Teddy Morris Memorial Trophy

The Vanier Cup () is the trophy awarded annually to the champion Canadian football team in U Sports, the governing body for university sports in Canada. The U Sports football champion is determined in a one-game playoff (the Vanier Cup game), played by the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. In turn, the participating teams are determined by the winners of four bowl games: the Loney Bowl ( AUS), Hardy Cup (Canada West), Dunsmore Cup ( RSEQ), and Yates Cup ( OUA). The Vanier Cup game is played at a neutral site that changes every year; the hosting university is determined months or years in advance.

The Laval Rouge et Or have won the most Vanier Cups (12), while the Western Mustangs have the most appearances (15). Eighteen teams have won the Vanier Cup, while three others have played for the championship but never won. There are six active teams that have never appeared in the championship game. The most recent game, the 59th Vanier Cup, was played on November 23, 2024, at Kingston, Ontario. In this game, the Laval Rouge et Or defeated the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 22–17 to win their twelfth championship.

History

The Vanier Cup was created in 1965 as the championship trophy of the Canadian College Bowl. For the first two years of competition, the Canadian College Bowl was an invitational event, with a national panel selecting two teams to play, similar to other U.S. collegiate bowl games. In 1967, the Canadian College Bowl was declared the national football championship of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union, later Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and now U Sports, with a playoff system determining the two participants.

The Vanier Cup was played in Toronto, Ontario, from its inception in 1965 through 2003. However, after the CIS opened the game to host conference bids in 2001, the possibility arose to have games held outside Toronto. As of 2023, 41 of the 61 Vanier Cups have been played in Toronto, eight in Quebec City, five in Hamilton, one in Regina, one in Saskatoon, one in Vancouver, one in London, Ontario, one in Montreal, and one in Kingston. No games have been staged in the Atlantic region. Four times, the game has been played in the same city and during the same weekend as the Grey Cup: 1973, 2007 and 2012 in Toronto and in 2011 in Vancouver at BC Place Stadium.

The winners trophy is named after Georges Vanier, the former governor general of Canada and was first awarded in 1965 to the winner of an invitational event contested between two teams that were selected by a panel. In 1967, the trophy was declared the official "CIAU National Football Championship" and a playoff system was instituted. From its creation until 1982, it was known as the Canadian College Bowl. The game typically occurs in late November, although it is occasionally played in December.

On June 8, 2020, U Sports announced that all fall athletics championships for the 2020–21 season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

File:SaskVanier1990.jpg, alt=The Vanier Cup., The Vanier Cup raised in 1990 by the Saskatchewan Huskies following their win over Saint Mary's.
File:Laurier Golden Hawks - 2005 Vanier Cup champions.jpg, The Laurier Golden Hawks won the 2005 Vanier Cup, defeating Saskatchewan 24–23.
File:47th Vanier Cup.jpg, The Laval Rouge et Or vs. the McMaster Marauders in the 47th Vanier Cup.
File:52nd Vanier Cup.jpg, The Laval Rouge et Or vs. the Calgary Dinos in the 52nd Vanier Cup.
File:55th Vanier Cup ULaval 19.jpg, The Calgary Dinos hoist the Vanier Cup trophy following their win over the Montreal Carabins in 2019.

;Key
* Number of times that team has won the Vanier Cup.
Note: All Ted Morris Trophy and Bruce Coulter Award winners played for the winning team, unless otherwise noted.

A. Bob McGregor, Ted Morris Trophy winner in 1971, played for the runner-up