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The Alberta Golden Bears football team represents the University of Alberta in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Golden Bears have been in competition since 1910 and the team has won three Vanier Cup national championships, in 1967, 1972, and most recently in 1980.[1] The Golden Bears have also won 18 Hardy Cup conference titles, second only to the Saskatchewan Huskies who have won 19 of them. The Golden Bears have also had three players win the Hec Crighton Trophy, with Mel Smith winning in 1971, Brian Fryer winning in 1975, and most recently Ed Ilnicki winning the award in 2017.
| Alberta Golden Bears | |
|---|---|
Alberta Golden Bears logo | |
| First season | 1910 |
| Athletic director | Dr. Ian Reade |
| Head coach | Vacant year, – |
| Home stadium | Foote Field |
| Year built | 2001 |
| Stadium capacity | 3500 |
| Stadium surface | PureGrass |
| Location | Edmonton, Alberta |
| League | U Sports |
| Conference | CWUAA (1910 - present) |
| All-time record | 353–351–9 (.501) |
| Postseason record | – |
| Titles | |
| Vanier Cups | 3 1967, 1972, 1980 |
| Churchill Bowls | 4 1971, 1972, 1980, 1981 |
| Hardy Cups | 18 1922, 1926, 1928, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1981 |
| Hec Crighton winners | 3 Mel Smith, Brian Fryer, Ed Ilnicki |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
| Colours | Green and Gold |
| Rivals | Calgary Dinos |
| Website | bears.ualberta.ca |
In the 2000s, the Golden Bears had seen mixed results as the team made the playoffs in five of ten seasons between 2001 and 2010. In four of those seasons, Alberta reached the Hardy Cup, but came away with losses each time. Despite playing in the Hardy Cup in 2010, the Golden Bears finished winless in 2011 following the resignation of longtime head coach Jerry Friesen. UBC defaulted two wins to Alberta that year, but the following season was once again winless as the Golden Bears finished at the bottom of the standings. The Golden Bears saw improvement in 2014 by posting a 3-5 record, but finished fifth and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The program saw further regression in 2015 and 2016, posting just two and one win seasons, respectively.
In 2017, the Golden Bears returned to the playoffs following a six-year absence by qualifying in the last week of the season by defeating the powerhouse Calgary Dinos and finishing 3-5. Because UBC and Manitoba finished with 2-6 records, the Golden Bears finished in fourth place and in playoff position, led by the strong play of Hec Crighton Trophy winner, Ed Ilnicki. The team lost the Canada West Semi-Final to the same Dinos by a score of 39-22. In the following year, the team was once again out of the playoffs, finishing 2-6, which included a default win after the Regina Rams had to forfeit a victory due to the use of an ineligible player.[2]
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | PCT | PF | PA | Standing | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | .313 | 139 | 217 | 6th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2002 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 141 | 186 | 7th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2003 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 262 | 164 | 4th in CW | Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 10-4 Lost to Simon Fraser Clan in Hardy Cup 28-18 |
| 2004 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 235 | 145 | 1st in CW | Defeated Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39-13 Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 21-20 |
| 2005 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 226 | 149 | 2nd in CW | Defeated Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 33-24 Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 30-17 |
| 2006 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 163 | 198 | 5th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2007 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 176 | 204 | 6th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2008 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 140 | 194 | 7th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2009 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 164 | 203 | 3rd in CW | Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 45-13 |
| 2010 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 177 | 220 | 4th in CW | Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 31-30 Lost to Calgary Dinos in Hardy Cup 56-3 |
| 2011 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 73 | 274 | 5th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 82 | 305 | 6th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2013 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 188 | 419 | 6th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2014 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 228 | 292 | 5th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2015 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 183 | 356 | 5th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2016 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 155 | 355 | 6th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2017 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 275 | 276 | 4th in CW | Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39-22 |
| 2018 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 109 | 251 | 5th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2019 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 179 | 208 | 3rd in CW | Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 28-23 |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
| 2021 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 174 | 186 | 3rd in CW | Lost to Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 43-17 |
| 2022 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 175 | 201 | 5th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 247 | 196 | 2nd in CW | Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 40-17 Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in semi-final 28-27 |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 231 | 229 | 6th in CW | Out of Playoffs |
| Name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| W. M. Edwards | 1910–1912 | |
| Whitney Lailey | 1913 | |
| Gordon McGuire | 1914–1915 | |
| No Team | 1916–1918 | |
| York Blayney | 1919 | |
| D. A. McGibbon | 1920–1921 | |
| Jimmy Bill | 1922–1926 | |
| Miles Palmer | 1927 | |
| Wallace Sterling | 1928–1929 | |
| Bud Morgan | 1930–1931 | |
| Ken Thompson | 1932 | |
| Al Wilson | 1933–1934 | |
| Jake Jamieson | 1935–1936 | |
| Bill Broadfoot | 1937–1939 | |
| Bob Fritz | 1940–1941 | |
| Tommy Hays | 1942–1944 | |
| Maury Van Vliet | 1945–1947 | |
| Don Smith | 1948 | |
| No Team | 1949–1958 | |
| Steve Mendryk | 1959 | |
| Murray Smith | 1960–1961 | |
| Clare Drake | 1962 | |
| Gino Fracas | 1963–1966 | |
| Clare Drake | 1967–1968 | |
| Harvey Scott | 1969–1970 | |
| Jim Donlevy | 1971–1981 | |
| Jim Lazaruk | 1982–1983 | |
| Jim Donlevy | 1984–1990 | |
| Tom Wilkinson | 1991–2000 | |
| Jerry Friesen | 2001–2010 | |
| Jeff Stead | 2011–2012 | |
| Chris Morris | 2013–2024 |
As of the end of the 2024 CFL season, nine former Golden Bears players were on CFL teams' rosters:
As of the start of the 2024 NFL season, one former Golden Bears player was on an NFL team's roster:
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