The Sherbrooke Vert et Or football team represents the Université de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Quebec in the sport of Canadian football in the RSEQ conference of U Sports. The Sherbrooke football team first began play in 1971 in the Quebec Universities Athletic Association, but only played for three seasons. The program was re-started in 2003 and has been in continuous operation since then. The Vert et Or football team is one of two U Sports football programs to have never won a conference championship, with the other being the York Lions.
History The team began its second incarnation in 2003, thirty years after the first program was dropped in 1973. The Vert et Or first began to play in 1971 in the Quebec Universities Athletic Association as the Sherbrooke Estrien. The varsity team's name was changed to Sherbrooke Vert et Or in 1972. The program was dropped after the 1973 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 shifted back to intercollegiate sports as Université Laval, Université de Montréal and Sherbrooke each began programs in 1996, 2002 and 2003, respectively.
The current football program has seen mixed success, with teams only qualifying for the postseason twice in its first seven years. However, the Vert et Or made progress after posting their first winning season in 2008 followed by their first appearance in the Dunsmore Cup championship in 2010, losing a close game to the Laval Rouge et Or. Then, in 2011, Sherbrooke finished in 2nd place in the Quebec conference and hosted their first playoff game. Consequently, then head coach André Bolduc was named the RSEQ coach of the year. The team finished in third place in 2012 and appeared in their second Dunsmore Cup, but once again lost to Laval. The teams remained competitive through to 2015, with back-to-back winning seasons and playoff appearances, but have since posted four consecutive losing seasons since 2016. The team's current head coach, Mathieu Lecompte, hired in advance of the 2017 season, is the first former Vert et Or football player to become the head of the program. In 2021, the Sherbrooke Vert et Or beat the Laval Rouge et Or for the first time in its history, at home, with a final score of 23-17. After finishing in third place with a 4–4 record in 2022, the Vert & Or regressed in 2023 to a 1–7 record. Consequently, the school decided not to renew Lecompte's contract as he finished with a 14–34 record. On November 22, 2023, it was announced that Kevin Régimbald had been promoted to head coach.
Recent regular season results Season Games Won Lost Standing Playoffs20038 08 0.000 10 4916th in QUFL Out of Playoffs20048 35 0.375 135 2465th in QUFL Out of Playoffs20058 44 0.500 175 2274th in QUFL Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 72-1420068 35 0.375 181 2105th in QUFL Out of Playoffs20078 44 0.500 233 1895th in QUFL Out of Playoffs20088 53 0.625 190 1533rd in QUFL Lost to Concordia Stingers in semi-final 41-2020098 35 0.375 153 1746th in QUFL Out of Playoffs20109 54 0.556 261 2053rd in QUFL Defeated Montreal Carabins in semi-final 33-26Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 22-1720119 72 0.778 255 1952nd in RSEQ Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 33-1520129 63 0.667 265 2093rd in RSEQ Defeated Montreal Carabins in semi-final 42-24Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Dunsmore Cup 40-1720138 35 0.375 164 1974th in RSEQ Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 32-1120148 53 0.625 239 1393rd in RSEQ Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 40-1320158 53 0.625 216 1533rd in RSEQ Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 24-3120168 35 0.375 148 1665th in RSEQ Out of Playoffs20178 26 0.250 139 2424th in RSEQ Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 45-020188 26 0.250 84 2284th in RSEQ Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in semi-final 40-020198 26 0.250 135 2075th in RSEQ Out of Playoffs2020Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20218 35 0.375 159 2404th in RSEQ Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 31-320228 44 0.500 164 1933rd in RSEQ Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 23-1520238 17 0.125 136 2804th in RSEQ Lost to Montreal Carabins in semi-final 54-320248 17 0.125 120 2355th in RSEQ Out of Playoffs20258 26 0.250 122 2405th in RSEQ Out of Playoffs
Head coaches # Name Term Achievements12003–2006 32 10 22 20 .313 1 0 1 .00022007–2011 42 24 18 48 .571 4 1 3 .250RSEQ Coach of the Year (2011)32012–2016 41 22 19 22 .537 5 1 4 .20042017–2023 48 14 34 28 .292 5 0 5 .00042024–present 16 3 13 6 .188 — — — .000
National award winners Russ Jackson Award: Clovis Langlois-Boucher (2007)
Sherbrooke Vert et Or in the CFL
As of the start of the 2026 CFL season, four former Vert et Or players are on CFL teams' rosters: Alexandre Gagné, Montreal Alouettes Anthony Gosselin, Ottawa Redblacks Anthony Vandal, Montreal Alouettes
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