Vanier Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Vanier Cup

Sport	Canadian football
Founded	1965; 60 years ago (1965)
Inaugural season	1965
Organising body	U Sports
Country	Canada
Most recent champion(s)	Laval Rouge et Or (12th title)
Most titles	Laval Rouge et Or (12 titles)

The Vanier Cup (also known as Coupe Vanier in French) is a special trophy given out every year. It goes to the best university Canadian football team in Canada. This big game is organized by U Sports, which is in charge of university sports across the country.

To get to the Vanier Cup game, teams first have to win other important games. These are called the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. Before that, teams play in four different regional championship games: the Loney Bowl (for teams in Atlantic Canada), the Hardy Cup (for Western Canada), the Dunsmore Cup (for Quebec), and the Yates Cup (for Ontario). The Vanier Cup game is played in a different city each year. The host city is chosen a long time in advance.

The Laval Rouge et Or team has won the Vanier Cup the most times, with 12 victories. The Western Mustangs have played in the most Vanier Cup games, with 15 appearances. So far, 18 different teams have won the trophy. Three other teams have played in the final game but haven't won yet. There are also six active teams that have never made it to the championship game. The most recent game, the 59th Vanier Cup, was played on November 23, 2024, in Kingston, Ontario. In that game, the Laval Rouge et Or beat the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 22–17 to win their twelfth championship.

History of the Vanier Cup

The Vanier Cup was first created in 1965. Back then, it was called the Canadian College Bowl. For the first two years, teams were invited to play in the game by a special group. It was a bit like how some college bowl games work in the United States.

Becoming a National Championship

In 1967, the Canadian College Bowl became the official national football championship for Canadian universities. This meant that a playoff system was set up to decide which two teams would play for the trophy. The organization in charge was first called the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union, then Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), and now it's known as U Sports.

Where the Games Are Played

For many years, from 1965 to 2003, the Vanier Cup was always played in Toronto, Ontario. But after 2001, other cities could bid to host the game. This meant the game could be held outside Toronto. As of 2023, most Vanier Cups (41 out of 61) have been in Toronto. Other cities like Quebec City, Hamilton, Regina, Saskatoon, Vancouver, London (Ontario), Montreal, and Kingston have also hosted. No games have been played in the Atlantic region yet. Sometimes, the Vanier Cup has even been played in the same city and on the same weekend as the Grey Cup, which is another big Canadian football championship. This happened in 1973, 2007, 2011, and 2012.

Naming the Trophy

The trophy is named after Georges Vanier, who used to be the governor general of Canada. He was a very important person in Canada's history. The trophy was first given out in 1965. Until 1982, the game was known as the Canadian College Bowl. The Vanier Cup game usually happens in late November, but sometimes it's played in December.

Game Cancellation in 2020

On June 8, 2020, U Sports announced that all fall sports championships for the 2020–21 season were cancelled. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vanier Cup Game Results

Here are some pictures from past Vanier Cup games:

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  The Saskatchewan Huskies celebrating their win in 1990.

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  The Laurier Golden Hawks won the 2005 Vanier Cup.

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  The Laval Rouge et Or playing the McMaster Marauders in the 47th Vanier Cup.

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  The Laval Rouge et Or playing the Calgary Dinos in the 52nd Vanier Cup.

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  The Calgary Dinos lifting the Vanier Cup trophy after winning in 2019.

This table shows the results of all the Vanier Cup games.

Key

• (#) This number shows how many times that team has won the Vanier Cup.

Note: The players who won the Ted Morris Trophy and Bruce Coulter Award usually played for the winning team. If they played for the other team, it will say so.

A. Bob McGregor, who won the Ted Morris Trophy in 1971, played for the team that came in second place. B. In the 1972 game, the Vanier Cup Committee and university sports officials decided that two players from the same school could both win the MVP award. C. Rob Schrauth, who won the Bruce Coulter Award in 1993, played for the team that came in second place. D. Brent Schneider, who won the Ted Morris Trophy in 1994, played for the team that came in second place.

Team Appearances in the Vanier Cup

This section shows which teams have played in the Vanier Cup and how many times.

E. The Wilfrid Laurier team's record includes three games they played when they were called Waterloo Lutheran.

Six active university teams have never played in the Vanier Cup game. These teams are the Bishop's Gaiters, Carleton Ravens, Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or, Waterloo Warriors, Windsor Lancers, and York Lions/Yeomen.

Awards for Players

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

After each Vanier Cup game, special awards are given to players.

Ted Morris Memorial Trophy

The player who is chosen as the most valuable player (MVP) of the Vanier Cup game receives the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy. This award was first given out at the very first championship in 1965. It is named after Teddy Morris, who passed away that same year. Morris was a famous former player and coach for the Toronto Argonauts. He was also a big supporter of Canadian football players and helped organize the first bowl game.

Bruce Coulter Award

The Bruce Coulter Award started in 1992. This award depends on what position the Ted Morris Trophy winner plays. If the MVP (Ted Morris winner) is an offensive player, then the Bruce Coulter Award goes to the best defensive player. If the MVP is a defensive player, then this award goes to the best offensive player. It is named after Bruce Coulter, who was a long-time Head Coach for the Bishop's Gaiters. He also played offense and defense for the Montreal Alouettes in the 1950s. Coulter was recognized for his contributions to football in 1997.

Broadcasting the Vanier Cup

The 48th Vanier Cup in 2012 had the most people watching and attending the game.

The Vanier Cup final game is usually shown on TV across Canada. From 1965 to 1976, it was broadcast on CBC Television. Then, from 1977 to 1988, the CTV Television Network showed the game. In 1989, TSN started broadcasting the game and continued until 2012. For one year in 2008, it was shown on The Score.

In November 2010, a sports marketing company called MRX bought the rights to broadcast the Vanier Cup. The 2011 game was held in Vancouver. For the first time, it was part of the Grey Cup Festival, which is a big event around the Grey Cup game.

Record-Breaking Game

The 48th Vanier Cup in 2012 was played between Laval and McMaster at Rogers Centre in Toronto. This game broke records for both attendance and viewership. It was held on the same weekend and in the same city as the 100th Grey Cup. A huge crowd of 37,098 people watched the game. The previous attendance record was set in 1989 at the 25th Vanier Cup, when 32,847 people watched the game at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). The 2012 game was shown on TSN and RDS, and 910,000 people watched it on TV.

Changes in Broadcasting

In February 2013, U Sports decided to end its agreement with MRX early. They wanted to allow different groups to bid for the right to host the game. Laval University in Quebec City was the only one to bid and won the right to host the 49th Vanier Cup. In May, U Sports also ended its deal with TSN. They then made a new six-year deal with Sportsnet to broadcast their championships, including the Vanier Cup.

These changes, like moving the game away from Grey Cup week and changing the TV channel, led to fewer people attending and watching the game. Only 301,000 viewers watched Laval beat the Calgary Dinos 25–14 on November 23, 2013. This was a big drop of 64 percent from the year before. The stadium in Quebec City was full with 18,543 fans, but this was still 50 percent fewer than the record attendance in Toronto the previous year. After several more years of declining numbers, the Vanier Cup returned to CBC in 2019.

See also

• College Football Playoff National Championship
• NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship
• College football