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Simon Fraser Red Leafs football

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The SFU Red Leafs football or Simon Fraser Red Leafs football team represented Simon Fraser University since the athletic department's inception in 1965 until 2022. The team played by American rules while they competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics from 1965 to 2001 against other American teams. Along with other SFU teams, the football program transferred to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports) and thereby switched to playing Canadian football against Canadian University teams in 2002. While playing in the CIS, SFU won its first and only Hardy Trophy conference championship in 2003 while qualifying for the playoffs twice. After playing eight seasons in the Canada West Conference of the CIS, the football team began competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II in 2010, and started played the American format of football again.[1] Kristie Elliott became the first Canadian woman to play, and to score, in an NCAA football game, on September 11, 2021, as a kicker for the team.[2][3] After the GNAC dropped football after the 2021 season, SFU and the other two GNAC members that still sponsored the sport became football-only members of the Lone Star Conference.[4] After the 2022 season, it was announced on April 4, 2023, that football would be dropped from the school after it was previously announced the Lone Star Conference was ending its affiliation with Simon Fraser after the 2023–24 season.[5]

Simon Fraser Red Leafs football
First season1965
Last season2022
Athletic directorVacant
Head coachMike Rigell
2nd season, 2–16 (.111)
StadiumTerry Fox Field
Field surfaceArtificial turf
ConferenceLone Star
All-time record186–321–2 (.367)
Bowl record0–1 (.000)
Conference titles1 (2003)
Current uniform
ColorsRed and White
   
MascotMcFogg the Dog
Websiteathletics.sfu.ca

The team previously used the names "Clansmen" and "Clan;" those names were retired in 2020.[6] The new nickname "Red Leafs" was announced in September 2022.[7]

Rivalry

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The team had maintained a cross-town rivalry with the Vancouver-based University of British Columbia Thunderbirds as they are also the only two universities in British Columbia that field football teams. Since 1967, the two teams have competed in the Shrum Bowl, an annual game played at alternating venues with alternating rules. SFU holds a 17–16–1 series lead after winning in three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010 to claim the lead. Due to the two schools playing in two different leagues, the scheduling of these games has often been difficult, with no game being played from 2011 to 2021.[8] The Shrum Bowl was revived and played again on December 2, 2022, where UBC defeated SFU 18-17 under American rules.[9]

Season results

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Year Coach Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Highest# Final°
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) (1965–2001)
Canada West (CIS) (2002–2009)
2002 Chris Beaton 2–6 6th NR NR
2003 Chris Beaton 5–3 2nd W Canada West semi-final
W Hardy Trophy
L Uteck Bowl		 8 8
2004 Chris Beaton 3–5 6th 6 NR
2005 Chris Beaton 0–7–1 7th NR NR
2006 Frank Boehres 0–7–1 7th NR NR
2007 Dave Johnson 0–8 7th NR NR
2008 Dave Johnson 5–3 4th W Canada West semi-final
L Hardy Trophy		 7 8
2009 Dave Johnson 1–6 (*) 7th 7 NR
CIS: 16–47–2
Great Northwest (NCAA Division II) (2010–2021)
2010 Dave Johnson 1–9 (0–9 NCAA) 0–8 5th NR NR
2011 Dave Johnson 3–7 2–6 4th NR NR
2012 Dave Johnson 5–6 4–6 4th NR NR
2013 Dave Johnson 3–7 3–7 5th NR NR
2014 Jacques Chapdelaine 2–9 2–7 5th NR NR
2015 Kelly Bates 0–9 0–6 7th NR NR
2016 Kelly Bates 0–10 0–8 5th NR NR
2017 Kelly Bates 0–10 0–8 5th NR NR
2018 Thomas Ford 1–8 0–7 5th NR NR
2019 Thomas Ford 1–9 1–5 3rd NR NR
2021 Mike Rigell 1–7 0–4 3rd NR NR
Lone Star Conference (NCAA Division II) (2022)
2022 Mike Rigell 1–9 1–8 10th (Last) NR NR
NCAA: 18–99 13–80
Total:
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
  • #Highest rank during the course of the season (NR=not ranked).
  • °Final rank.
  • Since 2000, the final rankings were released following the playoffs.

[10]

(*) In 2009, two victories were nullified because CWUAA accused SFU for having ineligible players in both games. However, SFU argued that they followed CWUAA's guidelines perfectly and that the player was eligible at the time of the accusation. The Manitoba Bisons also used an ineligible player in a Simon Fraser win, so the game was declared "no contest."

Head coaches

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Name Years Notes
Lorne Davies 1965–1972
Bob De Julius 1973–1979
Rod Woodward 1980–1982
Chris Beaton 1983–2005
Frank Boehres 2006
Dave Johnson 2007–2013
Jacques Chapdelaine 2014
Kelly Bates 2015–2017
Thomas Ford 2018–2019
Mike Rigell 2020–2022

CIS playoff results

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Red Leafs in the CFL

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Lemar Durant with SFU in 2012.

Since the program first began in 1965, Simon Fraser University has had the most first overall selections with five.[11][12]

As of the start of the 2024 CFL season, five former SFU players were on CFL teams' rosters:

[13]

Red Leafs in the NFL

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Former SFU wide receiver Victor Marshall was invited to the Seattle Seahawks rookie camp in May 2013 and earned a contract on May 13 to take part in Organized Team Activities and training camp as a tight end.[14] On July 30, 2013, the Seahawks released Marshall during training camp.[15]

On April 27, 2018, former SFU DE Nathan Shepherd was selected 72nd overall in the 2018 NFL draft by the New York Jets and made the 53-man roster out of training camp. As of the end of the 2023 NFL season, Shepherd was on the New Orleans Saints' roster.

References

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  1. ^ Simon Fraser University (July 10, 2009). "SFU first Canadian school in NCAA". Simon Fraser University. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  2. ^ "Kristie Elliott becomes first woman in Canada to play and score in a college football game". The Peak. November 21, 2021.
  3. ^ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sfu-football-first-canadian-woman-scores-1.6179046
  4. ^ "Three football teams to join LSC as affiliate members" (Press release). Lone Star Conference. November 18, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "Simon Fraser, NCAA's Only Canadian Member School, Ends Football Program" Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "SFU Athletics name change". SFU Athletics. August 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "SFU Announces New Varsity Team Name". SFU Athletics. September 6, 2022.
  8. ^ Josh Curran (August 30, 2011). "Shrum Bowl called off for 2011 season". The Ubyssey. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  9. ^ "Shrum Bowl rebirth ends in Red Leaf 18-17 loss in front of 2,922 fans". Simon Fraser Red Leafs. December 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "SFU Clan football Year by Year Record". Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "2021 CFL Draft Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "SFU CFL Draft". SFU Athletics. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "CFL players". Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  14. ^ Seahawks make roster moves
  15. ^ Seahawks make roster moves
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