Montreal Carabins
Montreal Carabins logo
First season2002
Athletic directorManon Simard
Head coachMarco Iadeluca
3rd year, 20–4  (.833)
Other staffDenis Touchette (DC)
Home stadiumCEPSUM Stadium
Stadium capacity5100
Stadium surfaceFieldTurf
LocationMontreal, Quebec
LeagueU Sports
ConferenceQUFL/RSEQ (2002 - present)
Past associationsOIFC (1966)
CCIFC (1967-1970)
QUAA (1971)
All-time record122–48–0 (.718)
Postseason record23–18 (.561)
Titles
Vanier Cups2 (2014, 2023)
Uteck Bowls3 (2014, 2019, 2023)
Mitchell Bowls1 (2015)
Dunsmore Cups5 (2014, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Hec Crighton winners1
(Jonathan Sénécal, 2023)
Current uniform
ColoursRoyal Blue, White, and Black
     
OutfitterAdidas
RivalsLaval Rouge et Or
Websitecarabins.umontreal.ca

The Montreal Carabins football team represents the University of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Carabins program has been in operation since its resurrection in the 2002 football season and has established itself as a provincial and national powerhouse with five RSEQ conference championships and two national championships, in 2014 and 2023.[1]

History

The Carabins on offence in the 55th Vanier Cup game.

The team began its second incarnation in 2002 after over thirty years of being dormant. The Carabins first began play in 1966 in the Ontario Intercollegiate Football Conference and continued play for the next six seasons.[2] The program was dropped after the 1971 season due to a shift in philosophy as many francophone universities placed an emphasis on community involvement and intramural athletic activities as opposed to intercollegiate athletics. That philosophy has shifted back to intercollegiate sports as Université Laval, Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke each began programs in 1996, 2002 and 2003, respectively.[3]

The current program has seen marked success in the regular season, having qualified for the playoffs in every season since 2003. However, the program had difficulty winning their conference championship in the early years, with five losses in their first five appearances. That changed under the leadership of former head coach, Danny Maciocia, in 2014, as the Carabins defeated the Laval Rouge et Or to win their first Dunsmore Cup. The team then won the national semi-final Uteck Bowl against the Manitoba Bisons to qualify for the first Vanier Cup game in program history. In the 50th Vanier Cup, the Carabins defeated the McMaster Marauders by a score of 20–19 to win the first national championship in program history.

The team won two more Dunsmore Cups in 2015 and 2019, but eventually lost in the Vanier Cup games in both seasons to the UBC Thunderbirds and the Calgary Dinos. Maciocia resigned following the 2019 season to join the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes and was replaced by Marco Iadeluca on February 11, 2020.[4]

In 2021, the first season after the COVID-19 pandemic, the team finished first of the regular season with a record of 7-1, and two straight wins against their rivals, the Laval Rouge et Or. They hosted the 2021 Dunsmore Cup at home, and managed to lift it in Montréal - their fourth Dunsmore Cup - following a decisive victory of 28-19 against Laval, the program's first Dunsmore Cup win at home - and finished the season with three wins against their rivals for the first time in their history.

In 2022, the team finished second in the RSEQ with a record of 6-2. They participated in their ninth straight Dunsmore Cup, and lost 24-25 in Québec, against the Rouge et Or on a single.

For the 2023 campaign, the 2022 provincial runner-up finished the regular season with a 7-1 record, suffering their only loss in the final season game at home to the Concordia Stingers, with a score of 14-16 on a walk-off field goal on a meaningless game. In a rare occurrence, Montreal completely outscored Laval in Quebec with a score of 31-14, thanks to their impressive six turnovers. They also shut down the Rouge et Or 28-0 at home, marking Laval's second-ever scoreless game. The Carabins then secured their fifth Dunsmore Cup with a 12-6 victory over Laval in Montreal. In the following week, Montreal defeated the No. 1-ranked team in Canada, the Western Mustangs, by scoring 29-3 in the Uteck Bowl. To cap off the successful campaign, which had already crowned Montreal quarterback Jonathan Sénécal with the HEC Creighton Trophy for the most outstanding player and the Presidents' Trophy for the most outstanding defensive player, Harold Miessan, the Carabins won their second Vanier Cup title, defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 16-9 in the 58th Vanier Cup. During their four playoff games, Montreal did not concede a single touchdown and finished with an impressive score of 111-21.

Season-by-season record

SeasonGamesWonLostPCTPFPAStandingPlayoffs
20028080.000623595th in QUFLDid not qualify
20038620.6252201603rd in QUFLLost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 35-8
20048801.000256751st in QUFLDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 38-18
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 30-12
20058620.8752291582nd in QUFLDefeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 28-17
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 19-13
20068620.7501881383rd in QUFLLost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 23-3
20078440.5001511494th in QUFLLost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 28-16
20088530.6252731384th in QUFLLost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 32-7
20098530.6252221462nd in QUFLDefeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 40-15
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 31-7
20109540.5562271512nd in QUFLLost to Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 33-26
20119630.6672021523rd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 33-15
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 30-7
20129810.8892991022nd in RSEQLost to Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 42-24
20138530.6252111203rd in RSEQDefeated Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 51-8
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 14-11
20148710.8752711002nd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 40-13
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 12-9 (OT)
Defeated Manitoba Bisons in Uteck Bowl 29-26
Defeated McMaster Marauders in 50th Vanier Cup 20-19
20158620.7502321092nd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 31-24
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 18-16
Defeated Guelph Gryphons in Mitchell Bowl 25-10
Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in 51st Vanier Cup 26-23
20168710.875296721st in RSEQDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 42-0
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 20-17
20177610.857176932nd in RSEQDefeated Concordia Stingers in semi-final 42-20
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 25-22
20188620.750256462nd in RSEQDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 48-2
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 14-1
20198620.750144932nd in RSEQDefeated McGill Redmen in semi-final 31-0
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 25-10
Defeated Acadia Axemen in Uteck Bowl 38-0
Lost to Calgary Dinos in 55th Vanier Cup 27-13
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
20218710.8752261131st in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 31-3
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 28-19
Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Uteck Bowl 14-10
20228620.7501631242nd in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 23-15
Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 25-24
20238710.875288931st in RSEQDefeated Sherbrooke Vert et Or in semi-final 54-3
Defeated Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 12-6
Defeated Western Mustangs in Uteck Bowl 29-3
Defeated UBC Thunderbirds in 58th Vanier Cup 16-9

[5]

National award winners

Carabins in the CFL

Montreal Carabins helmets

As of the end of the 2023 CFL season, 15 former Carabins players are on CFL teams' rosters:

[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Preview: 55th Vanier Cup presented by Promutuel Insurance". U Sports. November 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ "University Football in Ontario and Quebec from 1967 to 1979". cisfootball.org. March 2006.
  3. ↑ "A History of Canadian University Football, 1980 to the Present". cisfootball.org. March 2006.
  4. ↑ "Marco Iadeluca de retour pour diriger les Carabins" (in French). Montreal Carabins. February 11, 2020.
  5. ↑ RSEQ Standings
  6. ↑ "Canadian Football League, Players". Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
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