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.[1] 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 Western Mustangs.
One former Toronto Varsity Blues team member participated in the NFL Draft; Dan Feraday (Cincinnati Bengals, 1982).[2]
The first documented game of football at the University of Toronto was on November 9, 1861.[3][4] This game was noted to be a combination of Association football and rugby, which the rules required the player bounce or kick the ball towards the opposing team's goal.[5] The game was played on Queen's Park, which eventually became the site of the Ontario Legislative Building.
The first official team was established in 1877 by J.H. Mayne Campbell, where rugby football rules were adopted.[6] The team officially played their first game against another school in 1879,[7] when they faced the University of Michigan.[8] This game ended in a draw, with no teams scoring points after two 45 minute innings.
The team faced their first game against another Canadian university in 1881 against McGill University,[9] losing two tries to nothing.
In 1883, the University of Toronto football team entered the Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU). They remained in the ORFU league until 1898, where they then joined the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU).[9] During this year the team won the first Yates Cup.
The Canadian Dominion Football Championship was first established in 1884, and as the University of Toronto was a member of the ORFU, it qualified to play in these championship games. The team won championship games in 1895 and 1905.[10][11]
In 1909, the Grey Cup was established and the University of Toronto football team won the inaugural game.[12] The team went on the win additionally in 1910, 1911 and 1920.
In recent years the team has had a string of losses, not qualifying for the playoffs in 20 out of the 22 current seasons.
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.[13] The team last posted a winning record in 1995.[14]
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.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17][18] 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.
The Varsity Blues qualified for the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 1995 and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1992.[19] In 2022, the Varsity Blues finished in seventh place with a 4-4 record and again qualified for the playoffs as the OUA expanded the number of playoff teams. After a disappointing 2–6 finish to the 2023 season, it was announced on November 23, 2023, that Marshall would not return as the team's head coach.[20] Darrell Adams was hired as the team's head coach on January 5, 2024.[21]
The following is the record of the Toronto Varsity Blues football team since 2000:
[1][22]
As of the start of the 2024 CFL season, two former Varsity Blues players were on CFL teams' rosters:[23]