History Ottawa Gee-Gees football

1 history

1.1 beginnings , dominance (1881-1913)

1.1.1 father william stanton (1911-1913)


1.2 modern era begins (1913-1954)
1.3 matt anthony era (1954-68)
1.4 bob o billovich (1970)
1.5 don gilbert led powerhouse (1971-75)

1.5.1 1975 vanier cup champions
1.5.2 75 gee-gees career awards
1.5.3 75 gee-gees in cfl


1.6 dwight fowler (1976-1979)
1.7 cam innes era (1979-82)
1.8 joe moss , jim clarke (1982-83)
1.9 jim daley era (1985-90)
1.10 larry ring era (1991-97)
1.11 marcel bellefeuille era (1998-2000)

1.11.1 2000 vanier cup champions


1.12 denis piché era (2002-09)
1.13 j.p. asselin , brad sinopoli (2009-12)
1.14 gary etcheverry & mid-season firing (2012)
1.15 jamie barresi era (2013-present)

history
beginnings , dominance (1881-1913)

football had inception @ ottawa in 1881. @ time, game looked more rugby union predecessor, first organized college football game played handful of years earlier in 1874 between mcgill , harvard.

in 1894, garnet , grey joined quebec rugby football union (qrfu) , dominated first year of play. team won 8 qrfu championships (1894, 1896–99, 1901–04).

1912 garnet , grey varsity football team. coached father william stanton (top left).

during these years, de facto national championship awarded victor of canadian rugby union (cru). ottawa won national title 4 times, in 1894, 1896, 1897, , 1901. cru s championship trophy renamed in 1909, becoming grey cup, , has since become championship trophy canadian football league.

the gee-gees became yates cup champions first time in 1907. 1 star player era sylvester quilty, according gee-gees football hall of fame, played 3 roles gee-gees team, first man play “flying wing” position, , prime ball carrier team’s kicker in 1908 , 1909. contributions significant in team s first yates cup victory.

father william stanton (1911-1913)

varsity oval, pictured in 1953. original home garnet , grey.

father stanton head coach of gee-gees 3 seasons, posting 8-5-2 record. although stanton had short tenure football team, innovations game of canadian football great. additions game include spiral punt, football sweater, , deception plays.

modern era begins (1913-1954)

the game of football rapidly spreading, , popularity increased go along use of forward pass. throughout 1920s , 1930s, more , more separation began establish game of football seen today.

like football teams across north america, significant breaks in action caused during wwi , wwii, many men doing service in europe.

in 1953, team s popularity rose, gee-gees moved on on-campus home @ varsity oval larger , more centrally located lansdowne park, share ottawa rough riders. move coincide renaissance of sorts football in ottawa.

matt anthony era (1954-68)

matt anthony, fresh career playing offensive line in cfl 7 years became new head coach of gee-gees. fresh in new home @ lansdowne, team began form national powerhouse on new level.

during anthony s 15 years @ helm, gee-gees won 7 league , conference championships, including 3 undefeated seasons. anthony still winningest coach in gee-gees history.

at same time, panda game had begun carleton college began fielding football teams , rivalry became centre of attention in city , nation. panda games featured atmosphere akin ncaa division football in united states, iterations of game during era fetched on 20,000 fans.

after anthony s death in 2000, university of ottawa opened minto sports complex in 2001, came multi-use turf field named after gee-gees legend. matt anthony field served practice field football team until 2013. home gee-gees women s soccer , rugby varsity teams, men s soccer , rugby competitive clubs.

bob o billovich (1970)

following gee-gees success in prior years, new head coach bob o billovich stepped , led team 1 of best seasons ever. after captaining football, basketball, , baseball teams @ university of montana, o billovitch had career in cfl before settling in head coach of 1970 gee-gees. quality of team year set table run school s first vanier cup after posting 7-1-1 regular season record.

in playoffs, team cruised atlantic bowl victory 24-11 win on unb varsity reds. garnet , grey advanced first appearance in vanier cup (then college bowl) national final, lost 38-11 manitoba bisons @ toronto’s varsity stadium.

gee-gees quarterback paul paddon dominant season long , instrumental in team s success. paddon won hec crighton trophy outstanding player in nation, school s first ever.

following season, o billovich stepped down , shifted focuses basketball coached carleton ravens before returning lead gee-gees men s basketball team. o billovich went on long career coaching in cfl , eighth winningest head coach in league history.

don gilbert led powerhouse (1971-75)

fresh national championship push, gee-gees reloaded hire of don gilbert, former star quarterback hometown buffalo bison, went on play in cfl before landing gee-gees. 1 of gilbert s key advantages brought ottawa strong recruiting prowess on both sides of border. influx of american talent native new york, gee-gees began assembling hailed many best canadian college football team of time.

1975 vanier cup champions

the undefeated 1975 national championship team (11-0) considered 1 of dominant in canadian college history. team became first finish perfect record after winning vanier cup. day, 1975 team still holds several cis , oua team , individual records. players 1975 team selected cis all-canadian team 13 times during college careers. during cis careers, players 1975 team selected ouaa oqifc all-stars 42 times.

75 gee-gees career awards

13 all-canadian selections during cis careers
42 ouaa all-star selections during cis careers
1 hec crighton finalist (cis outstanding player)
2 j.p. metras trophy finalists (cis outstanding lineman)
1 frank tindall trophy (cis coach of year)
1 ted morris trophy (mvp vanier cup)

75 gee-gees in cfl

a total of 21 players 1975 vanier cup championship team selected in canadian football league draft, including 9 players in first round or higher including 6 cfl territorial protections (from 1973 through 1982 each cfl team allowed pick , protect 2 players region before 1st round began). during careers professionals, players 1975 vanier cup championship team appeared in 23 grey cup games , went on collect total of 12 grey cup rings. following brief list of impact these players have had in canadian football league.

eric upton - guard - 10 years cfl edmonton eskimos-3 time western all-star, 6 grey cup appearances, 5 time grey cup champion
rocky dipietro- slotback - 14 years cfl hamilton tiger-cats, cfl all-time pass reception leader, canadian football hall of fame inductee, 2 time cfl outstanding canadian, 3 time lew hayman trophy outstanding canadian eastern division, 5 time eastern all-star, 4 grey cup appearances, 1986 grey cup champion
neil lumsden - fullback/kicker - 10 years cfl toronto argonauts/hamilton tiger-cats/edmonton eskimos, winner 1976 frank m gibson trophy cfl outstanding rookie eastern division, 2 time eastern division all-star, 1981 grey cup canadian mvp, 3 time grey cup champion
miles gorrell - offensive tackle - 19 years cfl calgary stampeders/hamilton tiger-cats/montreal alouettes/winnipeg blue bombers, 5 time eastern division all-star, 2 time winner leo dandurand trophy cfl outstanding lineman eastern division, 5 grey cup appearances, 1 time grey cup champion
jeff avery - wide receiver- 6 years cfl ottawa rough riders, 1 time eastern division all-star, 2 grey cup appearances, 1976 grey cup champion
al moffat - defensive tackle - 6 years cfl hamilton tiger-cats, 1 time eastern division all-star, 1 grey cup appearance
mike murphy - fullback - 4 years cfl, winner 1977 frank m. gibson trophy cfl outstanding rookie eastern division
doug falconer - defensive - 4 years cfl ottawa rough riders/calgary stampeders, 1976 grey cup champion
tim berryman - linebacker - 7 years cfl edmonton eskimos/ottawa rough riders, 1 grey cup appearance
bill harrison - halfback - 5 years cfl hamilton tiger-cats/toronto argonauts
ian mac pherson - defensive tackle - 3 years cfl hamilton tiger-cats

dwight fowler (1976-1979)

after undefeated 75 season, don gilbert stepped down , assistant coach dwight fowler stepped head coaching role. fowler s team not quite same quality of prior team, still made light work of opponents. team won 1976 yates cup, led quarterback jamie barresi team moved on atlantic bowl met acadia axemen. in tight battle, gee-gees lost 18-16 hometown team, ottawa s mike murphy named valuable player.

cam innes era (1979-82)

under cam innes, 1980 gee-gees stepped out of shadows , expectations of 75 team , began pursuit of third vanier cup appearance in 10 years. team defeated acadia axemen in atlantic bowl reach vanier cup final, ran powerful alberta golden bears team, whom gee-gees lost 40-21. innes won frank tindall trophy outstanding coach in nation.

joe moss , jim clarke (1982-83)

in 1982, team posed 7-1 record, unable reach dunsmore cup. team led senior quarterback rick zmich, became second gee-gee win hec crighton in final year.

in 1983, jim clarke @ helm, gee-gees had fallen usual perch in top of ouaa standings , found winless midway through season. @ time ottawa , carleton involved in scandal teams docked 2 points after swapping game tapes each other, practice reserved playoffs.

jim daley era (1985-90)

the hire of local product jim daley helped gee-gees return grace after struggling under clarke. daley led team dunsmore cup final in 1989.

larry ring era (1991-97)

the team continued national powerhouse during , mid-1990s. teams led former concordia stinger larry ring won 3 consecutive dunsmore cups in 1995, 1996, , 1997.

in 1997 season, team went on play in vanier cup, lost ubc thunderbirds 39–23. following season, gee-gees stripped of dunsmore cup , churchill bowl play of ineligible players.

marcel bellefeuille era (1998-2000)

following team s sanctions, gee-gees brought in marcel bellefeuille become new head coach. building off of powerful teams of ring era, bellefeuille got work building contending team break school s vanier cup drought.

2000 vanier cup champions

loaded best gee-gees team in handful of years, 2000 gee-gees had squad resembled power of 1975 team. led hec crighton winning quarterback senior phil côté, team powered through oqifc , dunsmore cup finals. côté suffered ankle injury looked nail in coffin team. backup qb james baker took on leading ottawa 20–15 win on mcmaster on road in hamilton.

with berth in 36th vanier cup, gee-gees once again had chance bring second national title school, time successful. 1 of highest scoring finals, gee-gees became champions again after downing regina rams 42-39.

côté threw 2 touchdowns , awarded ted morris memorial trophy mvp of game. defensive scott gordon won bruce coulter award performance in backfield. bellefeuille departed team, join cfl ranks, has coached since. wide receivers coach bc lions.

in 2001, team reached yates cup after move oua, gee-gees ran mcmaster team ready exact revenge prior year , defeated team 30-22.

denis piché era (2002-09)

head coach denis piché hired lead gee-gees 2002 season , during tenure, team excelled, failed bring home vanier cup. gee-gees won

piché started coaching gee-gees in 1994, contributing 3 dunsmore cups , 2 vanier cup appearances, including 2000 team. hired head coach in 2002, led team 44-20 record on career, reaching playoffs every year.

during these years, gee-gees had yates cup appearances in 2006 , 2007 including 2006 yates cup win. piché received frank tindall trophy in 2006 cis coach of year, mitchell bowl appearance in 2006 , undefeated regular season in 2007.

j.p. asselin , brad sinopoli (2009-12)

following piché s retirement, gee-gees promoted assistant coach j.p. asselin take head coaching job. asselin inherited key pieces of roster essential in putting team s yates cup run in 2010. all-canadian quarterback brad sinopoli under centre, team cruised appearance in yates cup final against rival western mustangs. gee-gees lost game 26-25 on last-second field goal.

sinopoli fourth gee-gees quarterback win hec crighton year, moved on pursue career in cfl. standout wide receiver ottawa redblacks winning cfl s outstanding canadian award in 2015, , being key member of team s 2016 grey cup victory won dick suderman trophy game s valuable canadian.

gary etcheverry & mid-season firing (2012)

after 5-3 season in 2011 , exit in playoffs, j.p. asselin stepped down head coach. school hired gary etcheverry team s head coach 2012 season.

etcheverry 1 of experienced coaches in nation, came under fire after multiple players lost faith in vision. after losing first 5 games of season, relieved of duties. gee-gees went on finish 2-6 record , out of playoffs first time since 1991.

in 2012 season, construction delays pushed opening of gee-gees field behind schedule, , td place stadium s construction ongoing, team homeless. gee-gees settled on playing home games @ beckwith park, located 40 minutes outside of city, close nearby carleton place, ontario. subsequent collapse of team , distance campus resulted in season being regarded complete disaster.

jamie barresi era (2013-present)

following disastrous 2012 season, jamie barresi hired first head coaching job @ alma mater. barresi gee-gees starting quarterback 1976-1980 , became assistant coach team afterwards. career took him ncaa spent time coaching penn state, florida, wake forest, , ucf. returning canada in early-2000s barresi held cfl jobs hamilton tiger-cats, bc lions, saskatchewan roughriders, winnipeg blue bombers, , edmonton eskimos.

with vast coaching experience under belt, barresi able right ship in first year. of top seniors aaron colbon, brendan gillanders, , simon le marquand, team went 5-3 record , returned playoffs.

the gee-gees opened 2014 campaign @ home on september 1, 2014 against york lions 51-7 win. other important performances gee-gees included 37-30 comeback win on queens golden gaels , 38-18 win on mcmaster marauders put them playoffs. in first round of oua playoffs, gee-gees ended long road trip face windsor lancers, beat them 39-29 2 weeks earlier. gee-gees traveled windsor , left huge 46-29 victory, setting them face mcmaster in oua semi-finals. after long back-and-forth game between gee-gees , marauders, mcmaster won 42-31 , marched on through playoffs lost in vanier cup. all-star performances came ettore lattanzio, adam valchuk, , nick lecour through season, while jackson bennett named all-rookie team.

the gee-gees had high hopes 2015 season after 2 straight winning season jamie barresi head coach, fell short. garnet , grey finished eighth oua 3-5 record, first losing record since 2012 season. injury-riddled season epitomized panda game, carleton win in double-overtime score of 48-45. 2015 panda game highest scoring game in rivalry match s history. finished season fourth in oua offensively 300 points, ninth defensively giving 331 points in 11-team conference.

this unfavorable finish led coaching-overhaul during off-season in attempt bring gee-gees winning ways. on positive note, gee-gees has several all-star , record-breaking performances of players. in final game of season against university of toronto varsity blues, gee-gees receiver ian stewart broke school receiving record , became first gee-gees receiver ever have on 1000 receiving yards. records continued quarterback derek wendel, set oua mark throwing yards in game. broke country-wide records of completions in single season , yards thrown in single season. season ended ian stewart , derek wendel being named all-stars, while rookies cody cranston , cole beacock named all-rookie team gee-gees.

the off-season leading 2016 season crucial gee-gees, attempting return oua playoffs after falling short in 2015 season. addition of full-time coaches jean-vincent posy-audette (defensive coordinator), nathan taylor (special teams coordinator), , carl tolmie (offensive line coach) began gee-gees journey post-season.

the adjustments coaching staff paid off, team finished 6-2 , returned playoff action in 2016. team opened season 65-1 victory on waterloo warriors, victory set tone rest of season. highlights of season included 30-8 win on mcmaster marauders, 31-28 overtime victory on guelph gryphons, , 42-41 overtime victory on queens gaels won 2-point conversion attempt tipped golden gaels defender in end zone reeled in mitchell baines.

the annual panda game took place in front of sellout crowd of 23,329 @ lansdowne park. each team looked strong begin game, carleton ravens won game 43-23, extending win streak 3 years. after strong regular seasons both gee-gees , ravens, 2 teams set square off in first round of oua playoffs. game took place @ mnp park ravens taking victory 45-9.

for gee-gees, derek wendel, mitchell baines, lewis ward, , jackson bennett named oua all-stars, wendel , baines being named all-canadian team. patrick spelman, piriyanthan sinnathurai, , tramayne clark-stephen named all-rookie team, displaying promising young class of linemen playing gee-gees.

most recently, gee-gees standout wide receiver mitchell baines began professional career after signing contract saskatchewan roughriders. led players in receiving yards 984, , ranked third in touchdowns 8. fellow gee-gees football stars derek wendel , osas obas took part in nfl regional combine in minnesota. derek wendel, osas obas, , lewis ward took part in cfl regional combine in montreal.