The earliest documented game of football on the University of Toronto campus occurred on November 9, 1861 – when the game was played under uniquely local rules that required players to bounce the ball. It was in 1877 that the rules of rugby were introduced to U of T by J.H. Mayne Campbell, giving birth to the modern Varsity Blues football team. Over the next century, the rules of rugby in Canada evolved into the modern game of Canadian football.
It has been a remarkable history that includes a long list of football firsts, as well as four Grey Cups, two Vanier Cups and 25 Yates Cup championships.
Most of Varsity’s early opponents were club teams such as the Hamilton Tigers and the Toronto Argonauts. U of T’s first interuniversity game was played in 1879 in Detroit against the University of Michigan, with the two teams battling to a scoreless draw. Varsity’s first Canadian university contest was in the fall of 1881, when McGill scored a victory by ‘two tries to nothing’ on the U of T front campus. As for the nickname ‘Blues’, it seems that this reference wasn’t generally used until the 1930s. Previously, nicknames were not always customary for university teams and references such as ‘The Big Blue’, ‘The Blue and White’ and ‘The Varsity Blue’ appeared interchangeably.
Official interuniversity competition began in 1898, with Varsity capturing the inaugural Yates Cup, and 10 of the first 17 championships. Varsity also claimed national titles in 1905 and 1909 through 1911. The latter three are best known as they represented the first Grey Cup championships, which is now the pinnacle of the Canadian Football League season.
U of T made their final Grey Cup appearance in 1926, dropping a 10-7 decision to the Ottawa Rough Riders. In the end, Varsity claimed four Grey Cup titles in all (‘09,’10,’11,’20).
Through the 1920s and 30s U of T captured six Yates Cups, and would add six more before 1970. However, it was in the early 50s that U of T football attracted its largest crowds.
Immediately following the final expansion of Varsity Stadium in 1950, the Varsity Blues averaged 25,593 spectators per game and attracted a university record crowd of 26,764 for a game versus the University of Western Ontario Mustangs on October 21, 1950.
If one team stands out at U of T, it would be the 1958 squad. The team was coached by Dalt White, and is regarded by many as the Varsity Blues strongest ever. They averaged almost 40 points a game and remain the only U of T football team to go undefeated and untied since the 1910 squad.
Seven years later, White’s final season on the sidelines, the Varsity Blues claimed another first, winning the inaugural Vanier Cup championship by a 14-7 score over the University of Alberta. The 1965 team was inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Meanwhile, since 1965 the Varsity Blues have captured five Yates Cup titles. The Varsity Blues claimed their second Vanier Cup in 1993 under the tutelage of head coach Bob Laycoe. In a thrilling final, Glenn McCausland returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, a Vanier Cup record that still stands today, as the Varsity Blues slipped past the University of Calgary 37-34.
