The Yates Cup () is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of U Sports. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back to 1898 and surpassing both the Grey Cup and the Little Brown Jug in longevity.
The Yates Cup was donated by Dr. Henry Brydges Yates of McGill University.
Until 1971 it was awarded to the winner of the Senior Intercollegiate Football League regular season, with playoffs occurring only if there was a tie for first place, or the second-place team had defeated the first-place team in league play. Since 1971, it is awarded to the OUA football champion.
The winner of the Yates Cup goes on to play in either the Uteck Bowl or the Mitchell Bowl, depending on annual rotations.
Asteroid (12447) YatesCup is named after the Yates Cup.
Yates Cup games Notes: From 1915 to 1918, the trophy was not presented due to World War I. From 1940 to 1945, the trophy was not presented due to World War II. From 1974 to 1978, due to a change in conference structure, the Yates Cup was presented to both an Eastern Division and a Western Division winner. In 1979 the Eastern and Western Division champions played each other in a Vanier Cup semi-final game, which also determined the Yates Cup championship. In 1980, the Cup returned to a single winner when the Eastern Division formed the independent OQIFC. Year Date Champion Score Runner-up Score Host city Stadium Attendance Division1898TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1899TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1900Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1901TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1902McGillNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1903TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1904 Nov. 19 Queen's 6 McGill 0 Ottawa Lansdowne Park1,5001905TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1906McGillNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1907OttawaNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1908Nov. 21Toronto 12Queen's 0OttawaVarsity Oval1909TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1910TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1911TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1912Nov. 16McGill 14Toronto 3OttawaLansdowne Park7,0001913McGillNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1914Nov. 21Toronto 17McGill 13TorontoVarsity Stadium8,000From 1915 to 1918, the trophy was not presented due to World War I.1919McGillNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1920Nov. 20Toronto 14McGill 6KingstonQueen's Athletic Grounds1921TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1922Nov. 18Queen's 12Toronto 6MontrealMolson Stadium10,2941923Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1924Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1925Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1926Nov. 27Toronto 8Queen's 0TorontoVarsity Stadium17,7341927Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1928McGillNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1929Nov. 16Queen's 15Toronto 5KingstonRichardson Memorial Stadium1930Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1931WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1932TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1933Nov. 18Toronto 10Queen's 3TorontoVarsity Stadium5,8211934Nov. 17Queen's 8Toronto 7TorontoVarsity Stadium12,0871935Nov. 16Queen's 6Toronto 4TorontoVarsity Stadium14,7321936Nov. 21Toronto 11Queen's 3TorontoVarsity Stadium16,6851937Nov. 27Queen's 7Toronto 6OTTorontoVarsity Stadium10,8261938Nov. 19McGill 9Western 0MontrealMolson Stadium13,0001939WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.From 1940 to 1945, the trophy was not presented due to World War II.1946WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1947WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1948Nov. 20Toronto 18Western 7TorontoVarsity Stadium19,7731949Nov. 19Western 12McGill 9TorontoVarsity Stadium17,5341950Nov. 18Western 24McGill 2MontrealMolson Stadium23,0001951TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1952WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1953Nov. 21Western 12Toronto 8TorontoVarsity Stadium12,5301954Nov. 27Toronto 9Western 8LondonJ.W. Little Stadiumn/a1955Nov. 12Queen's 18Toronto 0KingstonRichardson Stadium10,5001956Nov. 17Queen's 4Toronto 2KingstonRichardson Stadium10,0001957WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1958TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1959WesternNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1960Nov. 12McGill 21Queen's 0KingstonRichardson Stadiumn/a1961Nov. 18Queen's 11McGill 0KingstonRichardson Stadium6,5801962Nov. 17McGill 15Queen's 13KingstonRichardson Stadium4,2901963Queen's1964Nov. 14Queen's 63McMaster 6KingstonRichardson Stadium4,5001965Nov. 13Toronto 21Western 16LondonJ.W. Little Stadium5,7211966Nov. 12Queen's 50Toronto 7KingstonRichardson Stadium7,5791967TorontoNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1968Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1969McGillNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1970Queen'sNo specific deciding game. Champion had most wins of the regular season.1971Nov. 6Western13Ottawa0LondonJ.W. Little Stadium4,0001972Nov. 11Lutheran38Western27WaterlooSeagram Stadium3,5001973Nov. 10Laurier48Ottawa4WaterlooCentennial Stadium2,5001974Nov. 9Western19Laurier8WaterlooCentennial Stadium3,500W1974Nov. 9Toronto 24Ottawa21TorontoVarsity Stadium5,000E1975Nov. 8Windsor65Laurier8WindsorSouth Campus Field2,700W1975Nov. 8Ottawa14Toronto 7OttawaLansdowne Parkn/aE1976Nov. 6Western28Laurier14LondonJ.W. Little Stadium8,000W1976Nov. 6Ottawa22Bishop's20OttawaMooney's Bay Stadiumn/aE1977Nov. 5Western22Laurier17LondonJ.W. Little Stadium7,000W1977Nov. 5Queen's45Bishop's27KingstonRichardson Stadium5,000E1978Nov. 4Laurier19Western14LondonJ.W. Little Stadium8,000W1978Nov. 4Queen's23McGill1KingstonRichardson Stadium7,000E1979Nov. 10Western32Queen's14LondonJ.W. Little Stadium9,5001980Nov. 8Western51Laurier28LondonJ.W. Little Stadium8,0001981Nov. 14Western17Guelph7LondonJ.W. Little Stadium8,0001982Nov. 6Western50Toronto 21LondonJ.W. Little Stadium5,5001983Nov. 5Toronto 20McMaster16TorontoVarsity Stadium6,0001984Nov. 10Guelph31Western26LondonJ.W. Little Stadium7,5001985Nov. 16Western19Laurier16LondonJ.W. Little Stadium3,2001986Nov. 8Western49Guelph21LondonJ.W. Little Stadium6,0001987Nov. 7Laurier28Guelph15WaterlooSeagram Stadiumn/a1988Nov. 5Western27Laurier16LondonJ.W. Little Stadium5,0001989Nov. 4Western50Toronto 20LondonJ.W. Little Stadium6,0001990Nov. 10Western46Toronto 31LondonJ.W. Little Stadium7,0001991Nov. 9Laurier13Western12LondonJ.W. Little Stadium7,5001992Nov. 7Guelph45Western10TorontoSkyDome6,2451993Nov. 6Toronto 24Western16LondonJ.W. Little Stadium7,1001994Nov. 5Western38Laurier36OTWaterlooSeagram Stadium6,0561995Nov. 11Western10Laurier9WaterlooUniversity Stadium4,0001996Nov. 9Guelph23Waterloo13WaterlooUniversity Stadiumn/a1997Nov. 8Waterloo30Western10LondonJ.W. Little Stadium4,5001998Nov. 14Western47Waterloo41LondonJ.W. Little Stadium5,5321999Nov. 13Waterloo32Laurier20WaterlooUniversity Stadium6,5002000Nov. 11McMaster48Laurier23HamiltonLes Prince Field5,0002001Nov. 10McMaster30Ottawa22HamiltonLes Prince Field5,9222002Nov. 9McMaster33Queen's19HamiltonLes Prince Field7,0002003Nov. 8McMaster41Laurier17HamiltonIvor Wynne Stadium12,4642004Nov. 13Laurier31McMaster19WaterlooUniversity Stadium8,1752005Nov. 12Laurier29Western11WaterlooUniversity Stadium5,9152006Nov. 11Ottawa32Laurier14OttawaFrank Clair Stadium4,1592007Nov. 10Western34Guelph21GuelphAlumni Stadium8,5002008Nov. 8Western31Ottawa17LondonTD Waterhouse5,4802009Nov. 14Queen's43Western39KingstonRichardson Stadium7,2532010Nov. 13Western26Ottawa25OttawaFrank Clair Stadium7,1942011 Nov. 12 McMaster 41Western 19 London TD Waterhouse 2012 Nov. 10 McMaster30Guelph 13 Hamilton Ron Joyce Stadium5,400 2013 Nov. 9 Western 51 Queen's 22 London TD Waterhouse 5,805 2014 Nov. 15 McMaster 20 Guelph 15 Hamilton Ron Joyce Stadium 4,554 2015 Nov. 14 Guelph 23 Western 17 London TD Stadium 5,817 2016 Nov. 12 Laurier 43 Western 40 London TD Stadium 4,134 2017 Nov. 11 Western 75 Laurier 32 London TD Stadium 4,200 2018 Nov. 10 Western 63 Guelph 14 London TD Stadium 4,339 2019 Nov. 9 McMaster 29 Western 15 London TD Stadium 5,0002020 game cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.2021 Nov. 20 Western 29 Queen's 0 Kingston Richardson Stadium 5,300 2022Nov. 12 Western 44 Queen's 16 London Western Alumni Stadium 2,739 2023Nov. 11Western29Laurier14LondonWestern Alumni Stadium4,6252024Nov. 9 Laurier51Western31WaterlooUniversity Stadium5,0002025 Nov. 8 Queen's 30 Laurier 27 Waterloo University Stadium 4,500
Championship titles
Team Wins Western Mustangs 35 Toronto Varsity Blues 25 Queen's Golden Gaels 24 McGill Redbirds* 10 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 9McMaster Marauders 8 Ottawa Gee-Gees 4 Guelph Gryphons 4 Waterloo Warriors 2 Windsor Lancers 1 York Lions 0 Carleton Ravens 0
Note*: McGill entered the Quebec Conference in 1971 and stopped competing for the Yates Cup. Instead, the conference championship ended in the Dunsmore Cup.
References
Past Champions from Ontario University Athletics