Queen's Gaels | |
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University | Queen's University |
Association | U Sports |
Conference | Ontario University Athletics |
Athletic director | Leslie Dal Cin |
Location | Kingston, Ontario |
Varsity teams | Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Ice Hockey, Rowing, Rugby, Soccer, Volleyball |
Football stadium | Richardson Memorial Stadium |
Other arenas | Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) Kingston Memorial Centre Former: Jock Harty Arena (1970-2007), Strathcona Paper Centre (2007-2008), Bartlett Gymnasium (1964-2010) |
Mascot | Boo-Hoo |
Nickname | Gaels |
Fight song | Oil Thigh |
Colours | |
Website | www |
Queen's Hockey | |
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City | Kingston, Ontario |
League | U Sports |
Conference | OUA |
Division | OUA East |
Founded | 1886 |
Home arena |
Kingston Memorial Centre Former: Jock Harty Arena (1970-2007), Strathcona Paper Centre (2007-2008), Memorial Center (2008-Present) |
Colours | red, blue & gold |
Head coach | Brett Gibson |
The Queen's Gaels (also: Queen's Golden Gaels) are the athletic teams that represent Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Team colours are blue, red, and gold. Its main home is Richardson Memorial Stadium on West Campus.
Their rallying cry is the "Oil Thigh", a fight song sung in Gaelic by spectators when the home team scores a point, goal, touchdown, etc. Originally written in 1898 after a disappointing loss to the University of Toronto, the name comes from the phrase sung repeatedly in the main chorus: "Oilthigh na Banrighinn, a' Banrighinn gu brath", or "College of the Queen forever" in Gaelic. The song has the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic; its English verses about the rivals of Queen's College alternate with the Gaelic chorus.
Queen's teams have had a variety of successes on the national and international stages over the university's history. The Gaels football program is one of the oldest and most successful in Canada, boasting a total of three straight Grey Cup victories in the early twentieth century (1922, 1923, and 1924) and four Vanier Cup victories as the top team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (1968, 1978, 1992, and 2009).
In the last two seasons alone, the Gaels have captured 11 provincial and national championships, including the 2009 Vanier Cup championship, the 2010-11 CIS Men's Curling Championship and the two time 2011 and 2012 CIS Women's Soccer Championships. Men's and Women's Volleyball won OUA Championships in 2012.
The "Golden Gaels" name was coined in 1947 by Kingston Whig-Standard sports reporter Cliff Bowering, after the football team traded its traditional uniform of red, gold, and blue bands for gold jerseys, gold helmets, and red pants. The name caught on and became the familiar term for Queen's teams by the 1950s. "Gaels" is a reference to Queen's Scottish heritage (Queen's University was established in 1841 by the Presbyterian church). Before 1947, Queen's teams were commonly known as "The Tricolour."