Queen's Gaels football
The Queen's Gaels football team represents Queen's University in the sport of Canadian football. The Gaels compete at the U Sports football level, within the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference. Queen's began competing in intercollegiate football in 1882. The Gaels play in the Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, which has a capacity of 8,000.
| Queen's Gaels | |
|---|---|
 Queen's Gaels logo | |
| First season | 1882 |
| Athletic director | Leslie Dal Cin |
| Head coach | Steve Snyder 2nd year, 9–5 (.643) |
| Other staff | Ryan Bechmanis (DC) Ben D'Andrea (SC) Tom Flaxman (OC) |
| Home stadium | Richardson Memorial Stadium |
| Year built | 1971; refurbished 2016 |
| Stadium capacity | 8,500 |
| Stadium surface | Artificial Turf (2016) |
| Location | Kingston, Ontario |
| League | U Sports |
| Conference | OUA (2001-present) |
| Past associations | ORFU (1883-1897) CIRFU (1898-1954) O-QAA (1955-1970) OUAA (1971-1973) OQIFC (1974-2000) |
| All-time record | 480–373–17 (.561) |
| Postseason record | – |
| Titles | |
| Grey Cups | 3 (1922, 1923, 1924) |
| Vanier Cups | 4 (1968, 1978, 1992, 2009) |
| Mitchell Bowls | 1 (2009) |
| Churchill Bowls | 3 (1968, 1983, 1992) |
| Atlantic Bowls | 1 (1978) |
| Yates Cups | 23 (1900, 1904, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1955, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1977, 1978, 2009) |
| Dunsmore Cups | 7 (1981, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997) |
| Hec Crighton winners | 3 (Larry Mohr, Tommy Denison x2) |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
| Colours | Gold, Blue, and Red |
| Fight song | Oil Thigh |
| Mascot | Boo-Hoo |
| Outfitter | Nike |
| Rivals | Western Mustangs |
| Website | gogaelsgo.com |
Since in inception, the team has won 23 Yates Cup championships and four Vanier Cup championships, the most recent being in 2009.
Unique to only two Canadian universities (the other being University of Toronto Varsity Blues) Queen's has also competed and won three Grey Cup championships (1922, 1923, 1924).[1]
The program has had three Hec Crighton Trophy winners, Larry Mohr and Tommy Denison who won it twice.
History
Queen's has competed continuously since 1882[2] and the team began organized play in 1883 when the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was first founded. The team later went on to win two ORFU championships in 1893 and 1894.[3]
The first organized university football league in Canada, the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU), was founded in Kingston in November 1897, with charter members Queen's, McGill University, and the University of Toronto.
Queen's exerted its dominance in the 1920s, winning three straight Grey Cups in 1922, 1923 and 1924. In 1955, the Grey Cup ceased being awarded to amateur teams. Since the beginning of the Vanier Cup championship in 1965, Queen's has won four titles in 1968, 1978, 1992 and 2009.[4]
Pat Sheahan era (2000-2018)
The team was led by head coach Pat Sheahan from 2000 to 2018, and he led them to their fourth Vanier Cup in 2009. The following year the team endured a difficult 2010 season, finishing 3-5. The team went on to have strong seasons in 2011 and 2012 when the team finished 6-2 and in third place in both years. The Gaels qualified for the playoffs for eight straight years until they finally missed the playoffs in 2014. The team finished fourth in the OUA in 2015, being beaten by the Carleton Ravens in the semi-final game. The team finished in seventh place in 2016 with a 3-5 record and missed the playoffs due to a tie-breaker with Guelph, whom they lost to earlier in the season. In 2019, Sheahan was replaced by the team's current head coach, Steve Snyder.[5]
Head coaches
List of Queen's Gaels head coaches.[5]
- Frank Tindall (1939,1948–1975)
- Doug Hargreaves (1976–1994)
- Bob Howes (1995–1999)
- Pat Sheahan (2000–2018)
- Steve Snyder (2019–present)
Season-by-season record
The following is the record of the Queen's Gaels football team since 2000:
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Pct % | PF | PA | Standing | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 114 | 312 | 6th in OQIFC | Did not qualify | |
| 2001 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 201 | 171 | 4th in OUA | Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in quarter-final 29-27 Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 47-12 | |
| 2002 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.875 | 271 | 102 | 2nd in OUA | Defeated Waterloo Warriors in quarter-final 51-14 Defeated Western Mustangs in semi-final 55-20 Lost to McMaster Marauders in Yates Cup final 33-17 | |
| 2003 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.875 | 361 | 134 | 2nd in OUA | Defeated York Lions in quarter-final 27-6 Lost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in semi-final 36-33 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0.250 | 211 | 195 | 9th in OUA | Did not qualify | |
| 2005 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 198 | 223 | 7th in OUA | Did not qualify | |
| 2006 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 177 | 147 | 6th in OUA | Defeated McMaster Marauders in quarter-final 25-19 Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 23-10 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 229 | 117 | 3rd in OUA | Lost to Western Mustangs in quarter-final 27-19 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1.000 | 374 | 116 | 1st in OUA | Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 23-13 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.750 | 272 | 149 | 1st in OUA | Defeated McMaster Marauders in semi-final 32-6 Defeated Western Mustangs in Yates Cup final 43-39 Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Mitchell Bowl 33-30 Defeated Calgary Dinos in 45th Vanier Cup 33-31 | |
| 2010 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 249 | 183 | 6th in OUA | Lost to McMaster Marauders in quarter-final 40-19 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 259 | 103 | 3rd in OUA | Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in quarter-final 14-10 Lost to McMaster Marauders in semi-final 40-13 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 247 | 145 | 3rd in OUA | Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in quarter-final 34-0 Lost to Guelph Gryphons in semi-final 30-13 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.875 | 354 | 208 | 2nd in OUA | Defeated Guelph Gryphons in semi-final 34-17 Lost to Western Mustangs in Yates Cup final 51-22 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 203 | 227 | 8th in OUA | Did not qualify | |
| 2015 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 242 | 251 | 4th in OUA | Lost to Carleton Ravens in quarter-final 39-8 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 236 | 210 | 7th in OUA | Did not qualify | |
| 2017 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 290 | 223 | 6th in OUA | Lost to McMaster Marauders in quarter-final 12-9 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 244 | 226 | 8th in OUA | Did not qualify | |
| 2019 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 177 | 224 | 8th in OUA | Did not qualify | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
| 2021 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 172 | 44 | 1st in OUA East | Defeated Carleton Ravens in quarter-final 41-14 Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 32-15 Lost to Western Mustangs in Yates Cup final 29-0 | |
National award winners
- Hec Crighton Trophy: Larry Mohr (1985), Tommy Denison (2002, 2003)
- J. P. Metras Trophy: Dick Bakker (1977), Jim Muller (1979), Mike Schad (1985)
- Presidents' Trophy: Thaine Carter (2008)
- Peter Gorman Trophy: Gord Goodwin (1977)
- Russ Jackson Award: Charlie Galunic (1986), Jock Climie (1989), Curt McLellan (2003), Curtis Carmichael (2015)
- Frank Tindall Trophy: Doug Hargreaves (1983), Pat Sheahan (2008), Steve Snyder (2021)
Queen's Gaels in the CFL
As of the end of the 2021 CFL season, four former Gaels players are on CFL teams' rosters:
- Cameron Lawson, Montreal Alouettes
- Matt O'Donnell, Edmonton Elks
- Chris Osei-Kusi, Edmonton Elks
- Derek Wiggan, Calgary Stampeders
Notable team alumni
One notable Queen's player was Carl Voss, who was both an excellent football and hockey player. While attending university, he played four football seasons (1924–1927), which included the 12th Grey Cup in 1924. Voss has his name engraved on the Grey Cup for this season. Voss also scored the Stanley Cup winning goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1938 Stanley Cup Finals. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Along with Lionel Conacher, Voss is one of only two players to have their name engraved on both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup.[6]
Chris Patrician, player on the 2011-14 Queen's football teams, was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.[7]
References
- "TSN : CFL - Canada's Sports Leader". 2007-12-29. Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- "Football History". Queen's University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- Sproule, Robert (2001). "THE QUEBEC RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION 1883-1906" (PDF). THE COFFIN CORNER. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-10-22.
- "Vanier Cup History - U SPORTS - English". presto-en.usports.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- "Meet the coach". Queen's Gazette | Queen's University. 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- Ellis, Steven. "Best of both worlds: Ten of hockey's most notable multi-sport athletes". The Hockey News on Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- "21 bobsleigh and skeleton athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in Beijing". www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.c. Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.