'Canadian Interuniversity Sport' (CIS) is the national governing body of
university sport in
Canada, comprised of the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Founded in 1906 as the 'Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union' (CIAU), it changed its name to CIS in June 2001.
Sanctioned Sports
In the spring of 2005, CIS members voted to add both men's and women's
curling to its roster of sports. CIS curling competition will commence in September 2006.
Other sports, like
lacrosse and
baseball, are likely to be considered for additions to the CIS roster in the future
Athletic funding
The primary difference between the CIS and the
NCAA is that CIS member institutions do not offer
athletic scholarships; although, universities do provide partial athletic awards, as well as academic scholarships and needs-based grants for athletes who have to forgo part-time employment to participate. In a CIS study for the 2002-2003 academic year, across all sports, the average award per student athlete was $522.00 for men and $311.00 for women. The highest average was for male ice hockey players, getting $1,108.00 annually
[1] This funding falls far short of NCAA
athletic scholarships, but does not include funding for
Sport Canada national team members and athletes who qualify through outstanding classroom achievement for full academic
scholarships.
Increasingly, CIS schools are offering booster-support programs, where alumni, parents and/or corporations can donate money to a targeted fund especially designed to off-set a student-athlete's tuition and living costs. The
University of Windsor has an ''Adopt-A-Lancer'' program
[2], for example. The CIS has no regulations, unlike the NCAA, regarding how much each school can provide to teams through private support. The
Université Laval's
Rouge et Or football team, winner of the last 4 of 8
Vanier Cups, is so successful fund raising, the team trains in
Florida during the spring.
[3].
NCAA institutions can offer full and partial- depending upon the sport-
athletic scholarships which cover the cost of books, tuition, housing and travel. Therefore, many of the best
high school level athletes in Canada continue their careers in the United States, where their education is paid for.
[4]
Canadian Hockey League teams offer financial support for their graduates who choose to play for a CIS school after graduating from
major junior hockey. Hockey players who play in the CHL are ineligble for
NCAA athletic scholarships, although they many attend a CHL training camp
[5].
Championships
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Vanier Cup (men's football)
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Molinex Trophy (women's rugby)
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Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey champions
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University Cup (men's ice hockey)
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Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball champions
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Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's basketball champions
Members
The member universities of CIS are further organized into the four following regional associations. In some of these sports, these associations are the basis of divisional alignment, and thus are sometimes called ''conferences''.
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Atlantic University Sport
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Canada West Universities Athletic Association
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Ontario University Athletics
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Quebec Student Sports Federation
Basketball
The CIS basketball teams are organized in the following way:
Football
Main articles: CIS football
The CIS football teams are organized in the following way:
Atlantic University Sport
The AUS's
Canadian football conference is generally referred to as the 'Atlantic University Football Conference'. The
Jewett Trophy is awarded to the championship football team from the AUS. From
1956 to
2001, the AUS has also hosted the
Atlantic Bowl, one of the two national semifinal bowl games.
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Acadia Axemen - Wolfville NS
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Mount Allison Mounties - Sackville NB
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St. Francis Xavier X-Men - Antigonish NS
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Saint Mary's Huskies - Halifax NS
Quebec Student Sports Federation
The QSSF's
Canadian football conference is named since 2004 'Quebec University Football League'. The
Dunsmore Cup is awarded to the championship football team from Quebec.
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Bishop's Gaiters - Sherbrooke QC
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Concordia Stingers - Montreal QC
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Laval Rouge-et-Or - Quebec QC
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McGill Redmen - Montreal QC
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Université de Montréal Carabins - Montreal QC
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Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or - Sherbrooke QC
Ontario University Athletics
The
Yates Cup is awarded to the championship
Canadian football team from Ontario.
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Guelph Gryphons - Guelph ON
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McMaster Marauders - Hamilton ON
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Ottawa Gee Gees - Ottawa ON
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Queen's Golden Gaels - Kingston ON
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Toronto Varsity Blues - Toronto ON
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Waterloo Warriors - Waterloo ON
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Western Ontario Mustangs - London ON
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Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks - Waterloo ON
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Windsor Lancers - Windsor ON
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York Lions - Toronto ON
Canada West Universities Athletic Association
The CWUAA's
Canadian football conference is generally referred to as the 'Canada West Football Conference'. The
Hardy Trophy is awarded to the championship football team from Canada West.
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Alberta Golden Bears - Edmonton AB
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UBC Thunderbirds - Vancouver BC
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Calgary Dinos - Calgary AB
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Manitoba Bisons - Winnipeg MB
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Regina Rams - Regina SK
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Saskatchewan Huskies - Saskatoon SK
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Simon Fraser Clan - Burnaby BC
CIS football players in the professional leagues
As of 2007, there were a record 120 CIS football players on the rosters of
Canadian Football League teams.
[1]
As of 2006, the CIS had produced 23 players who have earned a spot on an
NFL roster (including three who did not play a regular season game; players listed in chronological order by entry year in NFL):
1945
Joe Krol, Western Ontario, K/RB.
1947
Les Lear, Manitoba, OG/OT.
1960
Bill Crawford, UBC, OG.
1965
Jim Young, Queen's, RB/R.
1976
Brian Fryer, Alberta, R.
1979
Ken Clark, Saint Mary's, P.
1986
Mike Schad, Queen's, OG.
1987
Brian Belway, Calgary, DE.
1987
Dave Sparenberg, Western Ontario, OG.
1987
Brant Bengen, UBC and Idaho, WR.
1988
Dean Dorsey, Toronto, K.
1992
Tyrone Williams, Western Ontario, WR.
1995
Tim Tindale, Western Ontario, RB.
1995
Mark Montreuil, Concordia, CB.
1995
Mark Hatfield, Bishop's, OL.
1996
Grayson Shillingford, UBC, SB.
1998
Jerome Pathon, Acadia & U. of Washington, R.
2001
Randy Chevrier, McGill, LS/DE.
2000
Jean-Philippe Darche, McGill, LS/LB.
2003
Israel Idonije, Manitoba, DL.
2004
Steve Morley, Saint Mary's, OG/OT.
2006
Daniel Federkeil, Calgary, DE.
2006
Jon Ryan, Regina, K.
See also
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Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
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International University Sports Federation
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QBFL
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Football Quebec
Notes and references
1. . Canadian Interuniversity Sport. "CIS Announces Results of Data Collection on Athletic Awards" and "Sport by Sport Comparison - 2002-2003". (accessed 09 April 2007).
2. Lancer Sports News. University of Windsor (website). "Lancer Football Introduces Touchdown Club" accessed 09 April 2007)
3. CBC News. Laval's team was profiled during their training camp in Florida. Broadcast before Vanier Cup 2006.
4. Places Rated Almanac, by Savageau and Boyer, 1999
5. ''PlayYourGame''. (website)NCAA Rules and Eligibility. (accessed 09 April [2007])
External link
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CIS web site