McGill Redmen football

McGill Redmen
McGill Redmen logo
First season	1874
Athletic director	Drew Love
Head coach	Ronald Hilaire 1 year, –
Other Staff	Benoit Groulx (OC) Ronald Hilaire (DC)
Home Stadium	Percival Molson Memorial Stadium
Year built	1914
Stadium capacity	25,012
Stadium surface	FieldTurf
Location	Montreal, Quebec
League	CIS
Conference	RSEQ (2010 – present)
Past associations	CRFU (1898–1914, 1919–1939, 1946–1970) QUAA (1971–1973) OQIFC (1974–2000) QSSF (2001–2009)
All-time record	–
Postseason record	–
Tournaments
Vanier Cups	1 1987
Mitchell Bowls	3 1958, 1960, 1973
Atlantic Bowls	2 1969, 1987
Yates Cups	10 1902, 1906, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1928, 1938, 1960, 1962, 1969
Dunsmore Cups	3 1987, 2001, 2002
Hec Crighton winners	1 Dave Fleiszer
Current uniform
Colours	Red, White, and Black
Outfitter	Adidas
Rivals	Montreal Carabins Concordia Stingers
Website	McGill Football

The McGill Redmen football team is one of the oldest in all of Canada, having begun organized competition in 1874. The team won its first championship in 1902 and since then have also won in 1912, 1913, 1919, 1928, 1938 and 1960 prior to the inauguration of the Vanier Cup in 1965. McGill appeared in the Vanier Cup final in 1969, 1973 and 1987, with the Redmen finally winning the title in the 1987 game. McGill plays out of Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, where the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes also play.

Since the retirement of long-time head coach Charlie Baillie in 2000, the team has only won two league championships (2001, 2002). In October 2005, the McGill administration cancelled the last three games of football team's season after confirmed reports of hazing involving sexual abuse. After their 2005 suspension, the team struggled with three losing seasons, including two winless seasons in 2007 and 2008. The program showed signs of hope as the Redmen won three games in 2009, but soon sank back down to futility with consecutive winless campaigns in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the Redmen qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2006, but lost to perennial powerhouse Laval.

In 1874, McGill and Harvard met in the first North American style football game. From 1898, McGill played in the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union, and won their first championship, the Yates Cup in 1902. In 1912, Frank Shaughnessy was recruited as the first professional head coach. His teams won the Yates Cup during his first two seasons. In 1919, the team went undefeated and did not concede a touchdown, and in 1928. The 1919 team was inducted into McGill's Hall of Fame in 2010.

McGill next won a championship in 1938. The team tied for the regular season 8–1 with Western after losing their final regular-season game to Western. The teams played off for the championship, won 9–0 by McGill, with all the scoring from kicker Herb Westman, who kicked a school record nine punt singles. The Redmen would not win another title until 1960, when they won the Yates Cup, against Queen's University of Kingston, then defeated the Canada West champion Alberta Golden Bears in a challenge match for an unofficial national championship (Churchill Bowl).