The Alberta Golden Bears football team represents the University of Alberta in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Golden Bears have been in competition since 1910 and the team has won three Vanier Cup national championships, in 1967, 1972, and most recently in 1980.Golden Bears Football Team History The Golden Bears have also won 18 Hardy Cup conference titles, second only to the Saskatchewan Huskies who have won 19 of them. The Golden Bears have also had three players win the Hec Crighton Trophy, with Mel Smith winning in 1971, Brian Fryer winning in 1975, and most recently Ed Ilnicki winning the award in 2017.
Recent history
In the 2000s, the Golden Bears had seen mixed results as the team made the playoffs in five of ten seasons between 2001 and 2010. In four of those seasons, Alberta reached the Hardy Cup, but came away with losses each time. Despite playing in the Hardy Cup in 2010, the Golden Bears finished winless in 2011 following the resignation of longtime head coach Jerry Friesen. UBC defaulted two wins to Alberta that year, but the following season was once again winless as the Golden Bears finished at the bottom of the standings. The Golden Bears saw improvement in 2014 by posting a 3-5 record, but finished fifth and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The program saw further regression in 2015 and 2016, posting just two and one win seasons, respectively.
In 2017, the Golden Bears returned to the playoffs following a six-year absence by qualifying in the last week of the season by defeating the powerhouse Calgary Dinos and finishing 3-5. Because UBC and Manitoba finished with 2-6 records, the Golden Bears finished in fourth place and in playoff position, led by the strong play of Hec Crighton Trophy winner, Ed Ilnicki. The team lost the Canada West Semi-Final to the same Dinos by a score of 39-22. In the following year, the team was once again out of the playoffs, finishing 2-6, which included a default win after the Regina Rams had to forfeit a victory due to the use of an ineligible player.Calgary tops Alberta in regular season finale
Recent season results Season Games Won Lost Standing Playoffs20018 251 .313 139 2176th in CW Out of Playoffs20028 170 .125 141 1867th in CW Out of Playoffs20038 440 .500 262 1644th in CW Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 10-4Lost to Simon Fraser Clan in Hardy Cup 28-1820048 710 .875 235 1451st in CW Defeated Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39-13Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 21-2020058 710 .875 226 1492nd in CW Defeated Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 33-24Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 30-1720068 440 .500 163 1985th in CW Out of Playoffs20078 260 .250 176 2046th in CW Out of Playoffs20088 260 .250 140 1947th in CW Out of Playoffs20098 440 .500 164 2033rd in CW Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 45-1320108 350 .375 177 2204th in CW Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 31-30Lost to Calgary Dinos in Hardy Cup 56-320118 260 .250 73 2745th in CW Out of Playoffs20128 080 .000 82 3056th in CW Out of Playoffs20138 080 .000 188 4196th in CW Out of Playoffs20148 350 .375 228 2925th in CW Out of Playoffs20158 260 .250 183 3565th in CW Out of Playoffs20168 170 .125 155 3556th in CW Out of Playoffs20178 350 .375 275 2764th in CW Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39-2220188 260 .250 109 2515th in CW Out of Playoffs20198 440 .500 179 2083rd in CW Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 28-232020Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20216 330 .500 174 1863rd in CW Lost to Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 43-1720228 350 .375 175 2015th in CW Out of Playoffs20236 620 .750 247 1962nd in CW Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 40-17Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in semi-final 28-2720248 260 .250 231 2296th in CW Out of Playoffs20258 170 .125 180 2386th in CW Out of Playoffs
National postseason results +Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)YearGameOpponentResult1965Vanier CupTorontoL 7-141967Vanier CupMcMasterW 10-91971Churchill Bowl Vanier CupBishop's WesternW 53-2 L 14-151972Churchill Bowl Vanier CupLoyola Waterloo LutheranW 58-6 W 20-71979Atlantic BowlAcadiaL 7-231980Churchill Bowl Vanier CupWestern OttawaW 14-4 W 40-211981Churchill Bowl Vanier CupWestern AcadiaW 32-31 L 12-18 Alberta is 4-1 in national semi-final games and 3-3 in the Vanier Cup.
Head coaches Name Years Notes W. M. Edwards 1910–1912 Whitney Lailey 1913 Gordon McGuire 1914–1915 No Team 1916–1918 York Blayney 1919 D. A. McGibbon 1920–1921 Jimmy Bill 1922–1926 Miles Palmer 1927 Wallace Sterling 1928–1929 Bud Morgan 1930–1931 Ken Thompson 1932 Al Wilson 1933–1934 Jake Jamieson 1935–1936 Bill Broadfoot 1937–1939 Bob Fritz 1940–1941 Tommy Hays 1942–1944 Maury Van Vliet 1945–1947 Don Smith 1948 No Team 1949–1958 Steve Mendryk 1959 Murray Smith 1960–1961 Clare Drake 1962 Gino Fracas 1963–1966 Clare Drake 1967–1968 Harvey Scott 1969–1970 Jim Donlevy 1971–1981 Jim Lazaruk 1982–1983 Jim Donlevy 1984–1990 Tom Wilkinson 1991–2000 Jerry Friesen 2001–2010 Jeff Stead 2011–2012 Chris Morris 2013–2024 Stevenson Bone 2025–present
National award winners Hec Crighton Trophy: Mel Smith (1971), Brian Fryer (1975), Ed Ilnicki (2017) J. P. Metras Trophy: Gerry Inglis (1976), Dave Willox (1978), Garret Everson (1998) Presidents' Trophy: Mark Singer (1989), Josiah Schakel (2021) Peter Gorman Trophy: Jeff Funtasz (1984) Russ Jackson Award: Sam Stetsko (1997), Carlo Panaro (1999, 2000), Chevy Thomas (2025) Frank Tindall Trophy: Jim Donlevy (1971), Jerry Friesen (2004)
Golden Bears in the professional ranks As of the start of the 2026 CFL season, 11 former Golden Bears players were on CFL teams' rosters: Ty Anderson, Montreal Alouettes Mack Bannatyne, Hamilton Tiger-Cats David Beard, Edmonton Elks Tyshon Blackburn, Edmonton Elks Jayden Dalke, Saskatchewan Roughriders Carter Kettyle, Edmonton Elks Mark Korte, Edmonton Elks Justin Lawrence, Montreal Alouettes Carter O'Donnell, Edmonton Elks Matthew Peterson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers Morgen Runge, Saskatchewan Roughriders
References
External links