The Vanier Cup (French: Coupe Vanier) 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 (Canada West), Dunsmore Cup (RSEQ), and Yates Cup (OUA).[1][2]

Vanier Cup
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 59th Vanier Cup
SportCanadian football
Founded1965; 59 years ago (1965)
First season1965
Organising bodyU Sports
CountryCanada
Most recent
champion(s)
Montreal Carabins (2nd title)
Most titlesLaval Rouge et Or (11)
Official websiteusports.ca/en/championships/vanier-cup/m

The Laval Rouge et Or have won the most Vanier Cups (11), while the Western Mustangs have the most appearances (15). Eighteen teams have won the Vanier Cup, while three others have played for the championship but never won. There are six active teams that have never appeared in the championship game. The most recent game, the 58th Vanier Cup, was played on November 25, 2023, at Kingston, Ontario. In this game, the Montreal Carabins defeated the UBC Thunderbirds 16–9 to win their second championship.

History

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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.[3]

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 2023, 41 of the 61 Vanier Cups have been played in Toronto, eight in Quebec City, five in Hamilton, one in Regina, one in Saskatoon, one in Vancouver, one in London, Ontario, one in Montreal, and one in Kingston. 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 and in 2011 in Vancouver at BC Place Stadium.[4]

The winners trophy 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.

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.[5]

Results

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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 Toronto 14–7 Alberta Varsity Stadium Toronto Gerry Sternberg
2nd November 19, 1966 St. F.X. 40–14 Waterloo Lutheran Varsity Stadium Toronto Terry Gorman
3rd November 25, 1967 Alberta 10–9 McMaster Varsity Stadium Toronto Val Schneider
4th November 22, 1968 Queen's 42–14 Waterloo Lutheran Varsity Stadium Toronto Don Bayne
5th November 21, 1969 Manitoba 24–15 McGill Varsity Stadium Toronto Bob Kraemer
6th November 21, 1970 Manitoba (2) 38–11 Ottawa Varsity Stadium Toronto Mike Shylo
7th November 20, 1971 Western 15–14 Alberta Varsity Stadium Toronto Bob McGregor[A]
8th November 25, 1972 Alberta (2) 20–7 Waterloo Lutheran Varsity Stadium Toronto Roger Comartin
Andy MacLeod[B]
9th November 24, 1973 Saint Mary's 14–6 McGill Exhibition Stadium Toronto Ken Clark
10th November 22, 1974 Western (2) 19–15 Toronto Exhibition Stadium Toronto Ian Bryans
11th November 21, 1975 Ottawa 14–9 Calgary Exhibition Stadium Toronto Neil Lumsden
12th November 19, 1976 Western (3) 29–13 Acadia Varsity Stadium Toronto Bill Rozalowsky
13th November 19, 1977 Western (4) 48–15 Acadia Varsity Stadium Toronto Bill Rozalowsky
14th November 18, 1978 Queen's (2) 16–3 British Columbia Varsity Stadium Toronto Ed Andrew
15th November 17, 1979 Acadia 34–12 Western Varsity Stadium Toronto Don Ross
16th November 29, 1980 Alberta (3) 40–21 Ottawa Varsity Stadium Toronto Forrest Kennerd
17th November 28, 1981 Acadia (2) 18–12 Alberta Varsity Stadium Toronto Steve Repic
18th November 20, 1982 British Columbia 39–14 Western Varsity Stadium Toronto Glenn Steele
19th November 19, 1983 Calgary 31–21 Queen's Varsity Stadium Toronto Tim Petros
20th November 24, 1984 Guelph 22–13 Mount Allison Varsity Stadium Toronto Parri Ceci
21st November 30, 1985 Calgary (2) 25–6 Western Varsity Stadium Toronto Lew Lawrick
22nd November 22, 1986 British Columbia (2) 25–23 Western Varsity Stadium Toronto Eric Putoto
23rd November 21, 1987 McGill 47–11 British Columbia Varsity Stadium Toronto Michael Soles
24th November 19, 1988 Calgary (3) 52–23 Saint Mary's Varsity Stadium Toronto Sean Furlong
25th November 18, 1989 Western (5) 35–10 Saskatchewan SkyDome Toronto Tyrone Williams
26th November 24, 1990 Saskatchewan 24–21 Saint Mary's SkyDome Toronto David Earl
27th November 30, 1991 Wilfrid Laurier 25–18 Mount Allison SkyDome Toronto Andy Cecchini
28th November 21, 1992 Queen's (3) 31–0 Saint Mary's SkyDome Toronto Brad Elberg Eric Dell
29th November 20, 1993 Toronto (2) 37–34 Calgary SkyDome Toronto Glenn McCausland Rob Schrauth[C]
30th November 19, 1994 Western (6) 50–40 (OT) Saskatchewan SkyDome Toronto Brent Schneider[D] Xavier Lafont
31st November 25, 1995 Calgary (4) 54–24 Western SkyDome Toronto Don Blair Rob Richards
32nd November 30, 1996 Saskatchewan (2) 31–12 St. F.X. SkyDome Toronto Brent Schneider Warren Muzika
33rd November 22, 1997 British Columbia (3) 39–23 Ottawa SkyDome Toronto Stewart Scherck Mark Nohra
34th November 28, 1998 Saskatchewan (3) 24–17 Concordia SkyDome Toronto Trevor Ludtke Doug Rozon
35th November 27, 1999 Laval 14–10 Saint Mary's SkyDome Toronto Stéphane Lefebvre Francesco Pepe Esposito
36th December 2, 2000 Ottawa (2) 42–39 Regina SkyDome Toronto Phill Côté Scott Gordon
37th December 1, 2001 Saint Mary's (2) 42–16 Manitoba SkyDome Toronto Ryan Jones Kyl Morrison
38th November 23, 2002 Saint Mary's (3) 33–21 Saskatchewan SkyDome Toronto Steve Panella Joe Bonaventura
39th November 22, 2003 Laval (2) 14–7 Saint Mary's SkyDome Toronto Jeronimo Huerta-Flores Philippe Audet
40th November 27, 2004 Laval (3) 7–1 Saskatchewan Ivor Wynne Stadium Hamilton Matthew Leblanc Matthieu Proulx
41st December 3, 2005 Wilfrid Laurier (2) 24–23 Saskatchewan Ivor Wynne Stadium Hamilton Ryan Pyear David Montoya
42nd November 25, 2006 Laval (4) 13–8 Saskatchewan Griffiths Stadium Saskatoon Éric Maranda Samuel Grégoire-Champagne
43rd November 23, 2007 Manitoba (3) 28–14 Saint Mary's Rogers Centre Toronto Mike Howard John Makie
44th November 22, 2008 Laval (5) 44–21 Western Ivor Wynne Stadium Hamilton Julian Féoli-Gudino Marc-Antoine L. Fortin
45th November 28, 2009 Queen's (4) 33–31 Calgary Stade du PEPS Quebec City Danny Brannagan Chris Smith
46th November 27, 2010 Laval (6) 29–2 Calgary Stade du PEPS Quebec City Sébastien Levesque Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier
47th November 25, 2011 McMaster 41–38 (2OT) Laval BC Place Vancouver[6] Kyle Quinlan Aram Eisho
48th November 23, 2012 Laval (7) 37–14 McMaster Rogers Centre Toronto[7] Maxime Boutin Arnaud Gascon-Nadon
49th November 23, 2013 Laval (8) 25–14 Calgary Stade Telus Quebec City[8] Pascal Lochard Vincent Desloges
50th November 29, 2014 Montréal 20–19 McMaster Molson Stadium Montreal Regis Cibasu Anthony Coady[9]
51st November 28, 2015 British Columbia (4) 26–23 Montréal Stade Telus Quebec City[10] Michael O'Connor Stavros Katsantonis[11]
52nd November 26, 2016 Laval (9) 31–26 Calgary Tim Hortons Field Hamilton[12] Hugo Richard Cédric Lussier-Roy
53rd November 25, 2017 Western (7) 39–17 Laval Tim Hortons Field Hamilton Chris Merchant Fraser Sopik
54th November 24, 2018 Laval (10) 34–20 Western Stade Telus Quebec City Hugo Richard Adam Auclair
55th November 23, 2019 Calgary (5) 27–13 Montréal Stade Telus Quebec City Adam Sinagra Redha Kramdi
2020 game cancelled due to 2019 coronavirus pandemic[5]
56th December 4, 2021 Western (8) 27–21 Saskatchewan Stade Telus Quebec City Evan Hillock Daniel Valente Jr
57th November 26, 2022[13] Laval (11) 30–24 Saskatchewan Western Alumni Stadium London Kevin Mital Charles-Alexandre Jacques
58th November 25, 2023[14] Montréal (2) 16–9 British Columbia Richardson Memorial Stadium Kingston Jonathan Sénécal Nicky Farinaccio
59th November 23, 2024[15] Richardson Memorial Stadium Kingston
60th November 2025[16] Mosaic Stadium Regina
61st November 2026[16] Stade Telus Quebec City


^ 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.

Appearances by team

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Key
OUA Ontario University Athletics
RSEQ Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec
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
15 Western Mustangs London, Ontario OUA 8 7 .533 2021
13 Laval Rouge et Or Quebec City, Quebec RSEQ/OQIFC 11 2 .846 2022
11 Calgary Dinos Calgary, Alberta CanWest 5 6 .455 2019
Saskatchewan Huskies Saskatoon, Saskatchewan CanWest 3 8 .273 2022
9 Saint Mary's Huskies Halifax, Nova Scotia AUS 3 6 .333 2007
7 UBC Thunderbirds Vancouver, British Columbia CanWest 4 3 .571 2023
6 Alberta Golden Bears Edmonton, Alberta CanWest 3 3 .500 1981
5 Queen's 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
Montréal Carabins Montreal, Quebec RSEQ 2 2 .500 2023
McMaster Marauders Hamilton, Ontario OUA 1 3 .250 2014
3 Toronto Varsity Blues Toronto, Ontario OUA 2 1 .667 1993
McGill Redbirds Montreal, Quebec RSEQ/OQIFC 1 2 .333 1987
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).

Awards

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From left to right, The Ted Morris Trophy, Vanier Cup and Bruce Coulter Trophy at the 2009 Vanier Cup at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City.

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 of the Bishop's Gaiters 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.[17][18][19]

Broadcasting

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The 48th Vanier Cup was the most watched and highest attended Vanier Cup game.

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.[20] 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.[6]

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).[21] The game, broadcast on TSN and RDS was watched by 910,000.[22]

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.[23] 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.[24]

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, 2013, which was a decline of 64 per cent from the previous year.[25] 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 (although a sellout in that venue). In 2019, after several more years of declines, the Vanier Cup returned to CBC.[26]

See also

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References

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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
  1. ^ "Uteck Bowl". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  2. ^ "Mitchell Bowl". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  3. ^ "Past Vanier Cups". vaniercup.ca. 2007. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  4. ^ "CFL, USports working to realign Grey Cup and Vanier Cup". 3DownNation. February 27, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Vanier Cup among national U Sports championships cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic". CBC Sports. 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  6. ^ a b "2011 Vanier and Grey Cup games to be on same weekend". Toronto Star. 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
  7. ^ "Schedule released: 2012 Canada West football gets underway Labour Day weekend". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  8. ^ "Laval University to host 2013 Vanier Cup". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  9. ^ 50th Telus Vanier Cup: Hometown Carabins capture first national title from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, 29 November 2014, retrieved 29 November 2014
  10. ^ Laval to host 2015 Vanier Cup in Quebec City from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, 8 December 2014, retrieved 9 December 2014
  11. ^ "UBC Thunderbirds beat Montreal Carabins for Vanier Cup". cfl.ca. November 28, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Hamilton to host Vanier Cup in 2016 and 2017 from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, January 18, 2016, retrieved July 11, 2016
  13. ^ "U Sports awards 2022 Vanier Cup to Western, City of London". U Sports. June 23, 2022.
  14. ^ "Queen's University to host the 2023 and 2024 Vanier Cup". U Sports. March 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "Queen's University to host the 2023 and 2024 Vanier Cup". U Sports. March 30, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Regina, Laval to host 2025 and 2026 Vanier Cups". U Sports. November 25, 2023.
  17. ^ "Championship All-Stars". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
  18. ^ "Teddy Morris". Hall of Famers. Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  19. ^ "Bruce Coulter". Hall of Famers. Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "CIS and Sportsnet agree to six-year deal". CIS. 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  25. ^ "The Great Canadian Ratinggs Report". Yahoo!Canada,Zelkovich,Chris. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  26. ^ "CBC to broadcast 2019 Vanier Cup" (Press release). 3downnation.com. 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
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