Quebec Rugby Football Union

The Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU) was a football league consisting of teams from Quebec and formed in 1883. Eastern Ontario teams like Ottawa City and Ottawa College joined in 1894.

League formation and play

edit

The QRFU was formed officially on January 16, 1883, 10 days after the Ontario Rugby Football Union. Teams from the QRFU would compete against member clubs of the ORFU for the Dominion Championship of the CRFU beginning the following season. The QRFU adopted the ORFU point-scoring system in 1884 with the formation of the Canadian Rugby Football Union. The Montreal Foot Ball Club claimed the first ever CRFU Championship 30–0 over the Toronto Football Club.

Teams of the QRFU played 15 men to a side, and did not adopt a down system until 1904, when it agreed that a team must make five yards on its third scrimmage to keep possession of the ball.

Scoring

edit

The QRFU valued a goal from the field (field goal) as six points, a try (touchdown), goals from a try, penalties and free kicks as four points; two points for safety touches; and one point for kicks to the deadline, rouges and touch in goals.

Teams

edit

QRFU Champions

edit
Year Champion
1883 Montreal Football Club
1884 Montreal Football Club
1885 Montreal Football Club
1886 Montreal Football Club
1887 Montreal Football Club
1888 Montreal Football Club
1889 Montreal Football Club
1890 McGill University
1891 Montreal Football Club
1892 Montreal Football Club
1893 Montreal Football Club
1894 Ottawa College
1895 Montreal Football Club
1896 Ottawa College
1897 Ottawa College
1898 Ottawa College
1899 Ottawa College
1900 Brockville Football Club
1901 Ottawa College
1902 Ottawa College
1903 Ottawa Rough Riders
1904 Ottawa College
1905 Ottawa Rough Riders
1906 Montreal Football Club
1907–36 No League
1937 Westmount
1938–42 No League
1943 Lachine RCAF Hurricanes
1944 St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy

Most QRFU Championships

edit

Incarnations of QRFU

edit

The QRFU ceased operations in the 1907 after losing their best teams to the IRFU. The league returned in 1937 for a single season and made another return during World War II.

The league is not related to, nor shares any history, with the Quebec Rugby Federation, which administers rugby football in Quebec.

See also

edit

References

edit