Vanier Cup
The Vanier Cup (French: Coupe Vanier) 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.
Vanier Cup | |
---|---|
Sport | Canadian football |
League | U Sports football |
Given for | Winning the U Sports football championship |
Country | Canada |
History | |
First award | 1965 |
Editions | 55 |
First winner | Toronto Varsity Blues |
Most wins | Laval Rouge et Or (10) |
Most recent | Calgary Dinos |
Website | usports |
The Laval Rouge et Or have won the most Vanier Cups (10), while the Western Mustangs have the most appearances (14). Seventeen teams have won the Vanier Cup, while three others have played for the championship but never won. There are seven active teams that have never appeared in the championship game. The 55th Vanier Cup was played on November 23, 2019 at Stade Telus in Quebec City. The Calgary Dinos defeated the Montreal Carabins 27-13 to win their fifth championship.
History
The Vanier Cup was created in 1965 as the championship trophy of the Canadian College Bowl. For the first two years of competition, the Canadian College Bowl was an invitational event, with a national panel selecting two teams to play, similar to other U.S. collegiate bowl games. In 1967, the Canadian College Bowl was declared the national football championship of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union, later Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and now U Sports, with a playoff system determining the two participants.[1]
The Vanier Cup was played in Toronto, Ontario, from its inception in 1965 through 2003. However, after the CIS opened the game to host conference bids in 2001, the possibility arose to have games held outside Toronto. As of 2016, 41 of the 52 Vanier Cups have been played in Toronto, five in Québec City, four in Hamilton, one in Saskatoon, one in Vancouver and one in Montréal. No games have been staged in the Atlantic region. Four times, the game has been played in the same city and during the same weekend as the Grey Cup: 1973, 2007 and 2012 in Toronto [2] and in 2011 in Vancouver at BC Place Stadium.
The Vanier Cup is played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl (formerly Atlantic Bowl) and the Mitchell Bowl (formerly the Churchill Bowl). The Uteck and Mitchell Bowls, in turn, are contested by the Loney Bowl (AUS), Hardy Cup (Canada West), Dunsmore Cup (RSEQ), and Yates Cup (OUA) champions.[3][4]
The Vanier Cup's most valuable player is awarded the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy. It was first awarded at the first championship in 1965 and named in honour of Teddy Morris, who died the same year. Morris, a Hall of Fame former Toronto Argonauts player and coach, was an organizer of the first bowl and champion for developing Canadian players.
The Bruce Coulter Award was first awarded in 1992 and is dependent on what position the winner of the Ted Morris Trophy played. If the winner is from the offence, then the Bruce Coulter Award winner will be the most outstanding defensive player or vice versa. It was named after Bruce Coulter, long-time Head Coach at Bishop's University and former offensive and defensive player with the Montreal Alouettes in the 1950s. Coulter was inducted as a builder in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997.[5][6][7]
The Vanier Cup final game is regularly broadcast nationally. From 1965 though 1976 it was broadcast on CBC Television, from 1977 through 1988 it was broadcast on the CTV Television Network. In 1989, TSN acquired rights to the game, lasting through to 2012 (besides a one-year stint on The Score in 2008).
In November 2010, the rights to the Vanier Cup were purchased by sports marketing company MRX.[8] The 2011 game was held in Vancouver, on the same weekend as the 99th Grey Cup and for the first time it was fully integrated into the Grey Cup Festival as a festival event.[9]
In 2012, the 48th Vanier Cup, played between Laval and McMaster at Rogers Centre in Toronto became both the most attended and most watched Vanier Cup ever. Held the same weekend and in the same city as the 100th Grey Cup, the game was attended by 37,098. The previous record was set in 1989 at the 25th Vanier Cup, when 32,847 watched the game between Western and Saskatchewan that was also played at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre).[10] The game, broadcast on TSN and RDS was watched by 910,000.[11]
In February 2013, the CIS terminated the option years on their agreement with MRX opting for an open bid process for the hosting of the game. Laval University, in Quebec City, was the only bidder for the game and won the right to host the 49th Vanier Cup.[12] In May, CIS terminated its agreement with TSN, and entered into a six-year deal with Sportsnet to broadcast its championships, including the Vanier Cup.[13]
The switch in venues, the decoupling of the Vanier Cup from Grey Cup week, and the change in broadcaster, led to a precipitous drop in attendance and viewership. A total of 301,000 viewers watched Laval defeat the Calgary Dinos 25-14 Saturday, November 23, which was a decline of 64 per cent from the previous year.[14] A standing room crowd of 18,543 were on hand at the Telus Stadium which was a decline of 50 per cent from the previous year in Toronto. In 2019, after several more years of declines, the Vanier Cup returned to CBC.[15]
On June 8, 2020, U Sports announced that all fall athletics championships for the 2020-21 season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
Championships
- Key
- (#) Number of times that team has won the Vanier Cup.
Note: All Ted Morris Trophy and Bruce Coulter Award winners played for the winning team, unless otherwise noted.
Game | Date | Champion | Score | Runner Up | Stadium | City | Ted Morris Memorial Trophy (Game MVP) |
Bruce Coulter Award (starts in 1992) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | November 20, 1965 | 14–7 | Varsity Stadium | Gerry Sternberg | — | |||
2nd | November 19, 1966 | 40–14 | Varsity Stadium | Terry Gorman | — | |||
3rd | November 25, 1967 | 10–9 | Varsity Stadium | Val Schneider | — | |||
4th | November 22, 1968 | 42–14 | Varsity Stadium | Don Bayne | — | |||
5th | November 21, 1969 | 24–15 | Varsity Stadium | Bob Kraemer | — | |||
6th | November 21, 1970 | 38–11 | Varsity Stadium | Mike Shylo | — | |||
7th | November 20, 1971 | 15–14 | Varsity Stadium | Bob McGregor[A] | — | |||
8th | November 25, 1972 | 20–7 | Varsity Stadium | Roger Comartin Andy MacLeod[B] |
— | |||
9th | November 24, 1973 | 14–6 | Exhibition Stadium | Ken Clark | — | |||
10th | November 22, 1974 | 19–15 | Exhibition Stadium | Ian Bryans | — | |||
11th | November 21, 1975 | 14–9 | Exhibition Stadium | Neil Lumsden | — | |||
12th | November 19, 1976 | 29–13 | Varsity Stadium | Bill Rozalowsky | — | |||
13th | November 19, 1977 | 48–15 | Varsity Stadium | Bill Rozalowsky | — | |||
14th | November 18, 1978 | 16–3 | Varsity Stadium | Ed Andrew | — | |||
15th | November 17, 1979 | 34–12 | Varsity Stadium | Don Ross | — | |||
16th | November 29, 1980 | 40–21 | Varsity Stadium | Forrest Kennerd | — | |||
17th | November 28, 1981 | 18–12 | Varsity Stadium | Steve Repic | — | |||
18th | November 20, 1982 | 39–14 | Varsity Stadium | Glenn Steele | — | |||
19th | November 19, 1983 | 31–21 | Varsity Stadium | Tim Petros | — | |||
20th | November 24, 1984 | 22–13 | Varsity Stadium | Parri Ceci | — | |||
21st | November 30, 1985 | 25–6 | Varsity Stadium | Lew Lawrick | — | |||
22nd | November 22, 1986 | 25–23 | Varsity Stadium | Eric Putoto | — | |||
23rd | November 21, 1987 | 47–11 | Varsity Stadium | Michael Soles | — | |||
24th | November 19, 1988 | 52–23 | Varsity Stadium | Sean Furlong | — | |||
25th | November 18, 1989 | 35–10 | SkyDome | Tyrone Williams | — | |||
26th | November 24, 1990 | 24–21 | SkyDome | David Earl | — | |||
27th | November 30, 1991 | 25–18 | SkyDome | Andy Cecchini | — | |||
28th | November 21, 1992 | 31–0 | SkyDome | Brad Elberg | Eric Dell | |||
29th | November 20, 1993 | 37–34 | SkyDome | Glenn McCausland | Rob Schrauth[C] | |||
30th | November 19, 1994 | 50–40 (OT) | SkyDome | Brent Schneider[D] | Xavier Lafont | |||
31st | November 25, 1995 | 54–24 | SkyDome | Don Blair | Rob Richards | |||
32nd | November 30, 1996 | 31–12 | SkyDome | Brent Schneider | Warren Muzika | |||
33rd | November 22, 1997 | 39–23 | SkyDome | Stewart Scherck | Mark Nohra | |||
34th | November 28, 1998 | 24–17 | SkyDome | Trevor Ludtke | Doug Rozon | |||
35th | November 27, 1999 | 14–10 | SkyDome | Stéphane Lefebvre | Francesco Pepe Esposito | |||
36th | December 2, 2000 | 42–39 | SkyDome | Phill Côté | Scott Gordon | |||
37th | December 1, 2001 | 42–16 | SkyDome | Ryan Jones | Kyl Morrison | |||
38th | November 23, 2002 | 33–21 | SkyDome | Steve Panella | Joe Bonaventura | |||
39th | November 22, 2003 | 14–7 | SkyDome | Jeronimo Huerta-Flores | Philippe Audet | |||
40th | November 27, 2004 | 7–1 | Ivor Wynne Stadium | Matthew Leblanc | Matthieu Proulx | |||
41st | December 3, 2005 | 24–23 | Ivor Wynne Stadium | Ryan Pyear | David Montoya | |||
42nd | November 25, 2006 | 13–8 | Griffiths Stadium | Éric Maranda | Samuel Grégoire-Champagne | |||
43rd | November 23, 2007 | 28–14 | Rogers Centre | Mike Howard | John Makie | |||
44th | November 22, 2008 | 44–21 | Ivor Wynne Stadium | Julian Féoli-Gudino | Marc-Antoine L. Fortin | |||
45th | November 28, 2009 | 33–31 | Stade du PEPS | Danny Brannagan | Chris Smith | |||
46th | November 27, 2010 | 29–2 | Stade du PEPS | Sébastien Levesque | Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier | |||
47th | November 25, 2011 | 41–38 (2OT) | BC Place | Kyle Quinlan | Aram Eisho | |||
48th | November 23, 2012 | 37–14 | Rogers Centre | Maxime Boutin | Arnaud Gascon-Nadon | |||
49th | November 23, 2013 | 25–14 | Stade Telus | Pascal Lochard | Vincent Desloges | |||
50th | November 29, 2014 | 20–19 | Molson Stadium | Regis Cibasu | Anthony Coady[19] | |||
51st | November 28, 2015 | 26–23 | Stade Telus | Michael O'Connor | Stavros Katsantonis[21] | |||
52nd | November 26, 2016 | 31–26 | Tim Hortons Field | Hugo Richard | Cédric Lussier-Roy | |||
53rd | November 25, 2017 | 39-17 | Tim Hortons Field | Chris Merchant | Fraser Sopik | |||
54th | November 24, 2018 | 34-20 | Stade Telus | Hugo Richard | Adam Auclair | |||
55th | November 23, 2019 | 27-13 | Stade Telus | Adam Sinagra | Redha Kramdi |
^ A. Bob McGregor, Ted Morris Trophy winner in 1971, played for the runner-up team.
^ B. In the 1972 game, the Vanier Cup Committee and Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union officials decided to crown co-winners from the same school.
^ C. Rob Schrauth, Bruce Coulter Award winner in 1993, played for the runner-up team.
^ D. Brent Schneider, Ted Morris Trophy winner in 1994, played for the runner-up team.
Vanier Cup appearances
OUA | Ontario University Athletics |
RSEQ | Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (Quebec University Football League, QUFL) |
CanWest | Canada West Universities Athletic Association |
AUS | Atlantic University Sport |
OQIFC | Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference 1980–2000 |
Appearances | Team | Hometown | Conference | Wins | Losses | Win % | Most Recent Appearance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | Western Mustangs | London, Ontario | OUA | 7 | 7 | .500 | 2018 |
12 | Laval Rouge et Or | Quebec City, Quebec | RSEQ/OQIFC | 10 | 2 | .833 | 2018 |
11 | Calgary Dinos | Calgary, Alberta | CanWest | 5 | 6 | .455 | 2019 |
9 | Saint Mary's Huskies | Halifax, Nova Scotia | AUS | 3 | 6 | .333 | 2007 |
Saskatchewan Huskies | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | CanWest | 3 | 6 | .333 | 2006 | |
6 | UBC Thunderbirds | Vancouver, British Columbia | CanWest | 4 | 2 | .667 | 2015 |
Alberta Golden Bears | Edmonton, Alberta | CanWest | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1981 | |
5 | Queen's Golden Gaels | Kingston, Ontario | OUA/OQIFC | 4 | 1 | .800 | 2009 |
Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks[E] | Waterloo, Ontario | OUA | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2005 | |
Ottawa Gee-Gees | Ottawa, Ontario | OUA/OQIFC | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2000 | |
4 | Manitoba Bisons | Winnipeg, Manitoba | CanWest | 3 | 1 | .750 | 2007 |
Acadia Axemen | Wolfville, Nova Scotia | AUS | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1981 | |
McMaster Marauders | Hamilton, Ontario | OUA | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2014 | |
3 | Toronto Varsity Blues | Toronto, Ontario | OUA | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1993 |
McGill Redmen | Montreal, Quebec | RSEQ/OQIFC | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1987 | |
Montréal Carabins | Montreal, Quebec | RSEQ | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2019 | |
2 | St. Francis Xavier X-Men | Antigonish, Nova Scotia | AUS | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1996 |
Mount Allison Mounties | Sackville, New Brunswick | AUS | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1991 | |
1 | Guelph Gryphons | Guelph, Ontario | OUA | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1984 |
Concordia Stingers | Montreal, Quebec | RSEQ/OQIFC | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1998 | |
Regina Rams | Regina, Saskatchewan | CanWest | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2000 | |
^ E. The Wilfrid Laurier record includes three games played as Waterloo Lutheran.
Six active teams have never played for the Vanier Cup: Bishop's Gaiters (AUS/RSEQ/OQIFC), Carleton Ravens (OUA), Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or (RSEQ), Waterloo Warriors (OUA), Windsor Lancers (OUA), and York Lions/Yeomen (OUA).
See also
- List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada
- List of awards named after Governors General of Canada
References
- General
- "Past Vanier Cups". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- "Championship All-Stars". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- "Desjardins Vanier Cup: Head-to-head Look". vaniercup.ca. November 21, 2007. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- Specific
- "Past Vanier Cups". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- "Desjardins Vanier Cup in Toronto in 2007". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. 2005-11-05. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- "Uteck Bowl". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- "Mitchell Bowl". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- "Championship All-Stars". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
- "Teddy Morris". Hall of Famers. Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- "Bruce Coulter". Hall of Famers. Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- Naylor, Dave (2010-11-21). "'11 Vanier Cup to join Grey Cup week in Vancouver". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- "2011 Vanier and Grey Cup games to be on same weekend". Toronto Star. 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
- "Laval defeats McMaster to win the 48th Vanier Cup". The Sports Network. 2012-11-24. Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- "Record audience watches Vanier Cup on TSN, RDS". The Sports Network. 2012-11-26. Archived from the original on 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- "Laval to host 2013 Vanier Cup". TSN.ca. Bell Media. 2013-02-07. Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
- "CIS and Sportsnet agree to six-year deal". CIS. 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
- "The Great Canadian Ratinggs Report". Yahoo!Canada,Zelkovich,Chris. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
- "CBC to broadcast 2019 Vanier Cup" (Press release). 3downnation.com. 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- "Vanier Cup among national U Sports championships cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic". CBC Sports. 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- "Schedule released: 2012 Canada West football gets underway Labour Day weekend". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
- "Laval University to host 2013 Vanier Cup". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
- 50th Telus Vanier Cup: Hometown Carabins capture first national title from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, 29 November 2014, retrieved 29 November 2014
- Laval to host 2015 Vanier Cup in Quebec City from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, 8 December 2014, retrieved 9 December 2014
- "UBC Thunderbirds beat Montreal Carabins for Vanier Cup". cfl.ca. 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- Hamilton to host Vanier Cup in 2016 and 2017 from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, January 18, 2016, retrieved July 11, 2016
External links
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