Simon Fraser University athletics

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SFU Athletics
Logo
UniversitySimon Fraser University
ConferenceGNAC
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorTheresa Hanson
LocationBurnaby, British Columbia
Varsity teams17
Football stadiumTerry Fox Field
Basketball arenaWest Gymnasium
Softball stadiumBeedie Field
Soccer stadiumTerry Fox Field
Lacrosse stadiumTerry Fox Field
MascotMcFogg the Dog
NicknameFormerly "Clansmen" or "Clan"
ColorsRed, White, and Black
   
Websiteathletics.sfu.ca

The SFU Athletics or Simon Fraser Athletics teams (formerly the Simon Fraser Clan) represent Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian university affiliated with the U.S.-based National Collegiate Athletic Association. The teams previously used the names "Clansmen" and "Clan," but the names were retired in 2020 and a new team name will be selected.[1]

Conference membership history[]

SFU's teams formerly played in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics of the United States for all sports. In 1997, Simon Fraser sought to join the NCAA of the United States as a Division II school, but was turned down.[2] After this, SFU decided in 2000–01 to partially transfer to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports). Before the transfer, SFU did not compete in Canadian football, instead playing American football.

On July 10, 2009, the NCAA approved SFU's bid to join NCAA Division II starting in 2011–12, where SFU intended to compete in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. However, Canada West, the CIS association that SFU teams were scheduled to play in, issued a probation on all SFU teams for the 2010–11 season, leading to speculation that SFU teams would not have any conference to play in for that season. The GNAC admitted SFU one year earlier than planned as a full conference member in time for the 2010–11 season.[3] This led to SFU playing American football again, which was the case before they joined the CIS.

Varsity teams[]

SFU currently has 17 varsity programs competing in the following sports (affiliations included):[4]

  • Basketball, men and women (NCAA D2);
  • Cross-country, men and women (NCAA D2);
  • Football, men (NCAA D2);
  • Golf, men and women (NCAA D2);
  • Soccer, men and women (NCAA D2);
  • Softball, women (NCAA D2);
  • Swimming, men and women (NCAA D2);
  • Track and field, men and women (NCAA D2);
  • Volleyball, women (NCAA D2);
  • Wrestling, men (NCAA D2) and women (Women's College Wrestling Association);

SFU is the only school to have finished in the top five of the NAIA division of the NACDA Director's Cup, an award given to the top overall college sports program in the United States, in each year since the award was first given to NAIA schools in 1996. The program won the NAIA Cup consecutively from 1997 through 2001, and again in 2004. The last win was especially impressive because it occurred after SFU partially transferred to CIS.

Oddly, SFU holds the NAIA record for most All-Americans and U.S. National Champions (individual).[citation needed]

Football[]

Main article: SFU football

The SFU football team has been competing continuously since the athletic department's inception in 1965. The team played by American rules while they competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics from 1965 to 2001 against other American teams. Along with other SFU teams, the football program transferred to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports) and thereby switched to playing Canadian football against Canadian University teams in 2002. While playing in the CIS, SFU won their first and only Hardy Trophy conference championship in 2003 while qualifying for the playoffs twice. After playing eight seasons in the Canada West Conference of the CIS, the football team began competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II in 2010, thereby playing football by American rules again since then.[5]

The team also maintains a cross-town rivalry with the Vancouver-based University of British Columbia Thunderbirds as they are also the only two universities in British Columbia that field football teams. Since 1967, the two teams have competed in the Shrum Bowl, an annual game played at alternating venues with alternating rules. SFU holds a 17–15–1 series lead while also being the most recent champion having won the 2010 game at Thunderbird Stadium. Due to the two schools playing in two different leagues and game formats, the scheduling of these games has often been difficult, with no game being played in 2011, the 12th time the game hadn't been played since the game's inception.[6]

Women's basketball[]

Team championships:

  • 2010 CIS National Champions;
  • 2009 CIS National Champions;
  • 2007 CIS National Champions;
  • 2005 CIS National Champions;
  • 2002 CIS National Champions.

Men's soccer[]

Team championships and other highlights:

  • 2018 GNAC Champion, NCAA Division II Play-off Second Round;
  • 2017 GNAC Champion, NCAA Division II Play-off First Round;
  • 2016 GNAC Champion, NCAA Division II Play-off Second Round;
  • 2015 GNAC Runner-Up;
  • 2014 NCAA Division II Play-off Appearance;
  • 2013 GNAC Champion, NCAA Division II Final Four appearance;
  • 2012 GNAC Champion, NCAA Division II Final Four appearance (first non-US school to ever do so);
  • 2011 GNAC Champion; Ranked №. 1 in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll;
  • 2010 GNAC Champion; NAIA Final Four appearance;
  • 2007 NAIA Final Four appearance;
  • 2005 NAIA Region I Finals;
  • 2004 NAIA Region I Semi-finals;
  • 2003 NAIA Region I Champion;
  • 2002 NAIA Region I Champion;
  • 1987 NAIA National Finalists;
  • 1986 NAIA National Finalists;
  • 1983 NAIA National Champions;
  • 1982 NAIA National Champions;
  • 1980 NAIA National Finalists;
  • 1976 NAIA National Champions;
  • 1975 NAIA National Finalists;

2012 and 2016 Play-off Hosting Controversies[]

After the 2012 regular season, Simon Fraser's men's soccer team was ranked №. 1 in the West Region and has won the right to host the West Region playoffs.[7] However, some other schools in the Region immediately filed complaints that some of their personnel did not have passports to enter Canada.[7] As a result, NCAA stripped Simon Fraser of the right to host the playoffs.[7][8] Simon Fraser first rented a neutral site in San Francisco, California, as the site of the play-offs,[7] but NCAA eventually awarded the right of hosting the remaining matches of the regional play-offs to Grand Canyon University, whose men's soccer team was ranked №. 2 in the West Region after the 2012 regular season.[8]

After the 2016 regular season, Simon Fraser's men's soccer team was ranked №. 1 once again in the West Region and has won the right to host the West Region playoffs once again.[9][10] However, Simon Fraser was once again forced to rent a neutral site, this time in Seattle, Washington, as the site of the play-offs.[9][10]

Women's soccer[]

Team championships:

  • 2000 NAIA National Champions;
  • 1996 NAIA National Champions;

Softball[]

SFU women's softball players, left to right: Carly Moir, Trisha Bouchard and Stefani Durrant

Team championships:

  • 2010 NAIA National Champions;
  • 2005 NAIA National Champions;
  • 2003 NAIA National Champions;
  • 1999 NAIA National Champions;

Club teams[]

In addition to its 17 varsity programs, SFU currently has 4 competitive club programmes competing in intercollegiate sport leagues of the following sports (affiliations included):[4]

Men's Ice Hockey[]

Main article: Simon Fraser University Men's Ice Hockey

The men's ice hockey team currently competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League, a five team club hockey league spread across British Columbia and Washington.[1] The team has won the league on three occasions most recently in 2010–11. The team also regularly plays games against NCAA and CIS opponents. They compete in a regular cross town rivalry with the neighbouring UBC Thunderbirds. In the summer of 2016 the program began exploring the possibility of moving the program to the NCAA Division 1 level.[11] The men's hockey team also hosts a bi-annual tournament in January called the Great Northwest Showcase involving top NCAA hockey programs.[12]

SFU mascot, McFogg the Dog

Mascot[]

The official mascot of SFU Athletics is McFogg the Dog, an anthropomorphic Scottish terrier who wears a kilt.[13] McFogg was officially adopted as the University's mascot in 1996[14] and is named in honour of SFU's inaugural president Patrick McTaggart-Cowan who was nicknamed "McFog". McFogg replaced an unofficial gorilla mascot which the university had previously used since the late 1980s.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "SFU Athletics name change". SFU Athletics. August 12, 2020.
  2. ^ Vancouver Province: UBC expects visit by NCAA Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine November 8, 2005
  3. ^ "Story of a shattered life: A single childhood incident pushed Dawn Crey into a downward spiral | Vancouver Sun". November 24, 2001. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b The complete list of teams is available in the drop menus on the Department of Athletics' Home Page.
  5. ^ Simon Fraser University (July 10, 2009). "SFU first Canadian school in NCAA". Simon Fraser University. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  6. ^ Josh Curran (August 30, 2011). "Shrum Bowl called off for 2011 season". The Ubyssey. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Howard Tsumura (November 6, 2012). "SFU men's soccer sets up NCAA host home in San Francisco, CCAA nats at Coquitlam". The Province. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Bob Romantic (November 14, 2012). "This Is Big: GCU Men's Soccer Happy to Host Super Regional Finals". News.GCU.edu. GCU Today. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Liza Siamer (November 12, 2016). "SFU men's soccer ready to make long playoff run". The Peak. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Clan tabbed as Div. 2 west team to beat". Burnaby NOW. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  11. ^ "SFU Exploring Business Models For NCAA Hockey, Sand Volleyball". Simon Fraser University Athletics. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "SFU hockey brings college game's royalty to Copeland, North Dakota stars in showcase event | The Province". January 2, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  13. ^ "Simon Fraser University | Canada McFogg the Dog". athletics.sfu.ca. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  14. ^ "SF News – September 5, 1996". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  15. ^ "The costumed campus". The Peak. Retrieved December 14, 2015.

External links[]

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