Football Canada is the governing body for gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for Canadian football.
The governing body is also Canada's representative member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the world's governing body for American football. In this capacity, it organizes the Canada men's national team which competes in IFAF competitions using American rules.
History
1880–1955, Canadian Rugby Union
The organization, which is now known as Football Canada, was founded on June 12, 1880, as the Canadian Rugby Football Union, disbanded then revived on October 21, 1882, and re-organized as the Canadian Rugby Union on December 19, 1891.
The CRU was founded to govern a sport which at the time had rules similar to the rugby football being played in the United Kingdom. In 1909, Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey, Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to the CRU to be awarded for the Rugby Football Championship of Canada. This trophy became known as the Grey Cup.
Even by this time, however, the rules being played in Canada were vastly different from the rules used in countries that were part of the International Rugby Board (IRB). In the years that followed, the CRU made numerous rule changes that resulted in a game reasonably similar to the American one but unrecognizable to a rugby union enthusiast.
In the early-1910s, CRU held annual discussions dealing with rules changes due to the influence American football. The CRU elected W. A. Hewitt president for the 1915 season. He appointed a commission to establish uniform rules of play at different levels including collegiate and senior. He approached multiple football coaches and sought feedback on best ways to implement standard playing rules. After the CRU did not operate from 1916 to 1918 due to World War I, Hewitt returned as president for the 1919 season. Due to disagreements on playing rules in Western Canada, lack of interest in Eastern Canada, and students prioritizing studies instead of intercollegiate sports; national playoffs were not held in 1919.
Champions prior to 1909
These are the CRU champions before the dedication of the Grey Cup.
- 1892 – Osgoode Hall (Ontario) defeated Montreal (Quebec)
- 1893 – Queen's University (Ontario) defeated Montreal (Quebec)
- 1894 – Ottawa University (Quebec) defeated Queen's University (Ontario)
- 1895 – Toronto University (Ontario) defeated Montreal (Quebec)
- 1896 – Ottawa University (Quebec) defeated Toronto University (Ontario)
- 1897 – Ottawa University (Quebec) defeated Hamilton (Ontario)
- 1898 – Ottawa (Ontario) defeated Toronto University (Intercollegiate), Ottawa (Ontario) defeated Ottawa University (Quebec)
- 1899 – No game.
- 1900 – Ottawa (Ontario) defeated Brockville (Quebec)
- 1901 – Ottawa University (Quebec) defeated Argonauts (Ontario)
- 1902 – Ottawa (Ontario) defeated Ottawa University (Quebec)
- 1903 – No game.
- 1904 – No game.
- 1905 – Toronto University (Intercollegiate) defeated Ottawa (Quebec)
- 1906 – Hamilton (Ontario) defeated McGill University (Intercollegiate)
- 1907 – Montreal (Interprovincial) defeated Peterborough (Ontario)
- 1908 – Hamilton (Interprovincial) defeated Toronto University (Intercollegiate)
The 1909 game was the first game for the Grey Cup. See the article 'List of Grey Cup champions' for the complete Grey Cup listing.
Source: Ottawa Citizen, November 28, 1910, page 8.
See also
- Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association
- Comparison of Canadian and American football
- Quebec Junior Football League
- Rugby Canada
- U Sports football