The winners, the losers
An unscientific guide to the best and worst in university sports
Punches above its weight
Trinity Western University. Student athletes at the small, private Christian school in Langley, B.C., might not be allowed to watch PG-13 movies, but they’re well on their way to turning the school into a sports powerhouse.
The men’s and women’s soccer teams are both ranked No. 1 nationally. The volleyball teams are annually strong contenders despite playing in the stacked Canada West conference. And the men’s basketball team has started raking in top recruits, including B.C.’s top high-schooler. Basketball coach Scott Allen comes to Trinity Western after 15 years at Surrey’s White Rock Christian Academy, and is repeating the winning formula he developed there. Within five years, the school will give UBC a run for the top in Western Canada, predicts Justin McElroy, sports editor for the Ubyssey, UBC’s school newspaper.
Top spirit/blind arrogance
Anything in Atlantic Canada. Their fans are wild, loud, visible and into it, both at home and away.
Top facilities
B.C. Lions owner David Braley donated $5 million to Hamilton’s McMaster University, which helped fund a new sports complex. It bears the name of the former Marauders varsity football and basketball player, and current owner of Orlick Industries and Alexander Tools. Facilities aside, the school’s quiet quest to become an athletic power was given a shot in the arm with the appointment of former CFL president Jeff Giles to the role of director of athletics and recreation; Giles is thought to have the stature to funnel more money to the sports programs.
Strangest program
The University of Alberta, Augustana campus, in Camrose, Alta. (once its own private university), is home to the country’s premier biathlon program—yes, the sport that tests your ability to cross-country ski and fire a rifle. The school has produced a number of Olympians. It might also boast the country’s only biathlon program.
Highest-paid coach
Probably Glen Constantin, head coach of the Rouge et Or football club, who is rumoured to make in the range of $125,000 to $150,000. For comparison, last season Shannon Miller, the head coach of the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s women’s hockey team, made US$160,000. John Calipari, head coach of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, recently inked an eight-year contract worth US$31.65 million. And Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self is making US$3 million a year for the next 10 years.
Most Nobel laureates, worst athletes
The University of Toronto
Where is the Guelph Gryphons cross country running team. The women’s team has won the past four CIS titles and look poised to take home the trophy again this year with their number one ranked team. The men are no different looking to pull in their 10th title in the past 13 years. What a program. Alot of the credit goes to coach Dave Scott-Thomas for his remarkable work woth the athletes. GO GRYPHONS!!!
What about Laurier?
The Wesmen name originates from the name of The University of Winnipeg’s founding college, Wesley College.
Nice to see university sport get a review here.
Western’s teams finished in the Top 5 in their division in 36 of 38 sports last year and in the market-driven men’s hockey, men’s basketball and men’s football made it to the national semifinals (and national finals in men’s hockey and football).
A clarification – RE: Da’shawn Thomas – he signed to the practice roster, not the full roster, and therefore it’s not like a former professional coming to the CIS. There are rules preventing that for a reason… do different than a player attending an NHL camp and – even after spending time with a semi-pro team, for example – coming back to play at the university level after being cut… players lose eligibility based on their forray into semi-pro sports.
I don’t think the Gee-Gees nick name stinks at all. It is much more colorful than mundane names like the Lions,Ravens,Rams and other common animals.
The name has cultural connotations in the Ottawa Valley, where farmer settlers from Ireland called their work horses gee gees going back to the nineteenth century. They borrowed the name from race track slang in the British Isles.There a gee gee is the lead horse in a race, or the first horse out of the gate. Francophone farmers in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec soon adopted it too. So, the name works in both English and French at Canada’s bilingual university.
Of course GG also stands for the school colours, Garnet and Grey. It is compatible with other Universities that use their colours as nicknames, such as the R&O of Laval and the Vert and Or of Sherbrooke.
The Gee-Gees have been around for more than a hundred years , won many championships, and nobody should mess with a fine old name steeped in tradition.
How about the University of Manitoba Bisons, for improper plurals
I agree, I’m proud to be a Gee-Gee! I love the originality of the name.
GO GEEGEES. I’m disappointed that this review fails to mention that, while the GeeGees do lack a varsity team that dominates it’s sport entirely, many teams at the school rank consistently within the top teams in Ontario (especially club teams like baseball, waterpolo, ultimate frisbee, and rowing). The football team is always in contention for the vanier cup, the women’s soccer team barely loses a game, and ofthe men’s basketball team is a mere step behind the nationally renowned ravens. And those are just a few of the highlights of GeeGees sports teams…
This list of teams was extremely exclusive and barely scratched the surface of Inter-University sports. Perhaps a more comprehensive and fair look at the state of CIS competition would give more accurate insight into the world of Canadian varsity sport programs.
Finally, an issue that I am passionate about. I’ve appeared for data of this caliber for the last a number of hours. Your website is drastically appreciated.