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U Sports football facts for kids

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"CIS Football" redirects here. For other uses, see CIS Football (disambiguation).
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U Sports football
U Sports Football Horizontal Logo.PNG
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)
  • CBC Sports
  • TVA Sports
Related
competitions		 Vanier Cup

U Sports football is the top level of amateur Canadian football played by university teams in Canada. It's run by U Sports, which is the main group for university sports in the country. There are 27 teams from different Canadian universities. These teams are split into four groups called athletic conferences. Each conference comes from one of the four main U Sports regions. At the end of each season, the best team from each conference plays in special semifinal games. The winners of these games then play in the Vanier Cup, which is the national championship game.

History of U Sports Football

Canadian football has a long history, starting right here in Canada! The very first recorded game was played at the University of Toronto in 1861. Many U Sports teams have been around since the beginning of the sport. This is where the game we now call Canadian football truly began. In 1874, McGill University from Montreal even challenged Harvard University from the United States to a series of games.

The Grey Cup is a famous trophy. Today, it's the championship trophy for the professional Canadian Football League (CFL). But when it first started in 1909, university teams like the University of Toronto and Queen's University played for it. Many players from U Sports go on to play professionally in the CFL. Each year, some are chosen in the Canadian College Draft. In 2021, a record 208 former U Sports players were on CFL teams.

On September 23, 2023, Maya Turner made history. She became the first woman to play in a U Sports regular season football game. She was a kicker for the Manitoba Bisons. She even kicked the winning field goal in overtime for her team against the Regina Rams!

How the Season Works

Regular Season Games

Canadian football positions
The Calgary Dinos playing against the Alberta Golden Bears in 2006.

The regular season usually lasts nine or ten weeks. It starts the weekend before Labour Day. Teams play eight games against other teams in their own conference. Sometimes, they play exhibition (pre-season) games against teams from other conferences. During the season, many universities have special "homecoming" games or big "rivalry" games. After the regular season ends, the Hec Crighton Trophy is given to the most valuable player in U Sports football.

Playoff Games

After the regular season, the top teams in each conference play in single elimination playoff games. These games decide who the conference champions are. In the Atlantic, Canada West, and Quebec conferences, the top four teams make it to the playoffs. In Ontario, the top seven teams qualify, and the first-place team gets a "bye" (a week off) to the next round.

Each conference has its own championship trophy:

  • The Hardy Trophy in the West.
  • The Yates Cup in Ontario.
  • The Dunsmore Cup in Quebec.
  • The Jewett Trophy in the Atlantic conference.

The winners of these conference championships then move on to national semifinal games. These are called the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl. The conferences that play in each bowl game change every few years.

47th Vanier Cup
The Laval Rouge et Or on offense against the McMaster Marauders in the 2011 47th Vanier Cup.

The Vanier Cup Championship

The teams that win the Mitchell Bowl and Uteck Bowl play each other in the Vanier Cup national championship. This big game started in 1965. It's named after Georges Vanier, who was a Governor General of Canada. The Vanier Cup used to be held in Toronto every year until 2003. Since then, different cities across Canada have hosted it, like Hamilton, Saskatoon, Quebec City, Vancouver, Montreal, London, and Kingston.

Teams in U Sports Football

Atlantic University Sport

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

Canada West Universities Athletic Association

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

Ontario University Athletics

Institution Team City Province Founded Head coach Enrollment Endowment Football stadium Capacity Yates Cups Vanier Cups
University of Windsor Lancers Windsor ON 1968 Jean-Paul Circelli 13,610 $110.8M South Campus Stadium 2,000 1 0
University of Western Ontario Mustangs London ON 1929 Greg Marshall 35,952 $685M Western Alumni Stadium 8,000 35 8
University of Waterloo Warriors Waterloo ON 1957 Chris Bertoia 31,362 $311.2M Warrior Field 1,700 2 0
Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks Waterloo ON 1961 Michael Faulds 20,151 $71.6M University Stadium 6,000 9 2
University of Guelph Gryphons Guelph ON 1950 Mark Surya 27,048 $308.9M Alumni Stadium 4,100 4 1
McMaster University Marauders Hamilton ON 1901 Stefan Ptaszek 29,411 $609M Ron Joyce Stadium 6,000 8 1
University of Toronto Varsity Blues Toronto ON 1877 Darrell Adams 73,185 $1.88B Varsity Stadium 5,000 25 2
York University Lions Toronto ON 1969 Dexter Janke 55,000 $439M York Lions Stadium 4,000 0 0
Queen's University Gaels Kingston ON 1882 Steve Snyder 24,582 $1.04B Richardson Stadium 8,000 23 4
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Ottawa ON 1881 Marcel Bellefeuille 42,587 $233.9M Gee-Gees Field 4,152 4 2
Carleton University Ravens Ottawa ON 1945 Corey Grant 31,202 $270.6M TAAG Park 3,500 0 0

Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec

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

Awards in U Sports Football

After the season, players can win awards for being excellent on the field. The best players at each position are named to the All-Canadian Football Team. There are also individual awards for categories like "best defensive player."

Players Going Professional

U Sports Players in the CFL

Many U Sports football players become professional athletes. Most of them play in the Canadian Football League (CFL). On the opening day of the 2015 CFL season, a record 199 former U Sports players were on team rosters. In 2022, there were 205 former U Sports players on CFL teams.

The CFL Draft

The CFL Draft happens every year. It's where professional CFL teams choose new players. It usually has eight rounds, and about 74 players are picked. In the 2022 CFL Draft, 60 players from U Sports were chosen. This was the most since 1978!

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

U Sports Players in the NFL Draft

Some U Sports players have even been chosen in the NFL Draft in the United States. So far, 15 U Sports players have been drafted into the NFL. Giovanni Manu was the most recent player to be drafted.

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
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
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

U Sports Players in the NFL

As of 2023, 41 players who played U Sports football have made it onto an NFL team roster. This list includes four players who didn't play in a regular season game. They are listed here by the year they joined the NFL:

  • 1945 Joe Krol, Western Ontario, K/RB.
  • 1947 Les Lear, Manitoba, OG/OT.
  • 1960 Bill Crawford, UBC, OG.
  • 1965 Jim Young, Queen's, RB/R.
  • 1976 Brian Fryer, Alberta, R.
  • 1979 Ken Clark, Saint Mary's, P.
  • 1986 Mike Schad, Queen's, OG.
  • 1987 Brian Belway, Calgary, DE.
  • 1987 Dave Sparenberg, Western Ontario, OG.
  • 1987 Brant Bengen, UBC and Idaho, WR.
  • 1988 Dean Dorsey, Toronto, K.
  • 1992 Tyrone Williams, Western Ontario, WR.
  • 1995 Tim Tindale, Western Ontario, RB.
  • 1995 Mark Montreuil, Concordia, CB.
  • 1995 Mark Hatfield, Bishop's, OL.
  • 1996 Grayson Shillingford, UBC, SB.
  • 1998 Jerome Pathon, Acadia & U. of Washington, R.
  • 2000 J. P. Darche, McGill, LS/LB.
  • 2001 Randy Chevrier, McGill, LS/DE.
  • 2003 Israel Idonije, Manitoba, DL.
  • 2004 Steve Morley, Saint Mary's, OG/OT.
  • 2006 Daniel Federkeil, Calgary, DE.
  • 2006 Jon Ryan, Regina, K.
  • 2008 Samuel Giguère, Sherbrooke, WR
  • 2009 Vaughn Martin, Western Ontario, DL.
  • 2010 Cory Greenwood, Concordia, LB
  • 2010 Joel Reinders, Waterloo, OT
  • 2011 Matt O'Donnell, Queen's OT
  • 2012 Akiem Hicks, Regina, DT
  • 2013 Stefan Charles, Regina, DT
  • 2014 Henoc Muamba, St.FX, LB
  • 2014 David Foucault, Montreal, OL
  • 2014 Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, McGill, OL
  • 2016 David Onyemata, Manitoba, DL
  • 2017 Antony Auclair, Laval, TE
  • 2019 Tevaughn Campbell, Regina, DB
  • 2020 Dakoda Shepley, UBC, C
  • 2021 Lirim Hajrullahu, Western, PK
  • 2022 Nikola Kalinic, York, TE/FB
  • 2023 Tavius Robinson, Guelph, LB
  • 2023 Carter O'Donnell, Alberta, OL

See also

  • Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
  • Canadian Junior Football League
  • CEGEP
  • College football
  • Comparison of American and Canadian football
  • Football Canada
  • List of Canadian football stadiums by capacity
  • Quebec Junior Football League
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