The Vanier Cup is the championship of Canadian university football. It is organized by U Sports football and is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. It is named after Georges Vanier, the former governor general of Canada and was first awarded in 1965 to the winner of an invitational event contested between two teams that were selected by a panel. In 1967, the trophy was declared the official "CIAU National Football Championship" and a playoff system was instituted. From its creation until 1982, it was known as the Canadian College Bowl. The game typically occurs in late November, although it is occasionally played in December.
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 University of Saskatchewan began in 1907 and has operated teams that compete with others since 1911. The term Huskie Athletics is defined as those student athletes from the University of Saskatchewan that compete in elite interuniversity competition administered by U Sports and its members, both as regions and as individual institutions.
The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 93 national championships, including 79 U Sports sanctioned sports, making it one of the most successful programs in the country.
Griffiths Stadium is a stadium located on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The current stadium was opened on 23 June, 1967, to host the Saskatchewan Huskies football team. There was previously a Griffiths Stadium 200 metres to the east of the current location, which operated from 1936 until the new site was opened.
Brian Fryer is a retired football player who starred at wide receiver for the University of Alberta, and played professionally for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos and Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Sports in Saskatchewan consist of a wide variety of team and individual games, and include summer, winter, indoor, and outdoor games. Saskatchewan's cold winter climate has ensured the popularity of sports including its official sport, curling, as well as ice hockey, ice skating, and cross-country skiing. The province also has warm summers and popular summer sports include baseball, football, soccer, basketball, track and field, rodeo, horse-racing, and golf.
Brian Guebert is a Canadian Football League defensive end who last played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Frank Cosentino is a former Canadian football quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former head coach in University football. He played professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts for ten years where he was a two-time Grey Cup champion, winning in 1963 and 1965. He was head coach of the Western Mustangs football team for five years where he led the team to two Vanier Cup wins in 1971 and 1974 before completing his coaching career with the York Yeomen. Cosentino was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
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 42nd Vanier Cup was played on November 25, 2006, at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and decided the CIS Football champion for the 2006 season. The hometown Saskatchewan Huskies lost their CIS record third straight Vanier Cup to the Laval Rouge et Or by a score of 13–8. Laval became the second team in CIS history to win three championships over a four-year period after the Western Ontario Mustangs won in 1974, 1976, and 1977.
The Saskatchewan Huskies football team represents the University of Saskatchewan in U Sports football that competes in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association conference of U Sports. The program has won the Vanier Cup national championship three times, in 1990, 1996 and 1998. The Huskies became only the second U Sports team to advance to three consecutive Vanier Cup games, after the Saint Mary's Huskies, but lost all three games from 2004-2006. The team has won the most Hardy Trophy titles in Canada West, having won a total of 21 times.
Clare James Drake was a Canadian ice hockey coach. He was the most successful coach in Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey history. In 28 years as the head coach of the University of Alberta men's ice hockey team, he coached the Alberta Golden Bears to six University Cup championships and 17 Canada West conference championships. The "dean of coaching," Clare developed the game for more than 40 years, coaching at the high school, university, Olympic and WHA level. The only university coach to win a national championship in both hockey and football in the same year (1967), he was instrumental in the development of the National Coaching Certification and Coach Mentorship Programs. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.
Brian Towriss is the former head coach for the University of Saskatchewan's football team, the Saskatchewan Huskies. Towriss became Saskatchewan's head coach in 1984 and became CIS football's winningest head coach in 2011, surpassing Larry Haylor with his 170th overall win. He resigned as head coach on December 19, 2016 with a U Sports football record 196 wins that held until 2022, and 315 games coached. He reached the Vanier Cup finals nine times as a head coach, having won three of those in 1990, 1996, 1998. Collegiately, he also played CIS football for the Saskatchewan Huskies. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017 as a builder.
Jerry Friesen is a former award-winning linebacker in the Canadian Football League and is the special teams coordinator for the Saskatchewan Huskies.
James Garvey Donlevy was a Canadian football coach. He coached the Alberta Golden Bears of the University of Alberta from 1971 to 1981 and 1984 to his resignation in 1990, amassing a record of 86–69–3 and winning the Vanier Cup championship in 1972 and 1980. The Bears appeared in the College Bowl in 1971, 1972, 1980, and 1981 with Donlevy coaching. He later worked for the Western Hockey League as an educational consultant. He was born in McLennan, Alberta and attended St. Joseph High School in Edmonton. He was a teacher with Edmonton Catholic Schools before joining the University of Alberta in 1970. Donlevy died of cancer at the age of 82 on August 4, 2019, in Calgary, Alberta.
The Laval Rouge et Or football team represents Laval University in Quebec City in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The program began its first regular season in 1996 and has quickly become one of the most successful programs in Canadian university football history. The Rouge et Or have won a record 11 Vanier Cup championships and their most recent victory occurred at the 57th Vanier Cup in 2022. They are also the only program to have played in four straight Vanier Cups and have a record of 11–2 in Vanier Cup games. The Rouge et Or have also won the Dunsmore Cup 16 times since 1999, demonstrating their historical dominance in their conference.
The Saint Mary's Huskies football team represents Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Huskies have been the most successful in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference of U Sports football, reaching the Vanier Cup championship game nine times and winning three times, both marks being the highest in the AUS. The program also has the most Jewett Trophy conference championships, winning 24 times in 32 appearances.
The Alberta Golden Bears football team represents the University of Alberta in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Golden Bears have been in competition since 1910 and the team has won three Vanier Cup national championships, in 1967, 1972, and most recently in 1980. The Golden Bears have also won 18 Hardy Cup conference titles, second only to the Saskatchewan Huskies who have won 19 of them. The Golden Bears have also had three players win the Hec Crighton Trophy, with Mel Smith winning in 1971, Brian Fryer winning in 1975, and most recently Ed Ilnicki winning the award in 2017.
The 1999 CIAU football season began on September 10, 1999, and concluded with the 35th Vanier Cup national championship on November 27, 1999, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, with the Laval Rouge et Or winning the first Vanier Cup in program history. Twenty-four universities across Canada competed in CIAU football this season, the highest level of amateur play in Canadian football, under the auspices of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU). The Regina Rams began their first season of play in the CIAU after previously playing in the Canadian Junior Football League.
