The Regina Rams represent the University of Regina, located in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Rams joined U Sports in 1999 and have competed in the Canada West Conference since then. The program has won two U Sports football conference championships, in 2000 and 2024, and the team has made one appearance in the Vanier Cup championship game.
The Rams nickname is used by the university's football team only; all of the other teams at the school are named the Regina Cougars.
History
The Regina Rams were formed in 1954 when two junior football teams, the Bombers and the Dales, merged into one football club. The Rams participated in the Man-Sask Junior Football League until 1976, when they joined with junior teams from Alberta to form the Prairie Football Conference. The club would participate in the CJFL until 1998, winning ten Canadian Junior Football Championships along the way.
In 1999, after competing for 45 years in junior football (Canadian Junior Football League), the Regina Rams became a member of the Canada West Conference of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU), later Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and now U Sports. The University of Regina came to community partnership agreement with the CJFL team that made the transfer possible. Rather than change their name to Regina Cougars, the football team continued to use the moniker "Rams." In only their second year of playing in the CIAU, the Rams won the Canada West Conference championship and then the Atlantic Bowl. They then went on their way to the Vanier Cup where they lost 42–39 to Marcel Bellefeuille's Ottawa Gee-Gees in the 36th Vanier Cup.http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/fball/2010-11/files/vanier_cup_history Vanier Cup History
Frank McCrystal was the head coach of the Rams from their inception in the CIS until 2014. He took the reins of the team in 1984, making 2014 his 31st season as head coach of the Rams and his 16th in the CIS. In 2007, after leading his team to a 6–2 regular season record and an appearance in the Hardy Cup game, McCrystal was named Canadian Interuniversity Sport Coach of the Year and received the 2007 Frank Tindall Trophy.http://www.reginacougars.com/coaches.aspx?rc=180&path=football 2010 Football Coaching Staff, Frank McCrystal
The Rams played the inaugural sporting event at Mosaic Stadium on October 1, 2016, hosting the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. At the end of the 2016 season, quarterback Noah Picton became the first Rams player to win the Hec Crighton Trophy after completing 224 passes out of 323 attempts for 3,186 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. That was also the first season that the Rams finished in first place in the Canada West regular season.
CIAU/CIS/U Sports Regular Season Results Season Standing Playoffs19998 08- 0.000 121 3096th in CW Out of Playoffs20008 44- 0.500 218 2813rd in CW Defeated Calgary Dinos in semi-final 33–32Defeated Manitoba Bisons in Hardy Cup 25–22Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic Bowl 40–36Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in 36th Vanier Cup 42–3920018 53- 0.625 278 2082nd in CW Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 58–31Lost to Manitoba Bisons in Hardy Cup 23–1720028 530 0.625 169 1533rd in CW Defeated Calgary Dinos in semi-final 39–17Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 44–2820038 431 0.563 248 2463rd in CW Lost to Simon Fraser Clan in semi-final 53–4620048 080 0.000 116 2687th in CW Out of Playoffs20058 350 0.375 188 2765th in CW Out of Playoffs20068 440 0.500 278 2564th in CW Lost to Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 44–2920078 62- 0.750 257 1952nd in CW Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 19–13Lost to Manitoba Bisons in Hardy Cup 48–520088 53- 0.250 163 1793rd in CW Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 24–1720098 35- 0.375 174 2244th in CW Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 53–2320108 53- 0.625 281 1813rd in CW Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 40–3320118 53- 0.625 123 1543rd in CW Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 16–420128 62- 0.750 214 1602nd in CW Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in semi-final 31–9Lost to Calgary Dinos in Hardy Cup 38–1420138 26- 0.250 224 2795th in CW Out of Playoffs20148 35- 0.375 239 2944th in CW Lost to Calgary Dinos in semi-final 56–020158 08- 0.000 177 3396th in CW Out of Playoffs20168 62- 0.750 277 2181st in CW Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in semi-final 40–3420178 44- 0.500 259 2833rd in CW Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in semi-final 28–2120188 17*- 0.125 107 2176th in CW Out of Playoffs20198 35- 0.375 211 1895th in CW Out of Playoffs2020Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20216 15- 0.167 58 1316th in CW Out of Playoffs20228 53- 0.625 195 1592nd in CW Lost to UBC Thunderbirds in semi-final 28–1420238 17- 0.125 155 2686th in CW Out of Playoffs20248 35- 0.375 157 1774th in CW Defeated Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 28–25Defeated Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 19–14Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Mitchell Bowl 17–1420258 62- 0.750 246 1722nd in CW Defeated Manitoba Bisons in semi-final 32–29 (2OT)Lost to Saskatchewan Huskies in Hardy Cup 25–24 Canada West Football History
(*)The Rams forfeited three wins in 2018 due to use of an ineligible player. Those games were then awarded as 1–0 wins to Alberta, UBC, and Manitoba.2018 U Sports Regina schedule
National U Sports Postseason Results +Vanier Cup Era (1965–present) Year Game Opponent Result2000Atlantic Bowl Vanier CupSaint Mary's OttawaW 40–36 L 39–422024Mitchell BowlLavalL 14–17 Regina is 1–1 in national semi-final games and 0–1 in the Vanier Cup.
Head coaches Coach name Tenure Notes Toar Springstein 1954–1955 Bill Ciz 1956–1958 Bert Iannone 1959–1962 Paul Anderson 1962–1963 Bill Ciz 1964 Gordon Currie 1965–1976 Mel Fissel 1977 Gerry Zbytnuik 1978–1980 Frank McCrystal 1981–2014 Mike Gibson 2015 Steve Bryce 2016–2019 Mark McConkey 2020–present
National award winners Hec Crighton Trophy: Noah Picton (2016) Presidents' Trophy: Mat Nesbitt (2007) Frank Tindall Trophy: Frank McCrystal (2007) Gino Fracas Award: Dwayne Masson (2025)
Regina Rams in the professional ranks As of the start of the 2026 CFL season, nine former Rams players were on CFL teams' rosters: Tevaughn Campbell, Saskatchewan Roughriders Jaxon Ford, Saskatchewan Roughriders D'Sean Mimbs, Saskatchewan Roughriders Dolani Robinson, Calgary Stampeders Tanner Schmekel, Winnipeg Blue Bombers Carson Sombach, Saskatchewan Roughriders Jackson Sombach, Calgary Stampeders Ryder Varga, Saskatchewan Roughriders Josh White, Ottawa Redblacks
References
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