A historical perspective on the changing role of varsity football in Canadian universities since Confederation Tom Fabian PhD student Sociocultural Studies of Sport Western University Dissertation focus History of the ID: 919371
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Slide1
The Sesquicentennial of Canadian University Football
A historical perspective on the changing role of varsity football in Canadian universities since Confederation
Slide2Tom Fabian
PhD student (Sociocultural Studies of Sport), Western University
Dissertation focus – History of the
Universiade
MA (Sport History & Culture), De Montfort University, Leicester, England
Thesis title – Alma Mater Wrapped in Pigskin: The role of varsity football in Canadian universities
BSc (Kinesiology), McGill University
Varsity volleyball player
Slide3Why football?
What is the role of football in Canadian universities?
Slide4“It’s hard to rally around a math class”
Paul “Bear” Bryant
Football coach, University of Alabama, 1958-1982
Slide5A Brief History of Canadian University Football
30 October 1867 – First Canadian-style football game between U of T and Trinity College
Slide6Early Canadian rugby-football
Slide7A Brief History of Canadian University Football
30 October 1867 – First Canadian-style football game between U of T and Trinity College
1892 – Formation of the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU)
24 November 1897 – Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU) established
McGill University
Queen’s University
University of Toronto
“Big Three”
Slide8A Brief History of Canadian University Football
30 October 1867 – First Canadian-style football game between U of T and Trinity College
1892 – Formation of the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU)
24 November 1897 – Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU) established
1898 – Development of the Burnside Rules
Slide9JTM “Thrift” Burnside
Slide10A Brief History of Canadian University Football
30 October 1867 – First Canadian-style football game between U of T and Trinity College
1892 – Formation of the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU)
24 November 1897 – Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU) established
1898 – Development of the Burnside Rules
26 May 1906 – Founding of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union Central (CIAUC)
McGill University
Queen’s University
University of Toronto
“Big Three”
Slide11A Brief History of Canadian University Football
30 October 1867 – First Canadian-style football game between U of T and Trinity College
1892 – Formation of the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU)
24 November 1897 – Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU) established
1898 – Development of the Burnside Rules
26 May 1906 – Founding of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union Central (CIAUC)
4 December 1909 – First Grey Cup game
1931 – Adoption of the forward pass
15 October 1961 – Establishment of first truly national intercollegiate sport association (CIAU)
20 November 1965 – First Vanier Cup game
Slide12Slide13Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
Lacrosse
Basketball
Hockey
Rowing
Curling
Baseball
Soccer
Cricket
Rugby
Slide14Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
FOOTBALL
Right timing
A Canadian game
High team component
Slide15Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
Early Grey Cup supremacy
Slide16Grey Cup Champions (until 1926)
Year
Winning Team
Losing Team
Score
Location
Attendance
1909
University of Toronto
Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club
26-6
Rosedale Field, Toronto
3,807
1910
University of Toronto
Hamilton Tigers
16-7
AAA Grounds, Hamilton
12,000
1911
University of Toronto
Toronto Argonauts
14-7
Varsity Stadium, Toronto
13,687
1912*
Hamilton Alerts
Toronto Argonauts
11-4
AAA Grounds
5,337
1913
Hamilton Tigers
Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club
44-2
AAA Grounds
2,100
1914
Toronto Argonauts
University of Toronto
14-2
Varsity Stadium
10,500
1915
Hamilton Tigers
Toronto Rowing Association
13-7
Varsity Stadium
2,808
1920
University of Toronto
Toronto Argonauts
16-3
Varsity Stadium
10,088
1921
Toronto Argonauts
Edmonton Eskimos
23-0
Varsity Stadium
9,558
1922
Queen’s University
Edmonton Elks
13-1
Richardson Stadium, Kingston
4,700
1923
Queen’s University
Regina Rugby Club
54-0
Varsity Stadium
8,629
1924
Queen’s University
Toronto Balmy Beach
11-2
Varsity Stadium
5,978
1925
Ottawa Senators
Winnipeg Tammany Tigers
24-1
Lansdowne Park, Ottawa
6,900
1926
Ottawa Senators
University of Toronto
10-7
Varsity Stadium
8,276
Slide17Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
Early Grey Cup supremacy
The composition of the CIAUC Board of Reference
McGill University
Queen’s University
University of Toronto
“Big Three”
Slide18Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
Early Grey Cup supremacy
The composition of the CIAUC Board of Reference
Gate receipts and commoditization
Slide19“A concrete recognition of the arrival of football as a money-making proposition.
”
Alan
Metcalfe
Renowned Canadian Sport Historian
University of Windsor
Slide20Varsity Stadium ca. 1930
Slide21Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
Early Grey Cup supremacy
The composition of the CIAUC Board of Reference
Gate receipts and commoditization
Transfer of university recognition from the classroom to the sports field
Slide22“Fielding a football team is a quicker way of building a library”
Sherwood Fox
President, University of Western Ontario, 1927-1947
Slide23Why football?
One of the earliest sports to become established on campuses
Early Grey Cup supremacy
The composition of the CIAUC Board of Reference
Gate receipts and commoditization
Transfer of university recognition from the classroom to the sports field
Gridiron wars between World Wars
Slide24Case Studies
Slide25Old School
Universities
with Long-Standing Football Programs
University of Toronto – 1867
McGill University – 1874
University of Ottawa – 1881
Queen’s University – 1882
Bishop's University – 1884
McMaster University – 1901
University of Alberta – 1910*
University of Saskatchewan – 1914*
University of Manitoba – 1920*
University of British Columbia – 1924
University of Western Ontario – 1929
St. Mary’s University – 1946
University of Guelph – 1950
St. Francis Xavier University – 1953
Mount Allison University – 1955
Acadia University – 1957
University of Waterloo – 1957
Wilfrid Laurier University – 1961
University of Calgary – 1964
University of Windsor – 1968
York University – 1969
Concordia University – 1974
* Football program was discontinued at a certain point, but has since been revived.
Slide26UWO’s First Game in Senior Football, 1929
Slide27Cut
Universities
with
Discontinued Football
Programs
Université
de Moncton (1949-1957)?
Ryerson University (1949-1964)
St. Thomas University (1949-1969)
Laurentian University (1966-1971)
Brandon University (1950-1972)
Université de Québec à Montréal (1970-1972)
Dalhousie University (1947-1976)
University of Prince Edward Island (1957-1979)
Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières (1970-1979)
University of New Brunswick (1948-1980)
Royal Military College (1883-1983)
Cape Breton University (1990 only)
? – Discontinuation date has not been confirmed (no response from the university and internet searches have been unsuccessful
), although
Moncton was no longer a member of the Maritime Intercollegiate Football League in 1958
.
Slide28Takeaways from the Discontinued
Justifying expensive budgets
Unequal system yields philosophical debate
Negative branding of losing teams
Slide29“Sport involves a commitment to excellence, and the inability to be competitive, not only embarrasses alumni, students, and the university, but brings up the question of the role of
sport”
Colin
Howell
Canadian
S
ports
H
istorian
St. Mary’s University
Slide30The Alternative
Universities without
Football Programs
Memorial University of Newfoundland – 1959
Lakehead University – 1964
Brock University – 1967
University of Winnipeg – 1967
University
of Lethbridge – 1969
University of Victoria – 1969
Trent University – 1977
Trinity Western University – 1986
Thompson Rivers University – 2005
University of Ontario Institute of Technology – 2005
University of the Fraser Valley – 2006
Algoma University – 2008
Nipissing University – 2009
UBC Okanagan – 2010
University of Northern British Columbia – 2012
Mount Royal University – 2012
MacEwan
University – 2013
Slide31New School
Universities
with
New
Football Programs
Université
Laval – 1996
University of Regina – 1999
Université de Montréal – 2002*
Université de Sherbrooke – 2003*
Carleton University – 2013*
* Football program was discontinued at a certain point, but has since been revived.
Slide32Telus Stadium,
Université
Laval
Slide33ConclusionsAlma Mater Wrapped in Pigskin
Canada’s preeminent college game; an early symbiotic relationship
Slide34ConclusionsAlma Mater Wrapped in Pigskin
Canada’s preeminent college game; an early symbiotic relationship
Jelinek’s
suggestion: From government to corporate involvement (1988)
Risks of pursuing an NCAA model – the consequences of overemphasizing sport in an educational framework and the trend towards professionalization
Slide35“Many Canadian university leaders concluded that professionalism was starting to displace the traditional approach to college sports as a means to the end of forming the whole student
.
”
James Cameron
Author of
For the People: A History of St. Francis Xavier University
Slide36“Produces
a dependency relationship… and subverts the educational mission of the
university
.”
Jay Coakley & Peter Donnelly
Acclaimed Sport Sociologists
Authors of
Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies
Slide37ConclusionsAlma Mater Wrapped in Pigskin
Canada’s preeminent college game; an early symbiotic relationship
Jelinek’s
suggestion: From government to corporate involvement (1988)
Risks of pursuing an NCAA model – the consequences of overemphasizing sport in an educational framework and the trend towards professionalization
Three phases and outcomes of organizational development theory
The organization will become absorbed by another, larger,
organization
T
he
organization will dissolve and restart
operations
T
he
organization will fragment into smaller organizations
Slide38ConclusionsAlma Mater Wrapped in Pigskin
Canada’s preeminent college game; an early symbiotic relationship
Jelinek’s
suggestion: From government to corporate involvement (1988)
Risks of pursuing an NCAA model – the consequences of overemphasizing sport in an educational framework and the trend towards professionalization
Three phases and outcomes of organizational development theory
Educational value in competition against opponents with radically different skill levels
In the end, football is the marker for the changing state of Canadian university sport