Queen's Gaels Football
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The Queen's Gaels football team represents Queen's University in the sport of
Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
. The
Gaels The Gaels ( ; ; ; ) are an Insular Celts, Insular Celtic ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They are associated with the Goidelic languages, Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languages comprising ...
compete at the
U Sports football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athleti ...
level, within the
Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; ) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, ...
(OUA) conference. Queen's began competing in intercollegiate football in 1882. The Gaels play in the Richardson Memorial Stadium in
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
, which has a capacity of 8,000. Since its inception, the team has won 23
Yates Cup The Yates Cup () is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of U Sports. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back to 1898 and surpassi ...
championships and four
Vanier Cup The Vanier Cup () is the trophy awarded annually to the champion Canadian football team in U Sports, the governing body for university sports in Canada. The U Sports football champion is determined in a one-game playoff (the Vanier Cup game), pl ...
championships, the most recent being in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. Unique to only two Canadian universities (the other being
University of Toronto Varsity Blues The Toronto Varsity Blues are the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 43 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. The Varsity Blues trace their foundin ...
), Queen's has also won three
Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
championships (1922, 1923, 1924). The program has had three
Hec Crighton Trophy The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after Hec Crighton who was a former teacher, coach, referee, and the ...
winners, Larry Mohr and Tommy Denison, who won it twice.


History


Early history

Queen's has competed continuously since 1882 and the team began organized play in 1883 when the
Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883, and in 1903 it became the first major competition to ado ...
(ORFU) was first founded. The team later went on to win two ORFU championships in
1893 Events January * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * January 6 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress; th ...
and
1894 Events January * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States. * Ja ...
. The first organized university football league in Canada, the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (CIRFU), was founded in Kingston in November 1897, with charter members Queen's,
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
, and the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. As a member of the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU), Queen's qualified to play in the
Grey Cup championship The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
, and went on to win three straight in
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
,
1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...
and
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...
. Since the beginning of the Vanier Cup championship in 1965, Queen's has won four titles in 1968, 1978, 1992 and 2009.


Doug Hargreaves era

After playing for Frank Tindall from 1951 to 1955, Doug Hargreaves was picked to be his successor in 1976. Though Tindall left some big shoes to fill Hargreaves fill them and then even eclipsed them with his first 16 seasons making the playoffs, 13 of this seasons making the conference finals, with 8 of those seasons winning the conference title, 3 of those seasons playing in the Vanier cup final, with 2 Vanier cup championships (1978, 1992). After many years of success in 1993 and 1994 they missed the playoffs. Hargreaves decided to retire after the 1994 season. Hargreaves is remembered as a great coach who demanded excellence. The driveway leading up to the stadium is named Hargreaves way after Coach Hargreaves.


Bob Howes Era (1995–1999)

Originally just named as interim coach in 1995 but after leading the team to the Dunsmore cup (lost 8–3 to the Ottawa Gee Gees) was named head coach. Howes had a plethora of football knowledge as being a 5-time grey cup champion and being a long time assistant to Doug Hargreaves. With a decent staff that saw many holdovers from the Hargreaves era including legendary defensive co-ordinator Bob Mullen. He also had his son Beau Howes as his starting quarterback. The first three years of Howes Campaign were very successful with 3 playoff appearances and two trips to the Dunsmore (1995, 1997) though losing both. They technically have a ceremonial Dunsmore cup victory in 1997 as U Ottawa was found to have ineligible players and their season was forfeited. After the 1997 season though was the end of the success for the Howes staff. The 1998 and 1999 campaigns failed to make the playoffs and thus ended the Howes era.


Pat Sheahan era (2000–2018)

The team was led by
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
Pat Sheahan from 2000 to 2018. His first year was a difficult one only mustering a 1–7 season. However, in the off-season he recruited a nucleus of talent including future two-time Hec Creighton trophy winner QB Tommy Denison (Qb #7 2001–2003). With Denison leading the way Sheahan would coach them to a Yates cup appearance in 2002. Though he returned Queens back to a respectable team, Sheahan's teams quarterbacked by Denison never were able to win the Vanier. However, his next star quarterback recruit would be and that was Danny Branagan (Qb # 5 2005–2009). With Branagan he led them to their fourth Vanier Cup in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. The following year the team endured a difficult 2010 season, finishing 3–5. The team went on to have strong seasons in
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, and 2013, with two semi-final finishes and culminating with a Yates Cup berth; unfortunately, they would lose to Western 51–22. The next season after 8 straight playoff campaigns was ended in 2014 when the Gaels failed to make the playoffs. The team finished fourth in the OUA in 2015, being beaten by the
Carleton Ravens The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's ...
in the semi-final game. 2016 saw a new stadium built in the place of the old Richardson with a brand new turf field, jumbotron, and 8000 seats. The team finished in seventh place in 2016 with a 3–5 record and missed the playoffs due to a tie-breaker with
Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
, whom they lost to earlier in the season. 2017 was the last playoff appearance in the Sheahan Era which ended ina quarterfinal loss to McMaster. In 2019, Sheahan was dismissed as head coach after a disappointing 2018 campaign.


Steve Snyder era (2019–present)

Steve Snyder took over the team in 2019. In 2021, he led the team to a perfect regular season in the OUA and a berth into the Yates Cup Final (which they lost to Western 29–0). Steve was named OUA and U SPORTS Coach of the Year in 2021. Snyder's era has seen a youth movement on the coaching staff, and a revitalized interest in football in the community, hence the back-to-back hosting of the Vanier cup in 2023 and 2024. 3 straight top four finishes has shown the success Snyder has brought to the program with his own personal touch.


Head coaching history


Frank Tindall (1939–1975)

Frank Tindall began coaching the Queen's Gaels football team in 1939, following his playing career with the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
. Tindall was known as the primary driving force for the success of the team during this era and was well known around
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
at this time. His total records and accomplishments include 196 games (112 wins, 84 losses), with one
Vanier Cup The Vanier Cup () is the trophy awarded annually to the champion Canadian football team in U Sports, the governing body for university sports in Canada. The U Sports football champion is determined in a one-game playoff (the Vanier Cup game), pl ...
(
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
), 8 Yates Cups (1955, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970) and 10 Yates Cup appearances (1960 and 1962 being losses).


Doug Hargreaves (1976–1994)

Doug Hargreaves John Walter Douglas Hargreaves (December 20, 1931 –July 5, 2016) was a Canadian air force officer, athletic coach, and educator. During his 19-year tenure as head football coach, he led the Queen's Golden Gaels to 16 consecutive OQIFC playoff a ...
took over as head coach in 1976, returning to the team where he previously was a player from 1951 to 1955. Hargreaves had a total regular season record of 110 wins, 59 losses and 3 tied games, with 2 Vanier Cup championships (
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
and
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
), 3 Vanier Cup Appearances (lost in
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
), 2 Churchill Bowl championships (1983 and 1992), 5 Churchill Bowl Appearances (1979, 1989 and 1991 being losses), 1 Atlantic Bowl championship (1978), 4 Atlantic Bowl Appearances (losses in 1977, 1981 and 1984), 2 Yates Cup championships (1977, 1978), 6 Dunsmore Cup championships (1981, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1992), 3 Yates Cup appearances (loss in 1979), 10 Dunsmore Cup appearances (losses in 1980, 1982, 1988 and 1990) and 16 playoff appearances.


Bob Howes (1995–1999)

Bob Howes Bob Howes (born January 4, 1943) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played fourteen seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL), mainly for the Edmonton Eskimos. He was a part of five Grey Cup championship teams wit ...
was a former
CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...
player for the
Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...
as well as a former Queen's football team player from 1962 to 1965. He began the head coaching position in 1995. With the Gaels, Howes had a regular season record of 45 total games (playoff and regular season combined), 21 wins to 19 losses, with a playoff record of 2–3 with 2 Dunsmore Cup appearances and 3 OQIFC playoff appearances.


Pat Sheahan (2000–2018)

Pat Sheahan came on board as the head coach in 2000, after 11 years as coach for the
Concordia Stingers The Concordia Stingers are the athletic teams that represent Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They compete with other schools in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and more specifically in Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RS ...
, where he also was a former player. His regular season record had a total of 90 wins and 62 losses, with a playoff record of 12 wins and 12 losses. He led the team to 1 Vanier Cup championship (
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
), 1
Mitchell Bowl The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this g ...
(2009), 1 Yates Cup (2009), with 3 Yates Cup appearances (losses in 2002 and 2013) and 13 total OUA playoff appearances. In total, he had 176 games as head coach.


Steve Snyder (2019–present)

Steve Snyder was brought on in 2019 as the head coach, with previous experience coaching the
Western Mustangs The Western Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent University of Western Ontario, Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The school's athletic program supports 46 Varsity team, varsity teams. Their mascot is a Mustang named J.W. a ...
. As of 2024, he has a regular season record of 26 wins - 12 losses and a playoff record of 6 wins - 4 losses. He has brought the team to 2 Yates Cup appearances (2021, 2022) and 4 playoff appearances (2023,and 2024 semifinal finish), with 48 total games coached to date.


Season-by-season record

The following is the record of the Queen's Gaels football team since 1981:


National award winners

*
Hec Crighton Trophy The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after Hec Crighton who was a former teacher, coach, referee, and the ...
: Larry Mohr (1985), Tommy Denison (2002, 2003) * J. P. Metras Trophy: Dick Bakker (1977), Jim Muller (1979),
Mike Schad Michael Schad (born October 4, 1963) is a Canadian former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). After his football career, he became a mortgage banker with CMG Financial located in Mt. ...
(1985) *
Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy () is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e., best overall record) during the regular season. If two teams are tied for the most points, then the Trophy ...
: Thaine Carter (2008) * Peter Gorman Trophy: Gord Goodwin (1977) * Russ Jackson Award: Charlie Galunic (1986),
Jock Climie Jock Climie is a Canadian retired Canadian Football League player who played the slotback position primarily with the Ottawa Rough Riders, and Montreal Alouettes. He is also a former sportscaster with Canadian sports television channel TSN as p ...
(1989), Curt McLellan (2003), Curtis Carmichael (2015) * Frank Tindall Trophy:
Doug Hargreaves John Walter Douglas Hargreaves (December 20, 1931 –July 5, 2016) was a Canadian air force officer, athletic coach, and educator. During his 19-year tenure as head football coach, he led the Queen's Golden Gaels to 16 consecutive OQIFC playoff a ...
(1983), Pat Sheahan (2008), Steve Snyder (2021)


Queen's Gaels in the CFL

As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, six former Gaels players are on CFL teams' rosters: * Peter Adjey,
Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...
* Anthony Federico,
Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...
*
Theo Grant Theo Grant (born October 31, 2000) is a Canadian professional football offensive lineman. He most recently played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). University career Grant played U Sports football for the Queen's ...
,
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
*
Cameron Lawson Cameron Lawson (born October 7, 1998) is a Canadian professional Canadian football, football defensive tackle for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). University career Lawson played U Sports football for the Queen's ...
,
Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...
* Olivier Muembi,
Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...
* Derek Wiggan, Montreal Alouettes


Notable team alumni

One notable Queen's player was
Carl Voss Carl Potter Voss (January 6, 1907 – September 13, 1993) was an American ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League. He played for several teams between 1926 and 1938. He would later become a referee, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall ...
, who was both an excellent football and hockey player. While attending university, he played four football seasons (1924–1927), which included the 12th Grey Cup in 1924. Voss has his name engraved on the
Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
for this season. Voss also scored the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
winning goal for the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
in the 1938 Stanley Cup Finals. He was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
. Along with
Lionel Conacher Lionel Pretoria Conacher ( ; May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed "the Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. ...
, Voss is one of only two players to have their name engraved on both the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
and the
Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
. Chris Patrician, player on the 2011-14 Queen's football teams, was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.


References


External links

* {{U Sports football U Sports football teams Sport in Kingston, Ontario Golden Gaels Queen's Golden Gaels football 1882 establishments in Ontario Sports clubs and teams established in 1882