| University of Toronto
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| Motto
| Velut arbor aevo
(As a tree with the passage of time)
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| Established
| 1827
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| School type
| Public
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| President
| Frank Iacobucci (interim)
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| Location
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Campus
| Urban
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| Enrollment
| 37,915 full-time, 12,488 part-time undergraduate,
9,062 full-time, 2,535 part-time graduate
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| Faculty
| 10,309
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| Mascot
| True Blue
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| Sports teams
| Varsity Blues
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| Homepage
| www.utoronto.ca
Crest image © University of Toronto
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Varsity Blues Football is the storied franchise of the University of Toronto. The most storied teams include the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Football Team, played at the historic Varsity Stadium in Toronto. It has been a remarkable history that includes a long list of football firsts, as well as four Grey Cup, two Vanier Cup and 25 Yates Cup championships. It wasnt long after McGill and Harvard played their historic series in 1874, that the rules of rugby (as it was called prior to the turn of the century) were introduced at U of T by J.H. Mayne Campbell, with the first Varsity team officially recognized on campus in 1877. In its infancy rugby football differed little from the British version, but North American modifications were gradually introduced so that by the turn of the century football in Canada was without a doubt, a game of its own.
Most of Varsitys early opponents were club teams such as the Ottawa Britannias, Hamilton Tigers and the Toronto Argonauts. U of Ts first official intercollegiate game was played in 1879 in Detroit against the University of Michigan, with the two teams battling to a scoreless draw. Varsitys first Canadian opponent was in the fall of 1881, when McGill scored a victory by two tries to nothing on the front lawn at U of T.
As for the nickname Blues, it seems that this reference wasnt generally used until the 1930s. Previously, nicknames were not always customary for university teams and references such as The Big Blue, The Blue and White and The Varsity Blue appeared interchangeably.
Official intercollegiate competition began in 1898, with Varsity capturing the first-ever Yates Cup, and ten of the first 17 championships. Varsity also claimed national titles in 1905 and 1909 though 1911; with the latter three being most historic as they represented the first Grey Cup championships, which is now the pinnacle of the Canadian Football League season.
U of T made their final Grey Cup appearance in 1926, dropping a 10-7 decision to the Ottawa Rough Riders. In the end, Varsity claimed four Grey Cup titles in all (09,10,'11,20). Through the 1920s and 30s U of T captured six Yates Cups, and would add six more before 1970. However, it was in the early 50s that U of T football attracted its largest crowds.
Following the final expansion of Varsity Stadium in 1950, the Varsity Blues averaged 25,593 spectators per game and attracted a university record crowd of 26,764 for a game versus the University of Western Ontario Mustangs on October 21st.
If one team stands out at U of T, it would be the 1958 squad. The team was led by Dalt White, and is regarded by many as the Varsity Blues strongest ever. They averaged almost 40 points a game and remain the only U of T football team to go undefeated since 1910.
Seven years later, Whites final season on the sidelines, the Varsity Blues would claim another first, winning the inaugural Vanier Cup championship by a 14-7 score over the University of Alberta. The 1965 team was inducted into the UofT Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Meanwhile, since 1965 the Varsity Blues have captured five Yates Cup titles, including the 1983 championship that featured at slot back, current Varsity Blues head coach Steve Howlett.
The Varsity Blues claimed their second Vanier Cup in 1993 under the tutelage of head coach Bob Laycoe. In a thrilling final, Glenn McCausland returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, a Vanier Cup record that still stands today, as the Varsity Blues slipped past the University of Calgary 37-34.
Coach Howlett has now stepped from the playing field to the sidelines eager to return the University of Toronto Varsity Blues to glory.
External links
Varsity Blues is also a 1998 movie about teenage angst in the fictional town of West Canaan, Texas that is engrossed in the local high school football program, and their winning-obsessed coach Kilmer (played by Jon Voight). The movie stars James Vanderbeek, Paul Walker, Ali Larter, Scott Caan and Amy Smart.
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