season began on August 30, 2015 with ten Ontario University Athletics teams playing that day. The season concluded on November 28 with the UBC Thunderbirds defeating the Montreal Carabins 26-23 in the 51st Vanier Cup championship at Telus Stadium in Quebec City. This year, 27 university teams in Canada played Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
The U Sports East–West Bowl is an annual preseason Canadian university football all-star game which showcases the top U Sports football prospects in the country who will be eligible for the following year's CFL Draft. The East–West Bowl is organized by the Canadian University Football Coaches Association (CUFCA) with the support of the Canadian Football League (CFL). It brings together over 90 of the top U Sports football players for a week of practices and evaluation, culminating with the annual all-star game. A national committee of U Sports head coaches selects the participants from a pool of players nominated by their respective universities. Players who are generally in their third year of eligibility are the prime candidates for nomination. Every U Sports football program is represented by a minimum of three and a maximum of four players who will be eligible for the CFL draft the following year. Each school submits a list of six players they nominate. A committee of U Sports coaches and CFL representatives review the nominations and determine who gets invited.
The 2016 CIS football season began on August 28 with ten Ontario University Athletics teams playing that day. The season concluded on November 26 with the 52nd Vanier Cup championship at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2016, 27 university teams were scheduled to play Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.
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.
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 2017 U Sports football season began on August 25 with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Montreal Carabins visiting the Concordia Stingers in Montreal, Quebec. The season concluded on November 25 with the 53rd Vanier Cup championship at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. This season saw the first conference shift since 2001 with the Bishop's Gaiters moving from the Quebec Student Sport Federation to the Atlantic University Sport conference. 27 university teams in Canada participated in the newly re-branded U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football. The Western Mustangs defeated the Laval Rouge et Or, 39-17, to win their first Vanier Cup since 1994.
The 2018 U Sports football season began on August 24, 2018, with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Quebec Student Sport Federation teams played an hour later with the Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or and the McGill Redmen playing the Montreal Carabins. The Ontario University Athletics teams began play on August 25, 2018, and the Canada West teams opened their season one week later on August 31, 2018.
Kyle Graves is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver who played for five years in the Canadian Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Alouettes after being bypassed in the 2012 CFL Draft. He played quarterback and punter for the Acadia Axemen in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football from 2008 to 2012. He also spent time as the offensive coordinator for the Mount Allison Mounties of U Sports football.
The 2019 U Sports football season began on August 23, 2019, with the Concordia Stingers hosting the Montreal Carabins in Montreal, Quebec. The Atlantic University Sport conference started play the following day and the Ontario University Athletics conference began play on August 25, 2019. The Canada West teams began play during the following weekend, on August 30, 2019. All 27 U Sports football teams played eight regular season games against opponents within the same conference.
Nic Cross is a Canadian professional football linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023. On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams opened their seasons on September 1, 2023.