Toronto Varsity Blues football


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 31 won by the Western Ontario Mustangs.

Recent history

Hard times have fallen on the University of Toronto football team in recent years. The football program had not won a game since the 2001 season. 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.

Season-by-season record

The following is the record of the Toronto Varsity Blues football team since 2000:
SeasonGamesWonLostPct %PFPAStandingPlayoffs
20008080.000403488th in OUADid not qualify
20018170.1259227610th in OUADid not qualify
20028080.0006336410th in OUADid not qualify
20038080.0004243810th in OUADid not qualify
20048080.000824509th in OUADid not qualify
20058080.0001264339th in OUADid not qualify
20068080.00012541810th in OUADid not qualify
20078080.00011134510th in OUADid not qualify
20088260.2501682728th in OUADid not qualify
20098170.125982799th in OUADid not qualify
20108350.3751402367th in OUADid not qualify
20118350.3751101897th in OUADid not qualify
20128260.2501362799th in OUADid not qualify
20138440.5002302317th in OUADid not qualify
20148260.2502653219th in OUADid not qualify
20158350.3751592247th in OUADid not qualify
20168260.2501552888th in OUADid not qualify
20178170.12510830811th in OUADid not qualify
20188080.00012231511th in OUADid not qualify
20198260.2502222499th in OUADid not qualify

Head coaches

National award winners

As of the end of the 2019 CFL season, six former Varsity Blues players were on CFL teams' rosters: