Guelph Gryphons
Encyclopedia
The Guelph Gryphons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Guelph
in Guelph
, Ontario
, Canada
. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics
conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
and, where applicable, in the west division.
national championship in 1984, which is also their only appearance in the title game. The Gryphons are one of only two teams with perfect records in the Vanier Cup, the other being the Laval Rouge et Or, as the two teams have never lost a Vanier Cup game. The team has also won three Yates Cup
conference championships, in 1984, 1992 and 1996. The team can trace their roots back to 1950 when the team played in the Intercollegiate Intermediate Football Union. Through numerous league evolutions, the Gryphons landed in the Ontario University Athletics
in 1980 as a founding member and continue to play there to this day. Their current head coach is Stu Lang who is in his second year with the team after former head coach Kyle Walters joined the Canadian Football League
's Winnipeg Blue Bombers
as their special teams coach.
The program has remained largely in the middle of the standings for the past eight years as the team has been at or within one game of .500 for six of those years. Recently, the team saw its best success in 2007
when they won their first two playoff games before losing the Yates Cup to the Western Ontario Mustangs
. Despite making the playoffs eight times in the past 11 years, the 2007 season was the only one in which Guelph won any of their post-season games.
, three former Gryphons players are on CFL teams' rosters:
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
in Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics 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, and releases about those programs and events to the public...
conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
and, where applicable, in the west division.
Varsity teams
Guelph Gryphons teams compete in:- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(m) - BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(m/w) - Cross Country RunningCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
(m/w) - CurlingCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
(m/w) - Field hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
(w) - Figure SkatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
(w) - Ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
(m/wGuelph Gryphons women's ice hockeyThe Guelph Gryphons are an ice hockey team that represents the University of Guelph. They compete in the OUA Conference in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport athletic program.-History:...
) - FootballCanadian footballCanadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
(m) - GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
(m/w) - LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
(m/w) - Nordic SkiingNordic skiingNordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
(m/w) - RowingRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
(m/w) - RugbyRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
(m/w) - Soccer (m/w)
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
(m/w) - Track & Field (m/w)
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(m/w) - WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
(m/w)
Guelph Gryphons football
The Guelph Gryphons football team has won one Vanier CupVanier Cup
The Vanier Cup is the name of the championship of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl...
national championship in 1984, which is also their only appearance in the title game. The Gryphons are one of only two teams with perfect records in the Vanier Cup, the other being the Laval Rouge et Or, as the two teams have never lost a Vanier Cup game. The team has also won three Yates Cup
Yates Cup
The Yates Cup is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport federation. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back to 1898 and surpassing both the Grey...
conference championships, in 1984, 1992 and 1996. The team can trace their roots back to 1950 when the team played in the Intercollegiate Intermediate Football Union. Through numerous league evolutions, the Gryphons landed in the Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics 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, and releases about those programs and events to the public...
in 1980 as a founding member and continue to play there to this day. Their current head coach is Stu Lang who is in his second year with the team after former head coach Kyle Walters joined the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
as their special teams coach.
The program has remained largely in the middle of the standings for the past eight years as the team has been at or within one game of .500 for six of those years. Recently, the team saw its best success in 2007
2007 CIS football season
The 2007 CIS football season began on August 31, 2007, and concluded with the 43rd Vanier Cup national championship on November 23 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, with the Manitoba Bisons winning their third championship...
when they won their first two playoff games before losing the Yates Cup to the Western Ontario Mustangs
Western Ontario Mustangs
The Western Ontario Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada...
. Despite making the playoffs eight times in the past 11 years, the 2007 season was the only one in which Guelph won any of their post-season games.
Recent regular season results
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OL | Pct % | PF | PA | Standing |
| 2001 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.375 | 164 | 237 | 7th in OUA |
| 2002 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 102 | 237 | 8th in OUA |
| 2003 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 161 | 285 | 9th in OUA |
| 2004 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 169 | 238 | 5th in OUA |
| 2005 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0.375 | 208 | 242 | 6th in OUA |
| 2006 | 8 | 2 | 6 | |||||
| 0.250 | 206 | 217 | 8th in OUA | |||||
| 2007 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| 0.500 | 278 | 124 | 5th in OUA | |||||
| 2008 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| 0.500 | 255 | 173 | 4th in OUA | |||||
| 2009 | 8 | 3 | 5 | |||||
| 0.375 | 310 | 253 | 6th in OUA | |||||
| 2010 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| 0.500 | 159 | 192 | 5th in OUA | |||||
| 2011 | 8 | 2 | 6 | |||||
| 0.250 | 209 | 197 | 8th in OUA |
Recent playoff results
- 2001 Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 38-15
- 2002 Lost to McMaster MaraudersMcMaster MaraudersThe McMaster Marauders are the athletic teams that represent McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Athletics at McMaster is currently managed by the university's student affairs, under their athletics & recreation department. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario...
in quarter-final 71-11 - 2003 Missed Playoffs
- 2004 Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 33-9
- 2005 Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 35-21
- 2006 Missed Playoffs
- 2007 Defeated McMaster MaraudersMcMaster MaraudersThe McMaster Marauders are the athletic teams that represent McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Athletics at McMaster is currently managed by the university's student affairs, under their athletics & recreation department. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario...
in quarter-final 25-21
Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden HawksWilfrid Laurier Golden HawksThe Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks is the name used by the varsity sports teams of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport and, where applicable, in the west...
in semi-final 38-31
Lost to Western Ontario MustangsWestern Ontario MustangsThe Western Ontario Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada...
in Yates CupYates CupThe Yates Cup is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport federation. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back to 1898 and surpassing both the Grey...
34-21 - 2008 Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 42-37
- 2009 Lost to Western Ontario MustangsWestern Ontario MustangsThe Western Ontario Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada...
in quarter-final 37-18 - 2010 Lost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden HawksWilfrid Laurier Golden HawksThe Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks is the name used by the varsity sports teams of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport and, where applicable, in the west...
in quarter-final 42-10 - 2011 Missed Playoffs
Guelph Gryphons in the CFL
As of the end of the 2011 CFL season2011 CFL season
The 2011 CFL season was the 58th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 54th season of the league. The complete schedule was released on February 18 and featured the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes opening the season against the visiting BC Lions on...
, three former Gryphons players are on CFL teams' rosters:
- Ryan BombenRyan BombenRyan Bomben is a professional Canadian football offensive guard for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted 31st overall by the Alouettes in the 2010 CFL Draft. He played college football for the Guelph Gryphons.-References:...
, Montreal AlouettesMontreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions... - Nick FitzGibbonNick FitzGibbonNick FitzGibbon is a Canadian football running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was signed as undrafted free agent by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on September 27, 2011. He played CIS Football with the Guelph Gryphons.-References:...
, Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue BombersThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded... - Rob MaverRob MaverRob Maver is a professional Canadian football placekicker for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted fifth overall by the Stampeders in the 2010 CFL Draft, after being highly ranked by the CFL's Amateur Scouting Bureau. He played college football for the Guelph...
, Calgary StampedersCalgary StampedersThe Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...