Waterloo Warriors

Waterloo Warriors
University	University of Waterloo
Association	Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Conference	Ontario University Athletics
Athletics director	Christine Stapleton
Location	Waterloo, Ontario
Varsity teams
Football stadium	Warrior Field
Arena	Columbia Ice Fields
Mascot	King Warrior
Nickname	Warriors
Colours	Gold and black and white
Website	Waterloo Warriors

The Waterloo Warriors are the athletic teams that represent the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The Warriors have found success over certain spans in football, hockey, rugby, golf and basketball among others, and the Warriors have won national championships in hockey (1974), basketball (1975), and women's swimming (1975). For many years from the 1960s through the 1990s, Warrior basketball games attracted the largest and rowdiest basketball crowds in the country. The Warriors Football teams have won two Yates Cup Championships, in 1997 and in 1999. The team's 2010 season was cancelled after a steroid scandal, the biggest ever in CIS Football history.

Waterloo's teams were originally known as the "Mules" after the school's founding in 1957, and for a while the women's teams were the "Mulettes", a name that was almost universally despised and ultimately replaced by "Athenas". Today the women's teams also use the nickname Warriors. University Stadium was originally built for the Warriors Football program, but was sold to the City of Waterloo in 1974 when UW could not afford to repair the stadium. The stadium was later sold by the City of Waterloo to Wilfrid Laurier University in 1992, where it is now the home of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. The Warriors now play at Warrior Field, which was renovated to be ready for the 2011 football season.

Varsity teams

Waterloo Warriors teams compete in:

• Badminton (m/w)
• Baseball (m)
• Basketball (m/w)
• Cross Country Running (m/w)
• Curling (m/w)
• Field hockey (w)
• Figure Skating (w)
• Ice hockey (m/w)
• Football (m)
• Golf (m/w)
• Rugby (m/w)
• Soccer (m/w)
• Swimming (m/w)
• Squash (m/w)
• Tennis (m/w)
• Track & Field (m/w)
• Volleyball (m/w)

Waterloo Warriors football

Waterloo Warriors
First season	1957
Athletic director	Bob Copeland
Head coach	Joe Paopao
	1st year, 2–6–0  (.250)
Other staff	Rob McMurren (Defensive Coordinator) Kani Kauahi (Offensive Coordinator) Chris Triantafilou (Positional Consultant)
Home stadium	Warrior Field
Year built	2009
Stadium capacity	1100 (Bleacher Seating) 4000 (Sloped Lawn Seating)
Stadium surface	FieldTurf Duraspine PRO
Location	Waterloo, Ontario
League	CIS
Conference	OUA (1980 - present)
Past associations	OIFC (1957-1966) CCIFC (1967) CIRFU (1968-1970) OUAA (1971-1973) OQIFC (1974-1979)
All-time record	–
Postseason record	–
Vanier Cups	0
Churchill Bowl Championships	1 1997
Yates Cups	2 1997, 1999
Hec Crighton winners	0
Current uniform
Colours	Black and Gold and White
Outfitter	Nike
Rivals	Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Guelph Gryphons
Website	athletics.uwaterloo.ca

The Waterloo Warriors football team has been in operation since 1957, winning two Yates Cup conference championships in 1997 and 1999. Currently, they are one of six teams to have never appeared in a Vanier Cup game and the longest tenured program in the OUA to have never qualified for the national championship game. The team was coached by Dennis McPhee, who is the former head coach of the St. Francis Xavier X-Men football team where he won Atlantic University Sport coach of the year in 2002.^[1] McPhee resigned as head coach on November 22, 2011.^[2]

In recent years, the program has struggled to compete in the OUA, having not qualified for the playoffs since 2002 and not having a winning record since 2001. The program then made national headlines in 2010 after it was discovered that a student athlete was in possession of steroids and human growth hormone in March 2010.^[3] The school then conducted a steroid investigation that had led to all 65 members of its team tested for steroids on March 31, with three positive results. Consequently, on June 14, 2010, the school announced that the program would be suspended for the 2010 season.^[4] While the football team returned for the 2011 season, it proved difficult as many players transferred to other schools after they learned they would not be able to play at Waterloo that year.^[5] Consequently, the Warriors finished winless in eight games in their return to the OUA.

A highlight for the long-suffering Warriors was a 35-21 playoff win over the Western Mustangs in 1999 in the last game ever played at Western's J. W. Little Stadium. Waterloo is battling through the after effects of a steroid scandal, that shut down the programs ability to compete in 2010. In 2011, they experience the growing pains associated with a year off of football, and losing most starters and veterans to transfers. In 2012, most expected the Warriors to be at the cold cellar of CIS, however, they surprised the football community with convincing wins against York University Lions, and a huge upset victory over the University of Windsor Lancers. 2013, is slated to be Waterloo's best year since 1999.

Recent regular season results

Season-by-season record

The following is the record of the Waterloo Warriors football team in the last ten seasons of play:

Waterloo Warriors in the CFL

As of the start of the 2013 CFL season, three former Warriors players are on CFL teams' rosters:

• Chris Best, Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Matt Vonk, Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Joel Reinders, Toronto Argonauts

See also

• Canadian Interuniversity Sport

References

External links

• University of Waterloo athletics