Universities in Canada have played football since…well…since football has been played in Canada. Teams from the University of Toronto, McGill University, and Queen’s University played what would become Canadian football long before the CFL and professional football ever took hold. In fact, university teams even competed for the Grey Cup in the early years.
In the modern era of Canadian football but before 1965, universities across Canada would compete for regional championships such as the Yates Cup in Ontario. There was no national football championship for university or collegiate football. That changed in 1965.
In 1965, a new national university football championship was established called the Canadian College Bowl. It’s important to remember that up until the 1960s the terms “university” and “college” were often used interchangeably. There were no community or vocational colleges (post-secondary non-degree awarding institutions) like what we have today. So, it was common to refer to university football as college football.
The initial Canadian College Bowl was sponsored by the Save the Children Fund. In fact, the initial college bowl was partly set up to help raise money for the charity. A team of panellists selected the two teams – the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the University of Alberta Golden Bears – that would compete for the first “national championship.” It wasn’t until 1967 that a national playoff system was held to determine the Canadian College Bowl contestants.
On November 20, 1965, the Varsity Blues defeated the Golden Bears by a score of 14-7 in dismal conditions at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium. Less than 2500 fans braved the rain to come out to watch the inaugural championship. Not only did the weather keep the fans away, but the game was also largely overshadowed by the CFL playoffs that were being played and televised on the same day.
Governor General Georges Vanier, an avid sports fan, lent his name to a trophy to be awarded to the winner of the Canadian College Bowl. Thus, the Vanier Cup was born. His Excellency himself presented the new trophy to the U of T at a banquet the following year.
The Canadian College Bowl began to gain some traction in the years that followed. Like the pros, university teams now had a national championship to play for. Finally, in 1982, the name of the game was formally changed from the Canadian College Bowl to the Vanier Cup.
Sources:
Globe and Mail (17 November 1965)
Kingston Whig Standard (22 November 1965)
Toronto Star (2 September 1965)
Toronto Star (16 March 1966)
Vancouver Sun (2 September 1965)
