The Waterloo Warriors football team represents the University of Waterloo in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Warriors U Sports football program 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.
Recent history In the 21st century, the program struggled to compete in the OUA, having not qualified for the playoffs from 2004 to 2017 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. 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. 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. Consequently, the Warriors finished winless in eight games in their return to the OUA. The team was coached by Dennis McPhee, who was 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. In 2011, they experienced the growing pains associated with a year off of football, and losing most starters and veterans to transfers. At the end of the season, McPhee resigned as head coach on November 22, 2011.
The team was then led by Joe Paopao for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2012, most expected the Warriors to be at the cold cellar of CIS, however, they surprised the football community with convincing wins against the York Lions and a huge upset victory over the Windsor Lancers. They won one game in 2013 against the expansion Carleton Ravens. Paopao resigned following the 2013 season and Marshall Bingeman's appointment as interim head coach for 2014. The team won one game in 2014 against the Lions, which was an away game.
Chris Bertoia was hired as Head Coach and Manager of Football Operations for the 2015 season. After finishing their 2015 and 2016 seasons winless, the Warriors won their first four games of the 2017 season, before losing their remaining four to finish in seventh place and just outside of the playoffs. It was the teams' best finish (seventh place) since 2007 and their best record (4–4) since 2001. In the 2018 season, the Warriors continued their strong play with another 4–4 record, but qualified for the playoffs based on their victory over the 4–4 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks earlier in the season. In their first playoff appearance since 2003, the Warriors lost to the Guelph Gryphons by a score of 45–34. In 2019, the Warriors finished again with a 4–4 record, but this time earned their first post-season victory in 20 years with a resounding 44–21 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees. The team lost a close OUA semi-final game to the Western Mustangs, ranked #1 in the country, by a score of 30–24. Following a cancelled 2020 season, the Warriors finished with a 3–3 record in 2021 behind the strength of the program's first ever Hec Crighton Trophy winner, Tre Ford. However, the Warriors lost again to the Mustangs in the quarter-final game. After Ford left the program, the team finished with a 1–7 record in 2022.
Season-by-season record The following is the record of the Waterloo Warriors football team since 1995: Season Games Won Lost Ties Standing Playoffs19958 431 0.563 199 166 3rd in OUAA Lost to Western Ontario Mustangs in semi-final 23–2219968 710 0.875 157 80 1st in OUAA Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in semi-final 26–23Lost to Guelph Gryphons in Yates Cup final 23–1319978 620 0.750 231 91 2nd in OUA Defeated York Yeomen in semi-final 17–0Defeated Western Ontario Mustangs in Yates Cup final 30–10Lost to Ottawa Gee-Gees in Churchill Bowl 44–3719988 710 0.875 297 150 2nd in OUA Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in semi-final 32–10Lost to Western Ontario Mustangs in Yates Cup final 21–1419998 440 0.500 232 149 4th in OUA Defeated Western Ontario Mustangs in semi-final 35–21Defeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in Yates Cup final 32–20Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Atlantic Bowl 21–1420008 440 0.500 208 176 4th in OUA Lost to McMaster Marauders in semi-final 44–2020018 431 0.563 194 108 5th in OUA Lost to Western Ontario Mustangs in quarter-final 19–1120028 350 0.375 111 178 7th in OUA Lost to Queen's Golden Gaels in quarter-final 51–1420038 260 0.250 142 328 8th in OUA Lost to McMaster Marauders in quarter-final 70–720048 260 0.250 149 296 8th in OUA Did not qualify20058 260 0.250 139 302 9th in OUA Did not qualify20068 35– 0.375 117 264 7th in OUA Did not qualify20078 35– 0.375 123 252 7th in OUA Did not qualify20088 26– 0.250 147 285 9th in OUA Did not qualify20098 35– 0.375 226 213 7th in OUA Did not qualify2010team suspended20118 08– 0.000 95 421 10th in OUA Did not qualify20128 26– 0.250 145 333 10th in OUA Did not qualify20138 17– 0.125 161 406 10th in OUA Did not qualify20148 17– 0.125 76 418 10th in OUA Did not qualify20158 08– 0.000 66 380 11th in OUA Did not qualify20168 08– 0.000 77 435 11th in OUA Did not qualify20178 44– 0.500 299 339 7th in OUA Did not qualify20188 44– 0.500 263 272 6th in OUA Lost to Guelph Gryphons in quarter-final 45–3420198 44– 0.500 288 283 5th in OUA Defeated Ottawa Gee-Gees in quarter-final 44–21Lost to Western Mustangs in semi-final 30–242020Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20216 33– 0.500 150 1434th in OUA West Lost to Western Mustangs in quarter-final 51–2420228 17– 0.125 154 308 10th in OUA Did not qualify20238 35– 0.375 188 251 7th in OUA Lost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in quarter-final 69–020248 08– 0.000 148 336 11th in OUA Did not qualify20258 26– 0.250 137 283 9th in OUA Did not qualify
National postseason results +Vanier Cup Era (1965-current)YearGameOpponentResult1997Churchill BowlOttawaL 37-441999Atlantic BowlSaint Mary'sL 14-21 Waterloo is 0-2 in national semi-final games and has not appeared in a Vanier Cup.
Head coaches Name Years Notes Carl Totzke 1957–1967 Wally Delahey 1968–1981 Bob McKillop 1982–1987 Chuck McMann 1988 Tuffy Knight 1989–1997 Chris Triantafilou 1998–2006 Dennis McPhee 2007–2011 Joe Paopao 2012–2013 Marshall Bingeman 2014 Chris Bertoia 2015–present
National award winners Hec Crighton Trophy: Tre Ford (2021) J. P. Metras Trophy: Chris Best (2006) Presidents' Trophy: Cory Delaney (1994), Jason Van Geel (1997) Peter Gorman Trophy: Jordan Verdone (2008) Frank Tindall Trophy: David "Tuffy" Knight (1989) Lois and Doug Mitchell Award: Tre Ford (2022)
Waterloo Warriors in the CFL
As of the start of the 2026 CFL season, former Warriors players on CFL rosters include: Tre Ford, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Tyrell Ford, Edmonton Elks Tyson Hergott, Toronto Argonauts Tyler Ternowski, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
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