The Guelph Gryphons football team represents the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario in the sport of Canadian football in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U Sports. The Guelph Gryphons football team has been in continuous operation since 1950. The team has won one Vanier Cup national championship in 1984, which is also their only appearance in the title game. The Gryphons have won one Vanier Cup and four Yates Cup conference championships, in 1984, 1992, 1996 and 2015.
History The team can trace their roots back to 1950 when the team played in the Intercollegiate Intermediate Football Union. Through numerous league evolutions, the Gryphons were a founding member of the Ontario University Athletics in 1980 and continue to play there to this day. The team won their first Yates Cup championship in 1984 and also won their first and only Vanier Cup championship that year against the Mount Allison Mounties. While the team was competitive in the 1990s and won two more Yates Cup championships in 1992 and 1996, the 1984 Vanier Cup was the program's only appearance in the title game.
In the early 2000s, the program remained largely in the middle of the standings as the team had been at or within one game of .500 for six of those years and did not have a winning record at any point in the decade. However, led by then-head coach Kyle Walters, the upstart 4-4 Gryphons made a Yates Cup appearance in the 2007 OUA championship game, but lost to the Western Mustangs.
Stu Lang was named head coach for the 2010 season and the program established a dominant run. The team finished with a 7–1 record and a 2nd-place finish for four straight seasons from 2012 to 2015, culminating in the program's fourth Yates Cup win in 2015.
Lang resigned after the successful 2015 season and Kevin MacNeill was named interim head coach for 2016. In the fall of 2017, the football team officially opened the Football Pavilion, a state of the art locker room and complex for the football team, and its coaches, donated by Lang. The team continued to qualify for the playoffs and remain competitive under MacNeill, finishing 5–3 in 2017. However, the team was blown out in a 66-12 OUA semi-final loss to the Western Mustangs. After MacNeill left the program, Todd Galloway was named interim head coach for the 2018 season and led the team all the way to the Yates Cup where they were again soundly defeated by the Mustangs. Ryan Sheahan was named head coach on January 10, 2019 and led the team to a 6–2 record and third-place finish in his first season. The COVID-19 Pandemic cancelled the 2020 season. In the shortened 2021 season, the Gryphons dropped to 3-3, and fell even further during the 2022 season to 1-7 under Sheahan's hand.
Recent season results Season Games Won Lost OL Pct % PF PA Standing Playoffs20008 350 0.375 165 2105th in OUADid not qualify20018 350 0.375 164 2377th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 38-1520028 260 0.250 102 2378th in OUALost to McMaster Marauders in OUA quarter-finals 71-1120038 260 0.250 161 2859th in OUADid not qualify20048 440 0.500 169 2385th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 33-920058 351 0.375 208 2426th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 35-2120068 26- 0.250 206 2178th in OUADid not qualify20078 44- 0.500 278 1245th in OUADefeated McMaster Marauders in OUA quarter-finals 25-21Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA semi-finals 38-31Lost to Western Mustangs in Yates Cup 34-2120088 44- 0.500 255 1734th in OUALost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 42-3720098 35- 0.375 310 2536th in OUALost to Western Mustangs in OUA quarter-finals 37-1820108 44- 0.500 159 1925th in OUALost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA quarter-finals 42-1020118 26- 0.250 209 1978th in OUADid not qualify20128 71- 0.875 251 2092nd in OUADefeated Queen's Golden Gaels in OUA semi-finals 42-39Lost to McMaster Marauders in Yates Cup 30-1320138 71- 0.875 252 1392nd in OUALost to Queen's Golden Gaels in OUA semi-finals 34-1720148 71- 0.875 343 1742nd in OUADefeated Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 51-26Lost to McMaster Marauders in Yates Cup 20-1520158 71- 0.875 404 2222nd in OUADefeated Carleton Ravens in OUA semi-finals 33-21Defeated Western Mustangs in Yates Cup 23-17Lost to Montreal Carabins in Mitchell Bowl 25-1020168 35- 0.375 244 2276th in OUALost to McMaster Marauders in OUA quarter-finals 17-1120178 53- 0.625 293 1965th in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 30-8Lost to Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 66-1220188 53- 0.625 236 1753rd in OUADefeated Waterloo Warriors in OUA quarter-finals 45-34Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA semi-finals 27-22Lost to Western Mustangs in Yates Cup 63-1420198 62- 0.750 242 1423rd in OUADefeated Carleton Ravens in OUA quarter-finals 22-17Lost to McMaster Marauders in OUA semi-finals 19-92020Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20216 33- 0.500 140 863rd in OUA WestDefeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA quarter-finals 31-18Lost to Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 33–1220228 17- 0.125 158 3199th in OUADid not qualify20238 35- 0.375 248 2148th in OUADid not qualify20248 62- 0.750 276 2003rd in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in OUA quarter-finals 26-15Lost to Western Mustangs in OUA semi-finals 30-1920258 35- 0.375 236 2407th in OUADefeated Western Mustangs in OUA quarter-finals 18-17Lost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA semi-finals 37-30
National postseason results +Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)YearGameOpponentResult1984Churchill Bowl Vanier CupCalgary Mount AllisonW 12-7 W 22-131992Churchill BowlQueen'sL 16-231996Churchill Bowl SaskatchewanL 9-332015Mitchell BowlMontrealL 10-25 Guelph is 1-3 in national semi-final games and 1-0 in the Vanier Cup.
Head coaches Name Years Notes Bill Mitchell 1950–1953 Jay Fry 1954–1955 Tom Mooney 1956–1960 Don Hayes 1961–1962 Bill Graham 1963–1965 Bill Mitchell 1966–1969 Dick Brown 1970–1978 Tom Dimitroff Sr. 1979–1983 John Musselman 1984–1986 Dan McNally 1987–2000 Tom Arnott 2001–2005 Kyle Walters 2006–2009 Stu Lang 2010–2015 Kevin MacNeill 2016–2017 Todd Galloway 2018 Ryan Sheahan 2019–2023 Mark Surya 2024–present
National award winners J. P. Metras Trophy: Peter Langford (1982), Louie Godry (1986) Presidents' Trophy: John Rush (2015) Peter Gorman Trophy: John Lowe (1978) Russ Jackson Award: Zach Androschuk (2012) Frank Tindall Trophy: Dan McNally (1996)
Guelph Gryphons in the CFL
As of the start of the 2026 CFL season, ten former Gryphons players are on CFL teams' rosters: A. J. Allen, Ottawa Redblacks Johnny Augustine, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Clark Barnes, Calgary Stampeders Simon Chaves, Toronto Argonauts Vyshonne Janusas, Calgary Stampeders Royce Metchie, Edmonton Elks Kian Schaffer-Baker, Saskatchewan Roughriders Isaiah Smith, Toronto Argonauts Kiondre Smith, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Coulter Woodmansey, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
References
External links Official website