Bishop's Gaiters
| Bishop's Gaiters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Bishop's University |
| Association | U Sports |
| Conference | Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, Atlantic University Sport (football) |
| Athletic director | Jean-Benoit Jubinville |
| Location | Lennoxville, Quebec |
| Varsity teams | Basketball, football, rugby, soccer, golf |
| Football stadium | Coulter Field |
| Fight song | Alma Mater |
| Colours |
Purple and Silver |
| Website |
gaiters |
The Bishop's Gaiters is the name of the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Although their logo and mascot may suggest the term stems from the word alligator, "Gaiter" actually refers to a boot covering worn by Anglican bishops until the beginning of the 20th century. The teams play in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, mostly competing in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), while the football program competes in the Atlantic University Sport football conference. The Gaiters' home field is Coulter Field, a 2,200 seat capacity stadium located on the university's campus.
Varsity teams
- Football (M)
- Basketball (M/W)
- Golf (M/W)
- Rugby (M/W)
- Soccer (W)
Club sports
Football
| Bishop's Gaiters | |
|---|---|
|
Bishop's Gaiters logo | |
| First season | 1884 |
| Athletic director | Jean-Benoit Jubinville |
| Head coach |
Cherif Nicolas 1st year, 1–7–0 (.125) |
| Home Stadium | Coulter Field (Bishop's) |
| Stadium capacity | 2,200 |
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Lennoxville, Quebec |
| League | CIS |
| Conference | AUS (2017 - present) |
| Past associations |
QRFU (1884-1885, 1889, 1891) OSLIAA (1953-1966) CCIFC (1967-1970) QUAA (1971-1973) O-QIFC (1974-1979) OQIFC (1980-2000) QUFL/RSEQ (2001-2016) |
| All-time record | – |
| Postseason record | – |
| Tournaments | |
| Vanier Cups | 0 |
| Yates Cups | 0 |
| Dunsmore Cups |
4, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994 |
| Hec Crighton winners | 1 |
| Current uniform | |
| Colours |
Purple, Silver, and Black |
| Outfitter | Nike |
| Rivals | Sherbrooke Vert et Or |
| Website | gaiters.ca |
It wasn't until the early 60's that Principal Ogden Glass gave the University the direction Athletics needed to provide the necessary moral and financial support that ultimately shaped the modern day success of the Gaiters football program. Principal Glass hired Bruce Coulter as Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach in 1961. This hiring would help Bishop's develop a full-fledged athletic program with teams that could compete on the senior intercollegiate level. Bruce retired as head football coach with a CIAU-record 137 wins (his record was 137 wins, 80 losses and 3 ties). In 1991, the football stadium was renamed in his honor and the Gaiters now play on Coulter Field.[1]
The Bishop's football team competes for two special trophies: The Mayor's Cup, which is awarded to the winner of one of the annual contests between Bishop's and the Université de Sherbrooke, and the Bigg Bowl, which goes to the winner between Bishop's and St. Francis Xavier University (currently scheduled once every three years). In 2007 Bishop's Gaiters running back Jamall Lee and head coach Leroy Blugh were honoured as major award winners by the Quebec University Football League. Lee was awarded the Jeff Russel Trophy, given to the league's most outstanding player, while Blugh was named QUFL Coach of the Year.[2]
The Gaiters were led by head coach Leroy Blugh, a former linebacker for the Gaiters as well as a 15-year veteran of the Canadian Football League until he left the post in June 2011. Under Blugh, the program saw a marked improvement, finishing with a winning record in 2007 for the first time since 1995,[3] as well as having several players drafted in the CFL. Former athletic director, Tony Addona, coached for the team in 2011 after Blugh resigned as head coach until current head coach Kevin Mackey was hired on January 16, 2012.[4]
On December 15, 2016 the Gaiter's announced that their football program would compete in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) football conference starting in the 2017 season.[5] This expanded the AUS to 5 teams and halted interlock play with the RSEQ for at least a season.[6] The Gaiters finished their first AUS season with a fourth consecutive 1-7 season.
Season-by-season record
The following is the record of the Bishop's Gaiters football team since 2003:
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | PCT | PF | PA | Standing | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0.250 | 191 | 327 | 5th in QUFL | Did not qualify |
| 2004 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 100 | 243 | 6th in QUFL | Did not qualify |
| 2005 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 131 | 233 | 5th in QUFL | Did not qualify |
| 2006 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 117 | 249 | 6th in QUFL | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 218 | 176 | 3rd in QUFL | Lost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 34-18 |
| 2008 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0.375 | 170 | 255 | 5th in QUFL | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0.500 | 171 | 232 | 3rd in QUFL | Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 40-15 |
| 2010 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0.556 | 186 | 248 | 4th in QUFL | Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 56-1 |
| 2011 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0.333 | 178 | 277 | 5th in RSEQ | Did not qualify |
| 2012[A] | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0.000 | 99 | 243 | 6th in RSEQ | Did not qualify |
| 2013 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.750 | 260 | 242 | 2nd in RSEQ | Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 51-8 |
| 2014 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 82 | 332 | 5th in RSEQ | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 89 | 319 | 6th in RSEQ | Did not qualify |
| 2016 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 100 | 341 | 6th in RSEQ | Did not qualify |
| 2017 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0.125 | 158 | 286 | 5th in AUS | Did not qualify |
^ A. Bishop's and Concordia both used ineligible players in the same game, so the game was declared "no contest" in a double forfeit. Bishop's also forfeited another win against Concordia and a win against McGill.
Bishop's Gaiters in the CFL
As of the start of the 2018 CFL season, six former Gaiters players are on CFL teams' rosters:
- Stephen Adekolu, Montreal Alouettes
- Mathieu Breton, Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Adrian Clarke, Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Jermaine Gabriel, Toronto Argonauts
- Junior Turner, Calgary Stampeders
- Dan West, Ottawa Redblacks
Basketball
The hard-court has also brought Bishop's great success. The 1966-67 Men's Basketball Gaiters were the first basketball champions at Bishop's University, the Gaiters' "machine" rolled through the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Athletic Association with a 15-1 record before triumphing over Ottawa and MacDonald in the league playoffs.[2] The men's basketball team enjoyed their most successful season in 1998, winning the CIAU National Championship, becoming the smallest Canadian university in history to do so. In 2015, the Gaiters won their second RSEQ championship in school history. The women's basketball team also won back-to-back National Basketball championships in 1983 and 1984.
See also
References
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
- ↑ https://www.cfl.ca/article/mackey-named-gaiters-new-head-coach Mackey named Gaiters new head coach
- ↑ "Bishop's joins the AUS for football". Local Xpress. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
- ↑ "Hey Huskies, here come the Gaiters: Bishop's University joins AUS football conference | Metro Halifax". metronews.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
- ↑ http://www.sportetudiant-stats.com/universitaire/football/classements-1.php
