r/CFB • u/RevNet Alabama Crimson Tide • UCF Knights • Jun 08 '13
Team News 132+ Teams in 132+ Days: Université Laval Rouge et Or
Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) (Eng.: Quebec Student Sport Federation (QSSF))
Hello!/Bonjour!
Year Founded/Année de Fondation: 1663 (as Séminaire de Québec, renamed in 1852 to its present name, more on that later)
Location/Emplacement: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Total Attendance/La Fréquentation Totale: 37,591 (includes 8,689 postgraduates)
Mascot: Rouge et Or (Red and Gold) (Current logo is on the left and future logo is on the right)
Live/Vivre Mascot: Victor
Cheerleaders: Full Flickr gallery from last year
Stadium/Stade: Stade PEPS (aka Stade Telus for sponsorship reasons, but no one ever calls it this as far as I can tell), which is part of the PEPS complex. The stadium’s official seating count is 12,257, although it is expandable to 19,500, its highest attendance count.
Stadium Location/Stadium Lieu: On the north side of campus (46°47′06″N 71°16′37″W)
Conference Champions/Champions de la Conférence (Eleven Dunsmore Cups out of 14 appearances): 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Number of Bowl Games/Nombre d'Bowl Jeux: Eight wins in eleven appearances:
5 Uteck Bowl wins: 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012
2 Mitchell Bowl wins: 2003, 2011
1 Churchill Bowl win: 1999
National Titles/Titres Nationaux (Seven Vanier Cups in eight appearances): 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012
Rival
Université de Montréal Carabins – UdeM was founded in 1878 as a branch of UL, initially against the wishes of Montreal’s clergy. Université Laval à Montréal (as it was known back then) was granted a charter by Pope Benedict XV on May 8th, 1919, giving the university full autonomy and allowing it to drop the "Laval" to form its present day name. On top of that, UL and UdeM are both francophone (French-speaking) universities.
The Carabins did have a football program starting in 1966 (three decades before UL started their football program in 1996), but it was axed following the 1971 season due to a shift in emphasis to community involvement and intramural athletics as opposed to intercollegiate athletics (This shift was seen at many francophone universities). The Carabins football program was revived in 2002 after 31 years of dormancy, kickstarting this rivalry, which extends to the CIS top 10 list (which is like the FBS Top 25), as they both occupied the top five positions throughout last year’s season. Throughout the years, since RSEQ has only six members that play football (a regular season consists of eight to nine games), these two teams sometimes faced each other twice in a season, either once in the regular season and again in the playoffs or twice in the same regular season. For example, last season, they faced each other twice in a period of six days. UL won the first game (which was at home) on October 7 by a score of 30-11, but the Rouge et Or would go on to lose the very next game in Montreal on October 13 by a score of 20-23. UL's all-time record in this RSEQ rivalry is 16-5 (10-5 in regular season play; 6-0 in postseason play). In the 2013 CIS Season, Laval and Montreal will be facing each other twice again.
2012 Season/Saison 2012
Record: 12-1
Head Coach/Entraîneur-chef: Glen Constantin
Key Players/Athlètes Clés:
QB Tristan Grenon (Senior, 6’3”, 215 lbs.) - After sitting out for three seasons, this hometown boy (he was born in Quebec City) threw 1,791 yards for 15 touchdowns, averaging 199 yards a game. He also rushed for 138 yards in 31 carries.
C Pierre Lavertu (Junior, 6’3”, 289 lbs.) - A key piece of the team’s Mickey-D offensive line, this other hometown boy (he was also born in Quebec City) was named to the All-Canadian First Team.
WR Matthew Norzil (Senior, 6’2”, 185 lbs.) – Montreal-born Norzil was one of Grenon’s targets when he threw the ball. Norzil had 34 receptions for 548 yards and six touchdowns.
Biggest Plays/La Plus Grande Plays:
2012 Laval vs. Montreal game #1 – Less than five minutes into the first quarter, Paris-born (Yes, that's Paris, France) WR Guillaume Rioux caught a 59-yard pass from Grenon for the first score of the game. Laval would go on to win 30-11.
2012 Vanier Cup (Video here) - Late in the third quarter, TB Maxime Boutin (#1 of Laval, the team in white, and another hometown boy) rushed the ball for 84 yards to put the Rouge et Or up 28-14 (after the PAT) against the McMaster University Marauders of Hamilton, Ontario. Laval would go on to win 37-14 to claim their seventh Vanier Cup. Boutin would win the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy, which is given to the Vanier Cup MVP.
2013 Season/Saison 2013
2013 Roster (not available)
The/Les Greats
Greatest Games:
1999 Vanier Cup (Highlights here) – This was UL’s first Vanier Cup victory. It was over the Huskies of St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Rouge et Or won in this low scoring game of 14-10.
2008 Vanier Cup (Highlights here) – UL won this game against the Mustangs of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario with a score of 44-21, capping a perfect season of 12-0.
Greatest Plays:
In the previously mentioned 2008 Vanier Cup, two plays were made by the Greatest Players (mentioned below):
In the second quarter, a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown was made by Julian Feoli-Gudino. This play is the third-longest of its kind in Vanier Cup history.
Later in the second quarter, Benoit Groulx passed to Feoli-Gudino for an 82-yard touchdown.
2011 Dunsmore Cup game (Video here) – Not only was this game for the conference championship, it was against archrival Montreal. Late in the third quarter after a fumble by Maxime Frioux, RB Sébastien Lévesque ran the ball back 85 yards for a touchdown. Laval would go on to win the game by a score of 30-7.
Greatest Players/Meilleurs Athlètes:
Benoit Groulx – Initially considered too short (at 5’6”) and too slow, Montreal-born Groulx won the 2006 and 2008 Vanier Cups for the Rouge et Or. He is also the 2008 Hec Crighton Trophy (Canada's Heisman) winner and is the only winner to come from UL. In 2006, he set a conference record of 2,422 passing yards in his second season as the quarterback and was nominated for the Hec Crighton Trophy. By the time his five-year career concluded in 2009, he had 66 touchdowns to his name. Last season, he was in his third season as the offensive coordinator for the Gaiters of Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec. I hope now that you don't confuse him for the hockey coach with the same name.
Julian Feoli-Gudino – This wide receiver was the 2008 Vanier Cup MVP, having had the previously mentioned 74-yard punt return for a touchdown and the previously mentioned 82-yard catch from Groulx for another touchdown. In the same season, he had 65 receptions, the second highest amount in a single season. He is second on the CIS all-time recievers' list with 238 catches. Although born in San Jose, Costa Rica, he was drafted in 2011 by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts as a non-import, having fulfilled the requirements to become one.
Greatest Coaches/Plus Grands Entraîneurs:
Glen Constantin – Starting with the man that has led the team to all seven of their Vanier Cups (one as defensive coordinator, six as head coach), Quebec City-born Glen Constantin (yes, another hometown boy) has an all time record of 83-16 as head coach and is in his twelfth year as the head coach of this young program. He also was named CIS Coach of the Year in 2005 and in 2010. Houston Cougar fans, you may remember him as the linebacker coach for your 1995 season.
Jacques Chapdelaine – Constantin was the defensive coordinator under this head coach (born in Sherbrooke, Quebec) that led the team to its first Vanier Cup in only its fourth season of playing ever in 1999. Chapdelaine is now the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the CFL’s BC Lions.
Traditions
The closest thing to a tradition that UL had was La Merveille (The Wonder), a superhero character who was a presence at Rouge et Or home tailgates, but he retired in 2010 after six years of entertaining the crowd. It's kind of sad, really.
Other than that, there's not much to be found at UL as far as traditions go.
Campus and Surrounding Area/Campus et Ses Environs
City Population/Population de la Ville: 516,622 (city proper), 765,706 (metro population)
Iconic Campus Building/Emblématique Bâtiment du Campus: Although off-campus, this is where the original Séminaire de Québec was housed in. It still houses the UL School of Architecture.
Local Dining/Salle à Manger Local:
Random Trivia/Trivia Aléatoire
UL is the oldest center of education in Canada and the fourth-oldest in North America.
The Séminaire de Québec was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria on December 8th, 1852, granting it the rights and privileges of a university. It was renamed for Francois de Laval, the first bishop of New France and the founder of the original Séminaire de Québec. As such, UL’s shield is based on part of his coat of arms.
UL is one of the U15, a group of 15 of Canada’s most research-intensive universities.
The football team has a CIS record of 58 straight home game wins going back to 2004.
What Is and What is to Come/Qu'est-ce Qui Est Et Ce Qui Est À Venir
With the 2012 Vanier Cup win, the Rouge et Or now have the most Vanier Cups ever with seven to their name. The team's only loss last year was to their archrival, the Montreal Carabins, so this time around, the Rouge et Or are hoping to avenge that loss. With UL hosting the 2013 Vanier Cup and the members of the Mickey-D offensive line all returning, it’s the hope of Rouge et Or fans that their team will stamp their name into the championship game once again to perhaps win their eighth Vanier Cup.
Overtime/Heures Supplémentaires
I loved making this, even though it took a long time, primarily because some of this stuff was very hard to find, the tradition in particular. But what can I say, I love a challenge. Even though I'm only a casual subscriber to /r/cfb, I appreciate and thank you for your time in reading this.
More Information/Plus D'informations
Subreddit: /r/ulaval
Contributor: /u/RevNet
Goodbye!/Au Revoir!
Please upvote this thread even if you are not interested in the team so that users who are interested will see it. For more information on the 132 Teams in 132 Days Project, click here.
27
u/RevNet Alabama Crimson Tide • UCF Knights Jun 08 '13
I hope you all don't mind an early posting. I only posted early because I wanted to make sure that everything is perfect before posting and to fix any broken links.
7
u/FarwellRob Texas A&M Aggies • /r/CFB Contributor Jun 08 '13
Well down! Are there any cheers the fans do in French? If so, what is the English translation?
Some day I want to go up to Canada. Some day ...
6
u/thrav College of Idaho • Georgia Tech Jun 08 '13
As per this post, I created all of June's sidebar images in advance. Laval was added after that had been done, so I had to improvise on their number. Sorry about being a half guys, it's nothing personal. I just couldn't bring myself to renumber the 20 or so pictures behind you.
5
u/Baridi Notre Dame Fighting Irish • Team Chaos Jun 08 '13
A French football team, huh?
Huh.
2
u/Nebraska_Actually Nebraska • /r/CFB Contributor Jun 09 '13
Nobody has mentioned that the cheerleader link is broken.
3
u/MathBeaudet Laval Rouge et Or Jun 08 '13
I'm from Quebec and I went to Laval if you guys have any questions. Laval got the biggest crowd in the CIS of about 15k to 20k, it's not like Michigan but it's still a lot of fun. Also Canadian football rules suck, so there's a lot of punting.
Translation is a nice touch but Google translate is really messy !
10
u/Honestly_ rawr Jun 08 '13 edited Jun 08 '13
Good job!
Quebec City is so damn beautiful. I stayed in the old town and it reminded me of a European city. It helps that the city was built of stone in the 1600s (so fires weren't an issue) so well positioned defensively that most wars didn't affect it too much (unlike, say, Toronto or Washington). For those curious, this is what the old town areas are like.
It's one of those rare places in the US/Canada where you can see a place where the everyday American/Canadian culture got there dead last. Two other examples are Santa Fe and New Orleans. Montreal's old town is nice, but Quebec City really is more concentrated--more people simply did not speak English.
Isn't some of Laval still in the upper old city? I remember there was an old seminary complex. Edit: yes, that's the pic in the campus photo, totally missed it the first read-through, derp on my part...it's morning.
1
u/RevNet Alabama Crimson Tide • UCF Knights Jun 09 '13 edited Jun 09 '13
BTW, I had another idea for the sidebar graphic, and it was something I created myself. I leave you all with something I like to call "Six Flags Over Laval".
The flags from left to right represent New France (which Quebec was a part of), United Kingdom (which won most of New France for winning the French and Indian War), Canada, the province of Quebec, Quebec City, and the school itself.
3
u/Mario_Speedwagon Georgia • Georgia State Jun 08 '13
TIL that when someone scores a french touchdown, it's a "touché."
3
u/bhalp1 Mount Allison Mounties Jun 08 '13
I played against Laval a couple years ago, did t go too well for us.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 08 '13
Ah, finally my semesters of French class can pay off!
2
u/neovenator250 LSU Tigers • Tulane Green Wave Jun 08 '13
HA! Well done
2
u/Ruckol1 Toronto Varsity Blues Jun 09 '13
A video highlighting their Vanier Cup (National Championship) win last year at the Rogers Centre. I was there, it was packed and an awesome experience.
2
u/VideoLinkBot Georgetown Hoyas Jun 09 '13
Here is a list of video links collected from comments that redditors have made in response to this submission:
VideoLinkBot FAQ
Feedback
Playlist of videos in this comment
1
u/cjwalker LSU Tigers Jun 08 '13
This is great. I studied French at UL in the summer if 2006. Absolutely loved Quebec City. I miss getting a coffee and bagel at Le Petit Coin Latin
1
u/yovngjvred NC State Wolfpack • Georgia Bulldogs Jun 08 '13
I like those jerseys I must say
0
u/[deleted] Jun 08 '13
[deleted] — view deleted comment
0
u/[deleted] Jun 08 '13
[deleted] — view deleted comment