The Canisius Golden Griffins football program were the intercollegiate American football team for Canisius College located in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the NCAA Division I-AA and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1918. Canisius participated in football from 1918 to 1949, and again from 1975 to 2002, compiling an all-time record of 241–251–26.[2] At the conclusion of the 2002 season, the Canisius football program was discontinued, along with seven other school athletic programs, as part of an effort to overhaul and streamline the school's athletic department.[3][4][5][6]
| Canisius Golden Griffins football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1918 |
| Last season | 2002 |
| Stadium | Demske Field (capacity: 1,200) |
| Field surface | AstroTurf |
| Location | Buffalo, New York |
| NCAA division | Division I-AA |
| Conference | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference |
| All-time record | 241–251–26 (.490) |
| Bowl record | 0–1 (.000) |
| Conference titles | 7 |
| Rivalries | Buffalo Bulls Duquesne Dukes Georgetown Hoyas Marist Red Foxes Niagara Purple Eagles St. Bonaventure Brown Indians |
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
Notable former players edit
Notable alumni include:
- Tommy Colella: Defensive back, Detroit Lions 1942–43, Cleveland Rams 1944–45, Cleveland Browns 1946–48, Buffalo Bills 1949
- Ed Doyle: Offensive lineman, Buffalo Bisons 1927
- Dick Poillon: Halfback, Washington Redskins 1942, 1946–49
- Richard Nurse: Wide receiver Hamilton Tiger-Cats 1990-95
Year-by-year results edit
Championships edit
Conference championships edit
Conference affiliations:
- 1918–25, Independent
- 1926–49, Western New York Little Three Conference
- 1950–66, No team
- 1967–72, Independent
- 1973–92, Division III Independent
- 1993–2002, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Western New York Little Three Conference | William Joy | 4–2–0 | 2–0–0 |
| 1936 | Western New York Little Three Conference | William Joy | 7–1–0 | 2–0–0 |
| 1939 | Western New York Little Three Conference | James B. Wilson | 4–1–1 | 2–0–0 |
| 1941 | Western New York Little Three Conference (Co-Championship) | James B. Wilson | 3–4–1 | 1–1–0 |
| 1947 | Western New York Little Three Conference | Earl Brown | 7–2–0 | 2–0–0 |
| 1948 | Western New York Little Three Conference | James B. Wilson | 7–2–1 | 2–0–0 |
| 1949 | Western New York Little Three Conference (Co-Championship) | James B. Wilson | 5–2–0 | 2–1–0 |
| Total conference championships | 7 | |||
Bowl game appearances edit
| Season | Date | Bowl | W/L | Opponent | PF | PA | Coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | December 5, 1948 | Great Lakes Bowl | L | John Carroll | 13 | 14 | James B. Wilson | |
| Total | 1 bowl game | 0–1 | 13 | 14 |
References edit
- ^ "Canisius College Style Guide 2014". Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Canisius Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ De George, Matthew (October 15, 2008). "Assessing the college football landscape: football programs a dying breed at small D-1 schools". The Hawk. Saint Joseph's University. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Maher played football at Canisius". ESPN. May 10, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
- ^ McKissic, Rodney (November 1, 2002). "Canisius drops football, six other varsity sports". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ McKissic, Rodney (November 1, 2002). "Tears, disappointment over demise of football". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.