Toronto Varsity Blues football
| Toronto Varsity Blues | |
|---|---|
Toronto Varsity Blues logo
|
|
| First season | 1877 |
| Athletic director | Beth Ali |
| Head coach |
Greg Gary 6th year, 16–32 (.333) |
| Other Staff | Nate Weiss (OC) Kevin Eiben (DC) |
| Home Stadium | Varsity Stadium |
| Year built | 2007 |
| Stadium capacity | 5000 |
| Stadium surface | Polytan Ligaturf |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| League | CIS |
| Conference | OUA (1980-present) |
| Past associations |
ORFU (1883-1897) CIRFU (1898-1970) OUAA (1971-1973) OQIFC (1974-1979) |
| All-time record | 529–432–35 (.549) |
| Postseason record | 24–27 (.471) |
| Tournaments | |
| Grey Cups | 4 1909, 1910, 1911, 1920 |
| Vanier Cups | 2 1965, 1993 |
| Churchill Bowls | 1 1993 |
| Atlantic Bowls | 2 1962, 1974 |
| Yates Cups | 25 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1926, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1965, 1967, 1974, 1983, 1993 |
| Hec Crighton winners | 4 Mike Eben, Mike Raham, Dan Feraday, Eugene Buccigrossi |
| Current uniform | |
| Colours | Blue and White |
| Mascot | True Blue |
| Outfitter | Adidas |
| Rivals | York Lions |
| Website | varsityblues |
The Toronto Varsity Blues football team represents the University of Toronto in the sport of Canadian football. The program won the first Grey Cup game ever held in 1909, and went on to win the cup again in 1910, 1911, and 1920. After intercollegiate teams no longer competed for the Grey Cup, the team won the first Vanier Cup ever held in 1965, and then again in 1993 as Canadian national football champions. The team has 25 Yates Cup championship wins as champions of the Ontario University Athletics conference of the CIS, a total second only to the 29 won by the Western Ontario Mustangs.
However, hard times have fallen on the University of Toronto football team in recent years. The football program had not won a game since the 2001 season (a win that itself ended an 18-game losing streak). On October 13, 2007, they set the record for the longest losing streak in Canadian university history, at 49 losses in a row. This losing streak was snapped on September 1, 2008 when they defeated the Waterloo Warriors 18-17 for their first win in almost seven years. The team last posted a winning record in 1995.
The team was led by head coach Greg DeLaval who won his first game with the Blues when the team ended their record-setting losing streak in 2008. In 2010, the Blues posted a remarkable 40-35 win over the second-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees, which was their first win over a nationally ranked opponent since 1997 against the Waterloo Warriors. The Blues finished with a 3-5 record in 2010, which was their best since the 1996 season when they posted the same mark. The Blues hired Greg Gary as head coach in 2011, and finished with another 3-5 record, once again finishing just out of the playoffs in seventh place. The team took a step back with a 2-6 record in 2012, including home losses to fellow 2-6 teams York and Ottawa. However, in 2013, they finished the season 4-4, the first time since 1993, but failed to make the playoffs. The team again regressed in 2014 with a 2-6 record, but rebounded in 2015 with a slightly improved 3-5 record. The program again failed to gain any momentum and won only two games the following season.
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