- Varsity Blues
Infobox college athletics
name= Toronto Varsity Blues
university= University of Toronto
conference= OUA
division=CIS
association=Association
director=Liz Hoffman
city= Toronto
state= Ontario
stateabb= ON
teams= 26
stadium=Varsity Stadium
arena= Athletic Centre
arena2=Varsity Arena
symbol= True Blue
nickname= Varsity Blues
fightsong= "The Blue and White"
color1= Blue
color2= white
hex1= 072B61
hex2= FFFFFF
pageurl= http://www.varsityblues.ca/
pagename= VarsityBlues.caThe Varsity Blues is the name for the intercollegiate sports program at the
University of Toronto . Its 26 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held byOntario University Athletics andCanadian Interuniversity Sport . The Varsity Blues traces its founding to 1877, with the formation of the men's football team. [ [http://www.varsitybluesfootball.com/history.html Varsity Blues football history] ] Since 1908, Varsity Blues athletes have won numerous medals inOlympic Games andParalympic Games , and have also long competed inInternational University Sports Federation championships,Commonwealth Games andPan American Games . [ [http://www.ac-fpeh.com/alumni/Olympians.php University of Toronto Olympians] ]The Varsity Blues program has teams in
badminton ,baseball ,basketball ,cheerleading ,cross country running ,curling ,fastpitch softball ,fencing ,field hockey ,figure skating , football,golf ,ice hockey ,lacrosse ,mountain biking ,nordic skiing , rowing, rugby, soccer, squash,swimming ,tennis , track and field,volleyball ,water polo andwrestling .Football
The football team won the first
Grey Cup game ever held in 1909, going on to win the cup again in 1910, 1911, and 1920. The team won theVanier Cup in 1965, and again in 1993 as Canadian National football champions. The team has 25Yates Cup championship wins as Champions of the Ontario league (OUA) of the CIS, a total second only to the 27 won by theUniversity of Western Ontario .Hard times have fallen on the University of Toronto football team in recent years. The football program has not won a game since the 2001 season (a win that itself ended an 18-game losing streak) [cite news|title=U of T football sets new university futility streak |url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/10/13/cisfootball-uoftblues-futilitystreak.html |work=cbc.ca |publisher=
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2007-10-13 |accessdate=2007-10-14 ] . 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 onSeptember 1 ,2008 when they defeated theWaterloo Warriors 18-17 for their first win in less than seven years. [ [http://www.varsityblues.ca/news/?id=10552 VarsityBlues.ca post-game summary] ] The team last posted a winning record in 1995. [cite news|title=U of T football sets new university futility streak |url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/10/13/cisfootball-uoftblues-futilitystreak.html |work=cbc.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2007-10-13 |accessdate=2007-10-14 ]Home games are played at Varsity Centre.
Men's ice hockey
The men's ice hockey team is plays in the
Ontario University Athletics conference, and are coached byDarren Lowe . The team is based atVarsity Arena . The current Varsity Blues have won ten CIAU Championships. [ [http://www.azhockey.com/Un.htm www.azhockey.com] ] The men's ice hockey team was founded in 1891. [ [http://www.torontomarlboros.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&Itemid=36 Toronto Marlboros history] ] The Varsity Blues senior team won theAllan Cup in 1921 and 1927, and won thegold medal at the1928 Winter Olympics .Nordic skiing
The nordic skiing team competes against Ontario universities each year at the OUA Championships in February after qualifying races earlier in the season. The team has steadily grown in size and experience since Hans Fischer stepped up to the position of coach in the 2005-06 season.
Rowing
The
University of Toronto Rowing Club represents the Varsity Blues at local and international regattas. The UTRC was founded onFebruary 10 1897 , and throughout the years has had many successes includingRoyal Canadian Henley Regatta victories, OUA titles, and a silver medal at the1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.ee also
*
List of University of Toronto people References
External links
* [http://varsityblues.ca Varsity Blues Website]
* [http://varsitybluesfootball.com Football Team Website]
* [http://varistyblues.ca/sport/mhockey/history Men's Hockey History]
* [http://rowing.sa.utoronto.ca/ Rowing Team Website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.