The Toronto Varsity Blues football team represents the University of Toronto in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. Dating back to 1877, the Toronto Varsity Blues football program initially competed for the Canadian Dominion Football Championship and won six national titles, including the first Grey Cup game ever held in 1909, as well as winning in 1895, 1905, 1910, 1911, and 1920. After intercollegiate teams no longer competed for the Dominion Championship, 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 U Sports, a total second only to the Western Mustangs.

One former Toronto Varsity Blues team member participated in the NFL draft; Dan Feraday (Cincinnati Bengals, 1982).

History

Early history The first documented game of gridiron football was played at the University of Toronto on November 9, 1861. This game was noted to be a combination of Association football and rugby, which the rules required the player bounce or kick the ball towards the opposing team's goal. The game was played on Queen's Park, which eventually became the site of the Ontario Legislative Building.

The first official team was established in 1877 by J.H. Mayne Campbell, where rugby football rules were adopted. The team officially played their first game against another school in 1879, when they faced the University of Michigan. This game ended in a draw, with no teams scoring points after two 45 minute innings.

The team faced their first game against another Canadian university in 1881 against McGill University, losing two tries to nothing.

In 1883, the University of Toronto football team entered the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU). They remained in the ORFU league until 1898, where they then joined the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU). During this year the team won the first Yates Cup.

Dominion Championships and Grey Cups The Canadian Dominion Football Championship was first established in 1884, and as the University of Toronto was a member of the ORFU, it qualified to play in these championship games. The team won championship games in 1895 and 1905.

In 1909, the Grey Cup was established and the University of Toronto football team won the inaugural game. The team went on the win additionally in 1910, 1911 and 1920.

Recent history In recent years the team has had a string of losses, not qualifying for the playoffs in 20 out of the 22 current seasons.

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 and then only one game in 2017 along with a last place finish. Gary resigned as head coach following the season's end and Greg Marshall was hired as his replacement. Marshall finished with a winless record in his first year, but the team showed progress in his second season where they finished with a 2-6 record.

The Varsity Blues qualified for the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 1995 and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1992. In 2022, the Varsity Blues finished in seventh place with a 4-4 record and again qualified for the playoffs as the OUA expanded the number of playoff teams. After a disappointing 2–6 finish to the 2023 season, it was announced on November 23, 2023, that Marshall would not return as the team's head coach. Darrell Adams was hired as the team's head coach on January 5, 2024.

Season-by-season record

The following is the record of the Toronto Varsity Blues football team since 2000: Season Games Won Lost Pct % PF PA Standing Playoffs20008 08 0.000 40 348 8th in OUA Did not qualify20018 17 0.125 92 276 10th in OUA Did not qualify20028 08 0.000 63 364 10th in OUA Did not qualify20038 08 0.000 42 438 10th in OUA Did not qualify20048 08 0.000 82 450 9th in OUA Did not qualify20058 08 0.000 126 433 9th in OUA Did not qualify20068 08 0.000 125 418 10th in OUA Did not qualify20078 08 0.000 111 345 10th in OUA Did not qualify20088 26 0.250 168 272 8th in OUA Did not qualify20098 17 0.125 98 279 9th in OUA Did not qualify20108 35 0.375 140 236 7th in OUA Did not qualify20118 35 0.375 110 189 7th in OUA Did not qualify20128 26 0.250 136 279 9th in OUA Did not qualify20138 44 0.500 230 231 7th in OUA Did not qualify20148 26 0.250 265 321 9th in OUA Did not qualify20158 35 0.375 159 224 7th in OUA Did not qualify20168 26 0.250 155 288 8th in OUA Did not qualify20178 17 0.125 108 308 11th in OUA Did not qualify20188 08 0.000 122 315 11th in OUA Did not qualify20198 26 0.250 222 249 9th in OUA Did not qualify2020Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20216 33 0.500 112 1292nd in OUA East Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 17–2720228 44 0.500 185 219 7th in OUA Lost to Queen's Gaels in quarter-final 13–4120238 26 0.250 171 250 9th in OUA Did not qualify20248 17 0.125 91 331 10th in OUA Did not qualify20258 17 0.125 170 277 11th in OUA Did not qualify

National postseason results +Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)YearGameOpponentResult1965Vanier CupAlbertaW 14–71974Atlantic BowlVanier CupSaint Mary'sWesternW 45–1L 15–191983Churchill BowlQueen'sL 7–221993Churchill BowlVanier CupConcordiaCalgaryW 26–16W 37–34

Toronto is 2–1 in national semi-final games and 2–1 in the Vanier Cup.

Rivalry

Since the 1970s, the Blues have maintained a football rivalry with York University. The teams face one another in an annual football match known as the Red and Blue Bowl, where the winner is presented with the Argo Cup, donated in 1992 by the Toronto Argonauts.

Head coaches Name Years Notes Alfred Williams 1898–1900 Hugh Hoyles 1901–1902 A. F. "Biddy" Barr 1903–1906 Harry Griffith 1907–1910 Arthur B. Wright 1911–1913 Hugh Gall 1914 William C. Foulds 1919 Laddie Cassels 1920 John Maynard 1921–1922 Warren Coryell 1923 Jack Newton 1924 A. F. "Biddy" Barr 1925 Ronnie Macpherson 1926–1927 Les Blackwell 1928 Ronnie Macpherson 1929 Les Blackwell 1930 Harry Hobbs 1931 Warren Stevens 1932–1939 Warren Stevens 1945 Bobby Coulter 1946–1947 Bob Masterson 1948–1955 Dalt White 1956–1965 Ron Murphy 1966–82 CIAU Coach of the Year (1974) Doug Mitchell 1983–1987 Bob Laycoe 1988–2001 Bob Rainford/Giulio Giordani 2002 Steve Howlett 2003–07 Greg DeLaval 2008–10 Greg Gary 2011–17 Greg Marshall 2018–2023 Darrell Adams 2024–present

National award winners Hec Crighton Trophy: Mike Eben (1967), Mike Raham (1968), Dan Feraday (1981), Eugene Buccigrossi (1992) J. P. Metras Trophy: Chris Morris (1990) Presidents' Trophy: Lou Tiro (1993) Russ Jackson Award: David Hamilton (2008) Frank Tindall Trophy: Ron Murphy (1974)

Varsity Blues in the CFL

As of the start of the 2026 CFL season, two former Varsity Blues players were on CFL teams' rosters:

Albert Awachie, Saskatchewan Roughriders Nick Hallett, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

References

External links