McMaster Marauders football


The McMaster Marauders football team represents McMaster University based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The team plays U Sports football in the Ontario University Athletics conference. The Marauders have been playing organized football since 1901 when they played their first exhibition game in the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union. The team has appeared in four Vanier Cup games, winning one in 2011.

History

The earliest reference of the sport of football at McMaster was during a meeting on November 30, 1898, when the university's athletic association's debated about expanding into the sport of football. The association had reached a consensus two days later that the lateness of the season made it pointless to start the sport for that year. The university would form a football team in the following year.
The McMaster Marauder's football team played their first football game in an exhibition game against the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry in 1901, losing 1-0. The Marauders won their first game in an exhibition match against Royal Military College of Canada with a score of 17-5. The Marauders played their first regular season game in 1902, losing their first game to the University of Toronto in a one-game season. The Marauders would not win their first game until the following season, where they also made their first playoff appearance. The early football team at McMaster would not have a head coach until the end of World War I, with most of the coaching duties taken up by the team captains.
The Marauders have made 23 consecutive OUA post-season appearances, having last missed the playoffs in the 1997 season. During this period the Marauders have won all eight of their Yates Cup championships, and advanced to the Vanier Cup semi-final eight times. The Vanier Cup semi-finals is played in two bowl game, the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl. The Marauders football team have also made an appearance at the Churchill and Mitchell Bowls in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2012, 2014, and 2019. The Marauders have also appeared at the Atlantic and Uteck Bowls, in 1961, 1964, 1967, 2002 and 2011. Amongst these appearances the Marauders advanced to the Vanier Cup three times, in the 1967 Atlantic Bowl, the 2011 Uteck Bowl, and the 2012 and 2014 Mitchell Bowls.
The Marauders would make their first Vanier Cup appearance in 1967 at the 3rd Vanier Cup, going on to lose 10-9 to the Alberta Golden Bears. After a 44-year absence from the cup final the Marauders won their first U Sports championship at the 2011 47th Vanier Cup, beating Laval Rouge et Or 41-38 in overtime. In the following year the Marauders lost against Laval in the 48th Vanier Cup. In 2014, they lost 20-19 to the Montréal Carabins in the 50th Vanier Cup. In addition to the championships presently offered by U Sports and OUA, the Marauders had also been awarded a CCIFC championship in 1967, as well as several OIFC championship, in 1957, 1958, 1962, 1963 and 1964.

Season-by-season record

The following is the record of the McMaster Marauders football team since 2000:
SeasonGamesWonLostTiesStandingPlayoffs
200087100.875325861st in OUADefeated Waterloo Warriors in semi-final 44-20
Defeated Laurier Golden Hawks in Yates Cup final 48-23
Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in Churchill Bowl 20-15
200187010.938301811st in OUADefeated York Yeomen in quarter-final 62-0
Defeated Western Ontario Mustangs in semi-final 46-20
Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in Yates Cup final 30-22
Lost to Manitoba Bisons in Mitchell Bowl 27-7
200288001.0003101001st in OUADefeated Guelph Gryphons in quarter-final 61-10
Defeated York Yeomen in semi-final 29-14
Defeated Queen's Golden Gaels in Yates Cup final 30-22
Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Churchill Bowl 36-25
200388001.000424871st in OUADefeated Waterloo Warriors in quarter-final 70-7
Defeated Windsor Lancers in semi-final 55-15
Defeated Laurier Golden Hawks in Yates Cup final 41-17
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Mitchell Bowl 36-32
200487100.8753951192nd in OUADefeated Western Ontario Mustangs in semi-final 40-23
Lost to Laurier Golden Hawks in Yates Cup final 31-19
200585300.6252832094th in OUADefeated Windsor Lancers in quarter-final 49-19
Lost to Laurier Golden Hawks in semi-final 43-21
2006862–0.6252531564th in OUALost to Queen's Golden Gaels in quarter-final 25-19
2007853–0.6252302214th in OUALost to Guelph Gryphons in quarter-final 25-21
2008844–0.5002301986th in OUALost to Laurier Golden Hawks in quarter-final 29-0
2009862–0.7502321485th in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 27-15
Lost to Queen's Golden Gaels in semi-final 32-6
2010862–0.7502892003rd in OUADefeated Queen's Golden Gaels in quarter-final 40-19
Lost to Western Mustangs in semi-final 34-28
2011871–0.8752771462nd in OUADefeated Queen's Golden Gaels in semi-final 40-13
Defeated Western Mustangs in Yates Cup final 41-19
Defeated Acadia Axemen in Uteck Bowl 45-21
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in 47th Vanier Cup 41-38
2012880–1.0003651251st in OUADefeated Western Mustangs in semi-final 42-28
Defeated Guelph Gryphons in Yates Cup final 30-13
Defeated Calgary Dinos in Mitchel Bowl 45-6
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in 48th Vanier Cup 37-14
2013853–0.6252921754th in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 41-7
Lost to Western Mustangs in semi final 32-3
2014871–0.8752911421st in OUADefeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 42-31
Defeated Guelph Gryphons in Yates Cup final 20-15
Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in Mitchell Bowl 24-12
Lost to Montréal Carabins in 50th Vanier Cup 20-19
2015862–0.7503552113rd in OUALost to Laurier Golden Hawks in quarter-final 29-15
2016862–0.750260873rd in OUADefeated Guelph Gryphons in quarter-final 17-11
Lost to Laurier Golden Hawks in semi-final 21-17
2017862–0.7502091153rd in OUADefeated Queen's Gaels in quarter-final 12-9
Lost to Laurier Golden Hawks in semi-final 19-6
2018853–0.6251511635th in OUALost to Carleton Ravens in quarter-final 30-25
2019862–0.7502281512nd in OUADefeated Guelph Gryphons in semi-final 19-9
Defeated Western Mustangs in Yates Cup final 29-15
Lost to Calgary Dinos in Mitchell Bowl 30-17

National award winners

The Marauders currently hold a number of Ontario University Athletics records, both in terms of the team, as well as individuals who had played for the Marauders. Current records held by the Marauders are:

Team records

As of the end of the 2019 CFL season, 13 former Marauders players are on CFL teams' rosters:
In addition, former Marauders quarterback Marshall Ferguson is on the payroll of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, not as a player, but as a broadcaster.