Laval Rouge et Or football

Laval Rouge et Or
Laval Rouge et Or logo
First season1996
Athletic directorJulie Dionne
Head coachGlen Constantin
23rd year, 159–28  (.850)
Other staffJustin Éthier (OC)
Marc Fortier (DC)
Home stadiumTelus Stadium
Year built1994
Stadium capacity12,750 seated[1] (~20,903)[2]
Stadium surfaceFieldTurf
LocationQuébec City, Québec, Canada
LeagueU Sports
ConferenceQUFL/RSEQ (2001 - present)
Past associationsOQIFC (1996-2000)
All-time record181–46–0 (.797)
Postseason record63–16 (.797)
Titles
Vanier Cups12
1999, 2003, 2004, 2006,
2008, 2010, 2012, 2013,
2016, 2018, 2022, 2024
Uteck Bowls8
2004, 2006, 2008, 2010,
2012, 2013, 2016, 2018
Mitchell Bowls5
2003, 2011, 2017, 2022,
2024
Churchill Bowls1
1999
Dunsmore Cups17
1999, 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,
2016, 2017, 2018, 2022,
2024
Hec Crighton winners2
Benoit Groulx, Kevin Mital
Current uniform
ColoursRed, Gold, and Black
     
OutfitterNike
RivalsMontreal Carabins
Websiterougeetor.ulaval.ca

The Laval Rouge et Or football team represents Laval University in Quebec City in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The program began its first regular season in 1996 and has quickly become one of the most successful programs in Canadian university football history. The Rouge et Or have won a record 12 Vanier Cup championships and their most recent victory occurred at the 59th Vanier Cup in 2024. They are also the only program to have played in four straight Vanier Cups and have a record of 12–2 in Vanier Cup games.[3] The Rouge et Or have also won the Dunsmore Cup 17 times since 1999, demonstrating their historical dominance in their conference.

History

[edit]

The Rouge et Or football program was first conceived of by Mike Labadie, a local physical education teacher, and Jacques Tanguay, a wealthy alumnus and avid sports fan.[4] They had noted an exodus of French-speaking football players to English speaking schools because there was no Francophone option for them to continue their football careers. Tanguay invested heavily into the football program as the Rouge et Or began their first season in 1996, one year after the National Hockey League's Quebec Nordiques had left Quebec City to relocate to Colorado.[4] Labadie was the team's first head coach and they finished the year with a 1–7 record.[5] The following year, Jacques Chapdelaine was hired to become the team's head coach. The Rouge et Or were the first Canadian collegiate team to feature full-time, paid assistant coaches and the first to use video editing, further giving them a heightened competitive advantage.[4]

Laval won their first national championship in 1999, against the Saint Mary's Huskies, under head coach Chapdelaine, bringing the Vanier Cup back to Quebec for the first time since 1987.[6] Chapdelaine left the program following the 2000 season to continue his coaching career in the Canadian Football League. In 2001, current head coach Glen Constantin was promoted from his defensive coordinator position and led the team to 5–3 record and another Dunsmore Cup.[7][4] However, during that season, the program had to vacate all victories due to use of an ineligible player. Consequently, that season is recorded as having eight regular season losses and three playoff losses.[8]

Football game featuring the Rouge et Or and Acadia Axemen at Laval in 2012.

For the following season in 2002, the Rouge et Or finished 6-2 and lost to the Concordia Stingers in the QUFL semi-final. This is notable because, as of 2024, it is the last time that the Rouge et Or failed to qualify for the Dunsmore Cup. The following season, the Rouge et Or began their conference dominance, scoring a school record 481 points in eight regular season games (over 60 points on average per game), en route to their second Dunsmore Cup. The Rouge et Or finished that season with their second Vanier Cup victory, also against Saint Mary's, in the 39th Vanier Cup which was Constantin's first as head coach.[9]

In 2004, the Rouge et Or repeated as Vanier Cup champions for the first time in school history by defeating the Saskatchewan Huskies in the 40th Vanier Cup.[10] Laval became the fourth program in Canadian collegiate history to repeat as Vanier Cup champions. It was the lowest scoring game in Vanier Cup history as Laval won by a score of 7-1 and it was the first Vanier Cup held outside of Toronto as the game was played at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario.[10]

In 2005, the Saskatchewan Huskies collected a measure of revenge as they defeated the Rouge et Or in the semi-final Mitchell Bowl in Saskatoon. However, in the following year, the two teams met again in the 2006 Vanier Cup, where the Vanier Cup was being played in Saskatoon for the first time and in the Huskies home stadium, Griffiths Stadium.[11] The team claimed the rubber match by defeating the Saskatchewan Huskies 13–8, in a game played in temperatures below −20 °C.[11] Linebacker Éric Maranda, that game's MVP, was chosen to play in the U.S. East–West Shrine Game in Houston, Texas on January 19, 2008.

A practice in their home stadium.

For the 2007 season, the Rouge et Or claimed their fifth straight Dunsmore Cup championship, but lost to the Saint Mary's Huskies in the Uteck Bowl in Huskies Stadium in Halifax. It marked the last time, as of 2024, that Laval had lost to a team from the Atlantic University Sport conference. The following year, Laval, ranked first in Canada, played in the 2008 Vanier Cup, and defeated the third-ranked Western Mustangs 44–21 to claim their fifth national championship.[12] It was the eighth time that Laval had finished their season paying in a national final or semi-final and, oddly, the first of those occurrences where the opposing team was not nicknamed the "Huskies." The 2008 season also saw the program produce its first Hec Crighton Trophy winner as Benoit Groulx was named the CIS football's most valuable player.[13]

Laval University hosted the Vanier Cup game for the first time in 2009, but the Rouge et Or lost to the eventual champion Queen's Golden Gaels in the Mitchell Bowl played at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario.[14] However, Laval was hosting back-to-back Vanier Cup games and the Rouge et Or qualified for the 46th Vanier Cup in 2010. There, the Rouge et Or dominated the Calgary Dinos 29–2 to win their sixth Vanier Cup championship.[15] They were the first team in CIS history to win 13 straight games in 13 weeks of play after they played nine regular season games in 2010 (The QUFL extended the regular season to nine games in 2010).[15] Their defence also set a Vanier Cup record for fewest yards allowed, 140, beating the previous record of 161 allowed by the Guelph Gryphons in 1984.[15] Laval won in front of 16,237 hometown fans, becoming the second program to win the Vanier Cup at home, with the Toronto Varsity Blues winning in 1965 and 1993.[15]

In the following season, Laval lost a Vanier Cup game for the first time in program history, as they fell 41-38 to the McMaster Marauders in double overtime in the 2011 Vanier Cup.[16][17] This game was played at BC Place and was the first Vanier Cup to be played in Vancouver.[16] The Rouge et Or would exact a measure of revenge the following year in a rematch against the Marauders in the 48th Vanier Cup.[18] The team won a Canadian collegiate record seventh Vanier Cup championship in front of an also record crowd of 37,098 fans at the Rogers Centre in Toronto by a score of 37–14.[18] In 2013, they won back-to-back national championships for the second time in program history when they defeated the Calgary Dinos in the 49th Vanier Cup by a score of 25–14.[19] The game was again played at Telus Stadium on the campus of Laval University in front of 18,543 fans.[19]

The Calgary Dinos on offence against the Laval Rouge et Or in the 52nd Vanier Cup in 2016.

The 2014 season saw the full rise of the Montreal Carabins to prominence, as they not only defeated the Rouge et Or in the regular season, but they also defeated them in the post-season and at home in the Dunsmore Cup. It snapped Laval's 70-game home winning streak (combined regular season and post-season) and 11-year Dunsmore Cup winning streak.[20] Proving that 2014 was no fluke, the Carabins again defeated the Rouge et Or the following year in Quebec City in the Dunsmore Cup and would again represent the RSEQ in the Vanier Cup.[21]

In 2016, the Rouge et Or finished in second place in the RSEQ after losing the head-to-head tie-breaker to the Carabins. Nonetheless, they defeated those Carabins in Montreal in the Dunsmore Cup and advanced to their tenth Vanier Cup appearance in the 52nd Vanier Cup. In that game, the Rouge et Or came back on top by squeezing a narrow 31–26 victory against the Calgary Dinos in Hamilton at Tim Hortons Field.[22] The Rouge et Or qualified for the 53rd Vanier Cup the following year, but were soundly defeated by the Western Mustangs by a score of 39–17.[23] It was their most lopsided loss since they were defeated by the Saint Mary's Huskies by a similar 22-point margin in their 24–2 loss in the 2007 Uteck Bowl. In 2018, the Rouge et Or would exact a measure of revenge by returning to the national championship game and defeating the Mustangs by a score of 34–20 in front of a home crowd in the 54th Vanier Cup. The win capped the fourth undefeated season in program history.

On October 20, 2019, a record 19,381 fans attended the Rouge et Or game against the Montreal Carabins as the program celebrated their 25th anniversary.[24] The team finished in first place in 2019, but were defeated by the Carabins at home in the Dunsmore Cup, ending their three-year Vanier Cup appearance streak.

In 2022, the Rouge et Or ended a 3 years championship drought (one of these years being the 2020 season, canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) by winning both their 16th Dunsmore Cup, against the Carabins, and their 11th Vanier Cup, against the Saskatchewan Huskies. In 2023, the Rouge et Or finished in second place and lost the conference championship to the Carabins.

In the second game of the 2024 season, the Rouge et Or hosted the Carabins and broke their previous attendance record as 20,903 fans attended the game.[25]

Season-by-season record

[edit]
Season Games Won Lost Pct % PF PA Standing Playoffs
1996 8 1 7 0.125 91 229 7th in OQIFC Did not qualify
1997 8 3 5 0.375 130 190 6th in OQIFC Did not qualify
1998 8 4 4 0.500 181 156 3rd in OQIFC Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in semi-final 48-42
Lost to Concordia Stingers in Dunsmore Cup 17-12
1999 8 6 2 0.750 237 123 3rd in OQIFC Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 42-16
Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in Dunsmore Cup 38-6
Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in Churchill Bowl 27-21
Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in 35th Vanier Cup 14-10
2000 8 8 0 1.000 237 103 1st in OQIFC Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 17-14
Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in Dunsmore Cup 26-9
2001 8 5 3 0.625 234 95 1st in QUFL[a] Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 48-12
Defeated McGill Redmen in Dunsmore Cup 42-14
Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic Bowl 48-8
2002 8 6 2 0.750 311 124 2nd in QUFL Lost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 29-21
2003 8 7 1 0.875 481 86 1st in QUFL Defeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 47-7
Defeated Concordia Stingers in Dunsmore Cup 59-7
Defeated McMaster Marauders in Mitchell Bowl 36-32
Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in 39th Vanier Cup 14-7
2004 8 7 1 0.875 222 66 2nd in QUFL Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 29-13
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 30-11
Defeated Laurier Golden Hawks in Uteck Bowl 30-11
Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in 40th Vanier Cup 7-1
2005 8 8 0 1.000 305 75 1st in QUFL Defeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 72-14
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 19-13
Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Mitchell Bowl 29-27
2006 8 7 1 0.875 218 100 1st in QUFL Defeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 52-0
Defeated Concordia Stingers in Dunsmore Cup 28-12
Defeated Acadia Axemen in Uteck Bowl 57-10
Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in 42nd Vanier Cup 13-8
2007 8 8 0 1.000 312 120 1st in QUFL Defeated Montreal Carabins in semi-final 28-16
Defeated Concordia Stingers in Dunsmore Cup 35-10
Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Uteck Bowl 24-2
2008 8 8 0 1.000 337 60 1st in QUFL Defeated Montreal Carabins in semi-final 28-16
Defeated Concordia Stingers in Dunsmore Cup 28-17
Defeated Calgary Dinos in Uteck Bowl 59-10
Defeated Western Mustangs in 44th Vanier Cup 44-21
2009 8 7 1 0.875 333 61 1st in QUFL Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 63-1
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 31-7
Lost to Queen's Golden Gaels in Mitchell Bowl 33-30
2010 9 9 0 1.000 411 58 1st in QUFL Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 56-1
Defeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in Dunsmore Cup 22-17
Defeated Western Mustangs in Uteck Bowl 13-11
Defeated Calgary Dinos in 46th Vanier Cup 29-2
2011 9 8 1 0.889 295 108 1st in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 33-7
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 30-7
Defeated Calgary Dinos in Mitchell Bowl 41-10
Lost to McMaster Marauders in 47th Vanier Cup 41-38 (2OT)
2012 9 8 1 0.889 348 114 1st in RSEQ Defeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 46-9
Defeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in Dunsmore Cup 42-24
Defeated Acadia Axemen in Uteck Bowl 42-7
Defeated McMaster Marauders in 48th Vanier Cup 37-14
2013 8 8 0 1.000 273 92 1st in RSEQ Defeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 32-11
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 14-11
Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in Uteck Cup 48-21
Defeated Calgary Dinos in 49th Vanier Cup 25-14
2014 8 7 1 0.875 383 78 1st in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 74-18
Lost to Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 12-9 (OT)
2015 8 7 1 0.875 298 101 1st in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 52-8
Lost to Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 18-16
2016 8 7 1 0.875 289 78 2nd in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 39-14
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 20-17
Defeated Laurier Golden Hawks in Uteck Bowl 36-6
Defeated Calgary Dinos in 52nd Vanier Cup 31-26
2017 8 7 1 0.875 266 77 1st in RSEQ Defeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 45-0
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 25-22
Defeated Calgary Dinos in Mitchell Bowl 35-23
Lost to Western Mustangs in 53rd Vanier Cup 39-17
2018 8 8 0 1.000 307 54 1st in RSEQ Defeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 40-0
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 14-1
Defeated St. Francis Xavier X-Men in Uteck Bowl 63-0
Defeated Western Mustangs in 54th Vanier Cup 34-20
2019 8 7 1 0.875 301 72 1st in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 40-8
Lost to Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 28-19
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 8 5 3 0.625 234 108 2nd in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 30-10
Lost to Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 28-19
2022 8 7 1 0.875 274 112 1st in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 38-27
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 25-24
Defeated Western Mustangs in Mitchell Bowl 27-20
Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in 57th Vanier Cup 30-24
2023 8 6 2 0.750 226 122 2nd in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 34-27 (OT)
Lost to Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 12-6
2024 8 7 1 0.875 256 106 1st in RSEQ Defeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 41-18
Defeated Montreal Carabins in Dunsmore Cup 22-17
Defeated Regina Rams in Mitchell Bowl 17-14
Defeated Laurier Golden Hawks in 59th Vanier Cup 22-17
Totals[b] 227 181 46 0.797 19 first-place finishes 17 Dunsmore Cup championships
12 Vanier Cup championships

[26]

Notes
  1. ^ Laval was later forced to forfeit all victories and postseason titles for use of ineligible players during the season. Actual results are listed here.
  2. ^ Season totals are corrected for the 2001 season in which all Laval victories count as losses for that season.

Head coaches

[edit]
 # Name Term  GC  W  L  T  Pts  W%  PGC  PW  PL  PW% Achievements
1 Mike Labadie 1996 8 1 7 0 2 .125 — — — —
2 Jacques Chapdelaine 1997–2000 32 21 11 0 42 .656 8 6 2 .750 Vanier Cup championship (1999)
3 Glen Constantin 2001–present 179 152 27 — 304 .849 65 51 14 .785 2x Frank Tindall Trophy winner (2005, 2010)
10x Vanier Cup championship (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2022)

National award winners

[edit]

Former players playing professionally

[edit]

Laval Rouge et Or in the CFL

[edit]

As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, 15 former Rouge et Or players are on CFL teams' rosters:

[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rouge et Or Football (2013). Guide médias 2013 (PDF) (in French). Quebec City: Université Laval. p. 2. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "U Sports football's relevance is not threatened by decline in numbers | Sports".
  3. ^ 48th Vanier Cup: A head-to-head look
  4. ^ a b c d Laval Rouge et Or: the making of a powerhouse
  5. ^ Laval’s field of dreams
  6. ^ 1999 Vanier Cup: Laval Rouge et Or 14, Saint Mary's Huskies 10
  7. ^ Glen Constantin Laval bio
  8. ^ "Glen Constantin coaching record" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  9. ^ 2003 Vanier Cup: Laval Rouge et Or 14, Saint Mary's Huskies 7
  10. ^ a b 2004 Vanier Cup Game Recap
  11. ^ a b 2006 Vanier Cup Game Recap
  12. ^ 2008 Vanier Cup Game Recap
  13. ^ Laval's Groulx wins Hec Crighton award
  14. ^ 2009 Vanier Cup Game Recap
  15. ^ a b c d 2010 Vanier Cup Game Recap
  16. ^ a b 2011 Vanier Cup Game Recap
  17. ^ Watson, A. (November 25, 2011). CIS football - McMaster claims first Vanier Cup Archived 2011-11-29 at the Wayback Machine. Vanier Cup 2011. Retrieved on: 2011-12-04.
  18. ^ a b 2012 Vanier Cup: Laval captures record 7th Vanier Cup title
  19. ^ a b 2013 Vanier Cup: Laval adds to own record with 8th Vanier Cup title
  20. ^ Montreal ends Laval’s reign in Dunsmore Cup
  21. ^ "University of Montreal Carabins take home Dunsmore Cup". CBC News. 2015-11-14. Archived from the original on 2018-04-19.
  22. ^ Laval, Calgary both blow out opponents to set up Vanier Cup showdown
  23. ^ Vanier Cup: Western Mustangs gallop to championship victory
  24. ^ "U Sports Football Players of the Week: Patten, Lavallée, Liegghio honoured". U Sports. October 23, 2019.
  25. ^ "Foule et botté records pour le Match en Blanc présenté par TELUS" (in French). Laval Rouge et Or. September 7, 2024.
  26. ^ RSEQ Standings
  27. ^ "Canadian Football League, Players". Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
[edit]
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