Montreal Carabins football facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Montreal Carabins |
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Montreal Carabins logo
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| First season | 2002 |
| Athletic director | Manon Simard |
| Head coach | Marco Iadeluca 4th year, 27–5 (.844) |
| Other staff | Denis Touchette (DC) |
| Home stadium | CEPSUM Stadium |
| Stadium capacity | 5100 |
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec |
| League | U Sports |
| Conference | QUFL/RSEQ (2002 - present) |
| Past associations | OIFC (1966) CCIFC (1967-1970) QUAA (1971) |
| All-time record | 129–49–0 (.725) |
| Postseason record | 24–19 (.558) |
| Titles | |
| Vanier Cups | 2 (2014, 2023) |
| Uteck Bowls | 3 (2014, 2019, 2023) |
| Mitchell Bowls | 1 (2015) |
| Dunsmore Cups | 5 (2014, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023) |
| Hec Crighton winners | 1 (Jonathan Sénécal, 2023) |
| Current uniform | |
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| Colours | Royal Blue, White, and Black |
| Outfitter | Adidas |
| Rivals | Laval Rouge et Or |
The Montreal Carabins football team plays for the University of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. They compete in Canadian football as part of U Sports, which is Canada's university sports league.
The Carabins team started again in 2002 after being inactive for over 30 years. Since then, they have become a very strong team in Quebec and across Canada. They have won five RSEQ conference championships (called the Dunsmore Cup) and two national championships (the Vanier Cup), in 2014 and 2023.
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Team History
The Montreal Carabins football team first played in 1966. They were part of the Ontario Intercollegiate Football Conference. The team played for six seasons until 1971. After that, the program stopped for a long time. This was because many French-speaking universities focused more on community activities and sports within the university, not on big inter-university games.
However, this idea changed over time. Other universities like Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke started their football programs again. The Carabins then restarted their team in 2002.
Early Success and First Championships
Since 2003, the current Carabins team has been very successful in their regular seasons. They have made it to the playoffs every year. In their early years, they struggled to win their conference championship, losing in their first five attempts.
This changed in 2014 under coach Danny Maciocia. The Carabins beat their rivals, the Laval Rouge et Or, to win their first ever Dunsmore Cup. After that, they won the national semi-final game, the Uteck Bowl, against the Manitoba Bisons. This win sent them to their first Vanier Cup game. In the 50th Vanier Cup, the Carabins won their first national championship by beating the McMaster Marauders 20–19.
The team won two more Dunsmore Cups in 2015 and 2019. However, they lost in the Vanier Cup finals in both those years. They lost to the UBC Thunderbirds in 2015 and the Calgary Dinos in 2019. Coach Maciocia left after the 2019 season to join the Canadian Football League. Marco Iadeluca became the new head coach in February 2020.
Recent Achievements
In 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Carabins had a great season. They finished first in the regular season with a 7-1 record. They also beat their rivals, the Laval Rouge et Or, twice. They hosted and won the 2021 Dunsmore Cup at home, beating Laval 28-19. This was their fourth Dunsmore Cup win and their first at home.
In 2022, the team finished second in their conference. They played in their ninth straight Dunsmore Cup but lost a very close game to Laval, 25-24.
The 2023 season was amazing for the Carabins. They finished the regular season with a 7-1 record. They had two impressive wins against Laval, including a 28-0 shutout. The Carabins then won their fifth Dunsmore Cup, beating Laval 12-6 in Montreal. The next week, they defeated the top-ranked Western Mustangs 29-3 in the Uteck Bowl.
To top off their successful year, their quarterback, Jonathan Sénécal, won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the best player in Canadian university football. Harold Miessan won the Presidents' Trophy for best defensive player. The Carabins then won their second Vanier Cup title, beating the UBC Thunderbirds 16-9 in the 58th Vanier Cup. During their four playoff games that year, Montreal did not allow a single touchdown.
Jonathan Sénécal, who played quarterback for the Carabins from 2021 to 2024, later became the first Carabins quarterback to complete a pass as a professional player in a preseason game for the Montreal Alouettes.
National Playoff Results
The Carabins have a strong record in national playoff games. They have played in the Uteck Bowl or Mitchell Bowl (national semi-finals) five times, winning four of those games. They have also played in the Vanier Cup (national championship) four times, winning two of them.
- 2014: Won the Uteck Bowl against Manitoba (29-26) and the Vanier Cup against McMaster (20-19).
- 2015: Won the Mitchell Bowl against Guelph (25-10) but lost the Vanier Cup to UBC (23-26).
- 2019: Won the Uteck Bowl against Acadia (38-0) but lost the Vanier Cup to Calgary (13-27).
- 2021: Lost the Uteck Bowl to Saskatchewan (10-14).
- 2023: Won the Uteck Bowl against Western (29-3) and the Vanier Cup against UBC (16-9).
Head Coaches
The Montreal Carabins have had several head coaches since 2002:
- Jacques Dussault (2002-2005)
- Marc Santerre (2006-2010)
- Danny Maciocia (2011–2019)
- Marco Iadeluca (2020–present)
Award Winners
Several Carabins players have won major national awards:
- Hec Crighton Trophy (Most Outstanding Player): Jonathan Sénécal (2023)
- Presidents' Trophy (Most Outstanding Defensive Player): Nicky Farinaccio (2022), Harold Miessan (2023)
- Peter Gorman Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Maxime Gagnier (2003), Martin Gagné (2005), Enrique James Leclair (2024)
- Lois and Doug Mitchell Award (Male Athlete of the Year): Jonathan Sénécal (2024)
Carabins in the CFL
Many former Carabins players have gone on to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, 16 former Carabins players were on CFL teams. Some of these players include:
- Louis-Philippe Bourassa (Montreal Alouettes)
- Michael Brodrique (Edmonton Elks)
- Marc-Antoine Dequoy (Montreal Alouettes)
- David Foucault (Edmonton Elks)
- Pier-Olivier Lestage (Montreal Alouettes)
- David Ménard (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
- Jonathan Sénécal (Montreal Alouettes)
