York Lions football

The York Lions Football team represents York University in Toronto, Ontario, in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The York Lions football team has been in continuous operation since 1968 and are one of two teams currently playing in U Sports football to have never won a conference championship. The other team, the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, did not begin their current program until 2003.

The Lions were previously known as the York Yeomen until all York varsity teams changed their nicknames to the Lions in 2003.

Early history
The York Lions football program, then known as the Yeomen, started play in 1969 within the Central Canada Intercollegiate Football Conference (CCIFC). The team was founded by Nobby Wirkowski, who also served as the team's first Head Coach. Afterwards, the program joined the Ontario University Athletic Association (OUAA) in 1971 before joining with the Ontario Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference (OQIFC) in 1974.

York then joined the OUA in 1980. From 1980 to 1987, York had a record of 22 wins and 53 losses. From 1988 to 1995, the Yeomen did not win a single game, setting the CIAU/CIS football record of 47-straight losses. This record was later broken with the Toronto Varsity Blues having a 49-game losing streak from 2001 to 2008.

1995–2000
Surprisingly in 1995, the Yeomen went from an 0–8 record to 4–4 under head coach Tom Arnott, who was in his fourth year as head coach with York, leading him to be named the OUA coach of the year. Arnott would win the award again in 1997 after leading the Yeomen to a 6–2 record and fourth-place finish in the OUA.

Arnott would leave York in 2001 to take the Guelph Gryphons head coach position, his alma mater. Afterwards, Tom Gretes, the Yeomen's Defensive coordinator (DC), would be promoted to Head Coach.

2001
Prior to the 2001 season, both the Queen's Golden Gaels and Ottawa Gee-Gees joined the OUA in 2001. To accommodate this, the OUA expanded the postseason to include 8 out of 10, in which that time the Yeomen/Lions would qualify for the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.

York would start the season with a 38-8 loss to the Guelph Gryphons, followed up by a 16-15 loss to the Western Mustangs. In week 3, the Yeomen would get their first win of the year over the Toronto Varsity Blues 33-10. York would drop the next two games to their new OUA counterparts Queen's (24-22) and Ottawa (39-31), then would win their next two against Windsor (19-17) and Waterloo (25-22), which would get York to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1997.

The Yeomen would drop their season finale to the McMaster Marauders 50-0, leading them to finish with a 3-5 record and getting the #8 seed, which led to a rematch with McMaster. The Yeomen would lose the rematch 62-0 to the eventual Yates Cup champions. After the season, DB Dennis Mavrin was named a CIAU All-Canadian.

2002
York began the 2002 season with a victory over the Guelph Gryphons 23–11, followed up by a loss to the Western Mustangs 16–11 and a 14–6 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues. After falling to the Queen's Golden Gaels 35–17, York would win 3 straight games against the Ottawa Gee-Gees (12–9), the Windsor Lancers (22–3), and the Laurier Golden Hawks (22–6) before losing to the McMaster Marauders 27–0 in the season finale; finishing with a 5–3 record.

The Yeomen not only qualified for the playoffs for the second time in a row, but for the first time in program history would host a playoff game, as they ended up tied with the #10 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees for 4th place in the OUA, but had higher seeding with them winning the regular season matchup. The game was also set up for a national broadcast to celebrate the program's achievement. York would go onto beat Ottawa 12–4, in which the scoring came from kicker Gianfranco Rocca hitting 3 field goals and scoring a rouge, and defensive end Paul Graca sacking Ottawa QB James Baker for a safety. This was York's first ever postseason victory in program history and so far the only playoff game York has ever won. York would go onto to the Semifinals, putting up a solid effort but losing 29–14 to the undefeated McMaster Marauders.

After the season, Tom Gretes was named OUA Coach of the Year and DE Jeet Rana was named OUA Lineman of the Year. Rana was also named a CIS Second-team All-star alongside teammate DB Dennis Mavrin.

2003
In their first season with a new name, the Lions looked to build off their strong 2002 season as they had 17 returning starters on the team. Some also predicted that York was going to be the most improved squad heading into the year and had the potential to take down some of the OUA's top programs.

However, the 2003 season went much different than predicted, as York dropped their first two games to the Queen's Golden Gaels (47–7 loss) and the McMaster Marauders (51–0 loss). York would win the next 2 out of 3 games, but followed up with a big loss to the Western Mustangs 44–15.

York would win their final game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees 23–3 to qualify for the postseason and finish the year with a 3–5 record. While the main story of the game was the Lions making the OUA playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year, the contest also saw a dominating performance by rookie RB Andre Durie, who set an OUA record with 349 rushing yards.

York would have a rematch with the Queen's Golden Gaels in the Quarterfinals, which they would lose 27–6.

2004
The OUA changed their playoff structure prior to the 2004 season with the top 7 teams qualifying for the postseason instead of the top 8. York was looking to keep up their streak of playoff appearances following these changes. HC Tom Gretes brought in Ottawa Gee-Gees Offensive Coordinator Andy McEvoy to be the team's new OC and was confident that the Lions would have a strong start to the year based on their first 3 opponents.

However, York would start the 2004 season 0–2 on the year before defeating the Waterloo Warriors 55–33, led by RB Andre Durie's 211 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs; becoming the 3rd player in Canadian collegiate football history with 6 rushing touchdowns in a single game. The Lions would finish the year 3–5 with victories over the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Windsor Lancers and qualify for the playoffs despite losing their final regular season game to the undefeated Laurier Golden Hawks, 38–19.

York would go onto face the Western Mustangs in the OUA Quarterfinals. Despite strong performances by RB Andre Durie (168 rush yards, 1 TD) and QB Bart Zemanek (15/17, 224 pass yards, 2 TDs), Western managed to gain 432 rushing yards onto a dominating 54–18 victory; eliminating the Lions. This currently is the last time York has qualified for the OUA postseason.

York boasted 5 OUA all-stars that season with RB Andre Durie, DE Ricky Foley, and DB Clinton John named to the First-team, WR Ricardo Hudson named to the Second-team, and DB Sam Opaleye being named to the First-team as a specialist and Second-team as a safety. Durie was also named to the First-team CIS All-Canadian team alongside McMaster Marauders RB Jesse Lumsden, while Foley was named a CIS Second-team All-Canadian.

2005
The Lions were looking forward to building off the 2004 season as they returned 22 starters on offense and defense. York would start the 2005 season strong with a 20–16 win over the Waterloo Warriors.

In week 2 versus the Queen's Gaels, star RB Andre Durie would suffer a catastrophic knee injury while attempting a juke early in the contest, which would be the last time he played as a York Lion as he spent the following two years rehabilitating his knee before moving onto the CFL. York would go onto lose that game 40–7, but responded with back-to-back wins over the Toronto Varsity Blues (23–20 in Overtime) and the Guelph Gryphons (22–15 ). York would struggle the rest of the season ending with a 3–5 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

2006
The 2006 season saw the Lions start a rebuild as the Lions returned with many new faces all over the roster. York would start the season 0–4 before facing the Toronto Varsity Blues in the 37th Red and Blue Bowl on national television. York would win the game 39–11 led by QB Bart Zemanek's 339 passing yards and 3 touchdown passes in the game and a strong defensive performance. York would go onto drop their last 3 games to the Windsor Lancers (41–28 ), the Queen's Gaels (9–4 ), and the Waterloo Warriors (13–8 ); finishing the year with a 1–7 record.

In the ensuing offseason, York fired Gretes due to an incident at the York athletics banquet that year and named Offensive Coordinator Andy McEvoy as the interim replacement.

2007
McEvoy led the team for the 2007 season and managed to achieve a 1–7 record. York's was blown out to start the year against the Windsor Lancers 59–0, but had a strong showing against the Waterloo Warriors in an 18–15 loss the following week. York would lose by wide margins for the rest of the year, except for their 21–20 win over the struggling Toronto Varsity Blues and a surprisingly close loss to the powerful Western Mustangs 11–9; a game which saw both teams tied 8–8 heading into the 4th quarter.

2008
On February 21, 2008, York named former CFLer and Saint Mary's Defensive Coordinator Mike McLean as Head Coach with McEvoy returning as an offensive assistant. On April 24, 2008, McLean also brought in Beau Mirau to be his Offensive Coordinator, whom McLean worked with for years when they were both coaching with the CJFL's Edmonton Huskies to replace McEvoy.

York finished the 2008 season winless for the first time since 1994 with an 0–8 record; averaging only 4 points-per-game for and 58.9 points-per-game against over the season. This included an embarrassing 58–7 loss to the Toronto Varsity Blues (ending York's 13-year winning streak against their rivals and saw the son of former York Head Coach Tom Gretes, George, throw a TD pass late in the game), a 71–0 loss to the Western Mustangs, and an 80–0 loss to the Queen's Gaels, which was the largest margin of victory in Queen's football history to that point. York also didn't manage to set up a full dress roster for the entire 2008 season, with McLean claiming that he had no time to recruit new players after being named head coach and said that the program was in free fall when he arrived.

2009
The 2009 season opened up with a close loss to the Windsor Lancers 17–14 in which the highlight of the game was when York Returner Jason Marshall took a missed field goal 125-yards for a touchdown with 40 seconds left in the game. This was as close as the Lions got to victory that season however, as they finished again with an 0–8 record and being outscored 83–397 the rest of the season.

On February 17, 2010, York announced that OC Beau Mirau was leaving the program. Mike McLean was also fired on March 16, 2010, with the athletic department citing 'serious philosophical differences' and a 'lack of accountability' as the primary reasons for the removal.

2010
On May 10, 2010, York hired former Concordia Stingers DC Warren Craney to become the programs 9th Head Coach starting in the 2010 season. Craney then brought in Montreal Carabins assistant coach Harry LaFlamme and former Western Mustang QB Michael Faulds - who is the record holder for the most passing yards in CIS history - as the new Defensive and Offensive Coordinators respectively. York would go 0–8 over the season; being outscored 73–413 over the year with the closest game being a 24–19 loss to the rival Toronto Varsity Blues which saw York almost complete a late comeback led by QB Nick Coutu's 421 total yard performance.

2011
In the 2011 season, Craney guided the Lions to their first win in 3 seasons against the Waterloo Warriors 20–18 in overtime - snapping a 29-game losing streak for the program. The following offseason, Craney would take over as Defensive Coordinator, with Laflamme being moved to Special Teams Coordinator.

2012
Prior to the 2012, York was able to get University of South Alabama QB Miles Gibbon to transfer to the program. With a new QB at the helm, the Lions finished with a 2–6 record, the most wins for the program since 2005 and in 7th place, their highest finish in eight years. This included an impressive 47–36 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees that some saw as the turning point for the program going forward. This season would include many one-score losses to the likes of the Laurier Golden Hawks (24–20 loss ), the Waterloo Warriors (23–22 loss ), and the Windsor Lancers (26–22 loss ). These results signaled that the Lions were showing signs of growth and rebuilding into a competitive football team.

As well, the Lions had one player get an OUA All-star nod, WR Will Austin, who was named to the Second-team and the first Lion since 2007 to be named to the team.

2013 Offseason/Dan Younis Scandal
However, the 2013 offseason managed to take away much of the momentum the team had built up to that point. On January 8, 2013, the teams' OC since 2010, Michael Faulds, was hired as the new Head Coach of the Laurier Golden Hawks. Since then, the Lions haven't been able to produce offensively at the same level since Faulds was the offensive coordinator. The following day on January 9, 2013, Mike Comeau, the Lions' Offensive Line coach, was promoted to Offensive Coordinator following Faulds' departure.

However, much worse news happened in February, as the team's recruiting coordinator, Daniel Younis, was arrested on charges relating to child pornography and child-luring. York University immediately severed ties with Younis following the arrest. Later that April, Younis was charged with eight more counts of child-luring. This led to many issues and concerns with incoming recruits who were in direct contact with Younis, as well with those who were not as the news made national headlines. This severely affected the team's ability to recruit and affected the program in the years following.

2013
In 2013, the Lions finished 2–6 leading to an 8th overall finish in the OUA and matching their previous season's record. Their wins came against their former coach Michael Faulds' Laurier Golden Hawks 33–20, and against the reborn Carleton Ravens 50–34. This season also saw York lose to the Toronto Varsity Blues for the first time since 2011, a 56–35 loss which saw Toronto score 32 points in the second quarter.

Following that season, Craney signed a contract extension to remain at the helm of the program and parted ways with LaFlamme.

2014
The effects of the 2013 offseason hit the program hard as the Lions went 0–8 in the 2014 season for the first time since 2010 which started with back-to-back massive losses; one a 61–0 loss to the Western Mustangs, and the other an embarrassing 70–0 loss to their rivals, the Toronto Varsity Blues.

The closest game of the season came against the Waterloo Warriors, where York had a strong 4th quarter that saw RB Connor Anderson score a TD with 14 seconds remaining. However, the point after attempt kick was fumbled; leaving the score at 32–31 Waterloo. York would recover an onside kick to get one more chance, but kicker Nick Naylor missed a 56-yard FG attempt to win the game as time expired.

2015
The 2015 offseason saw York bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the country, headlined by QB Brett Hunchak, SB Colton Hunchak, WR Jacob Janke, LB Jakob Butler, LB Jakub Jakoubek, WR Nathaniel Pinto, TE Nikola Kalinic, and RB Jesse Amankwaa. A lot of the recruiting success can be attributed to Craney also serving as the Head Coach of Team Canada for the IFAF World Junior Championships; a position he held from 2014 to 2016 winning a silver and gold medal over two tournaments.

In the 2015 season, the young Lions improved to a 1–7 record with their lone win coming against the Waterloo Warriors 23–14. York capped off the season by nearly upsetting the #10 ranked Queen's Gaels, losing a close one 33–32. The Lions also had 4 players named to the OUA All-Rookie team (RB Jesse Amankwaa, LB Jakob Butler, SB Colton Hunchak, and WR Nathaniel Pinto ) with Amankwaa winning OUA Rookie of the Year.

During the offseason, Offensive Coordinator Mike Comeau stepped away from his position. On November 27, 2015, York announced former McMaster Marauder QB and Hec Crighton award winner Kyle Quinlan as the new offensive coordinator, with Kamau Peterson remaining in his role as associate offensive coordinator.

2016
York started the 2016 season off well winning 2 of their first 3 games against Waterloo and Windsor. In their 56–32 win over the Windsor Lancers, QB Brett Hunchak set a single-game York record for pass yards with 540. However, their week 4 loss to Toronto 45–18 was the turning point of the season, as York would lose all their remaining games by a combined score of 220–37 and finish 2–6.

After the season in December, Quinlan left the team to coach at his alma mater, McMaster. Kamau Peterson was named the interim Offensive Coordinator and later named the permanent OC on January 25, 2017.

2017
Prior to the 2017 season, York hired two new assistants: Two-time CIS All-Canadian Jesse Alexander was named Special Teams Coordinator on April 5, 2017, and three-time CIS All-Canadian Sammy Okpro was hired as Defensive Coordinator on July 17, 2017; the latter whom played under Craney while both were with the Concordia Stingers.

The Lions suffered two blowout losses to start the year to the Western Mustangs and Waterloo Warriors, but put up a strong fight against the #9 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees; losing 26–17. The following week, York would beat the Toronto Varsity Blues handily; winning 41–16, which was the Lions' lone win of that season. York would finish the year with a 1–7 record, but started to show more life offensively down the stretch.

On April 24, 2018, Jesse Alexander stepped down as Special Teams Coordinator with York, and on the same day was announced as the new Defensive Coordinator for the Windsor Lancers.

2018
York started the 2018 season with back-to-back losses to the Queen's Gaels and Guelph Gryphons. Their next game saw the Lions start off strong, leading them to a win against the Windsor Lancers 29–22, followed up by a 76–3 loss to the #1 nationally ranked Western Mustangs and a 42–16 loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The week 6 contest versus the Waterloo Warriors was the Lions highlight of the year. York started the game very strong with a 26–14 lead heading into the half over the heavily-favoured Warriors. However, Warriors QB Tre Ford led a massive comeback to give the Warriors a 31–26 lead with 12:01 left in the 4th Quarter. York's offense responded with a 9-play drive capped off with Lions QB Brett Hunchak throwing a 5-yard TD pass to his brother, Colton Hunchak to regain the lead. The Lions then converted the 2-point conversion on a pass to RB Kayden Johnson to make the score 34–31. After a Waterloo drive stalled out, Waterloo kicker Caleb Girard missed a field goal, but managed to score a rouge to bring the score to 34–32 York. After the ensuing York drive ended in a punt, Waterloo QB Tre Ford, whom threw for 437 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game, led a massive drive to bring the Warriors to the Lions 25-yard line with 10 seconds remaining. On the ensuing field goal attempt, the kick was blocked by freshman LB Matt Dean, leading to a York victory.

York would lose their next game against the Carleton Ravens 35–20, knocking them out of playoff contention. York would finish the season with a 31–15 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues, ending the year with a 3–5 record, the most wins the program has had in 13 years.

2019
The Lions were hopeful in building off their previous season and returned many starters for the 2019 season while losing some key players to the CFL (namely SB Colton Hunchak and TE Nikola Kalinic). However, injuries to key starters and mistakes caused the Lions to start the season 0–6, averaging 14.3 points for and 39.2 points against in those contests. Their lone win came against the Toronto Varsity Blues, a 34–14 win, then followed up with a 23–2 loss to the Queen's Gaels to finish the year with a 1–7 record.

After the season, the Lions and Offensive Coordinator Kamau Peterson parted ways.

2020–2021
Prior to the 2020 season, York hired two-time Hec Crighton trophy winner Tommy Denison as their new offensive coordinator, whom previously was with the Toronto Varsity Blues in 2019.

After the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 season, York was hopeful of potentially making the OUA postseason for the first time since 2004 with modified playoff qualifications where they would needed to finish 4th in the 5-team OUA East division.

York opened the 2021 season with a 37–6 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks, followed up by a 30–17 loss to the Carleton Ravens. York would lose a heartbreaker in their next game to the Ottawa Gee-Gees 20–17, where Ottawa QB Ben Maracle threw a TD pass to Nick Gendron with 1:06 remaining in the game. The following game, despite a very strong defensive effort only giving up 139 total yards of offence, York lost to the Toronto Varsity Blues 25–2; ending a 4-year reign as the Argo Cup Champions. After that loss, York would drop their final two games by a combined score of 89–9 to the McMaster Marauders and a rematch with Toronto; finishing the year 0–6 and last in the OUA East division. After the season, York and Denison would part ways. On April 2, 2022, Warren Craney was put on a leave of absence as the school conducted a thorough review and investigation of the football program with Defensive Coordinator Sammy Okpro being named Interim Head Coach during that time. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, Craney was reinstated as the Head Coach for the 2022 season with Okpro returning to his DC role.

2022
Prior to the season starting, Craney promoted Special Teams Coordinator, Nathaniel Griffith, to Offensive Coordinator, and hired former CFLer Brian Jones as the new Special Teams Coordinator. During the 2022 season, the Lions finished 1–7 with their lone win coming against the McMaster Marauders, whom had to forfeit the contest for having an ineligible player on their roster.

The biggest bright spot for the season was KR/SB Alfred Olay, whom led the nation in All-purpose yards (1,377 yards) and was named a First-team U Sports All-Canadian returner; the first Lion to be named to that team since Andre Durie in 2004. Olay also was an OUA First-team All-Star returner, with DE Jason Janvier-Messier and LB Matt Dean being named to the Second-team.

After the season, Craney stepped down as Head Coach with Okpro again being named the Interim Head Coach. Craney was the longest tenured Head Coach in the history of the program at 12 seasons.

2023
During the 2023 offseason, Okpro and York parted ways, leaving a vacancy at head coach. After a search for a replacement, Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Griffith and Special Teams Coordinator Brian Jones were named Associate Head Coaches just two weeks prior to the start of the regular season.

York started the campaign with an 83–0 loss to the eventual Yates Cup Champion Western Mustangs, but bounced back to a closer 53–32 loss against the Waterloo Warriors. York lost every other remaining game by wide margins; being outscored 10 to 424 in the remaining 6 games. This included an 87–0 loss to the Queen's Gaels, which set their single-game record for most points scored and largest margin of victory in the program's 141-year history, and an 88–7 loss to the Guelph Gryphons, which is the most points scored in a single game in their history.

After the disastrous 2023 season where the Lions allowed an average of 70 points per game, York's athletic department started a national search for a new head coach.

2024
On January 22, 2024, York announced the former Head Coach of the CJFL's Westshore Rebels and former CFL er Dexter Janke as the program's 12th Head Coach. Janke was the 2023 CJFL coach of the year following a perfect regular season and set various offensive and defensive records in the CJFL. On March 28th, 2024, York named former McMaster Marauders Head Coach Greg Knox as the teams' new Defensive Coordinator.

Season-by-season record
The following is the record of the York Lions football team since 1995:

Team records
All records are as of 2022

Red & Blue Bowl
The Lions maintain a competitive rivalry with their crosstown rivals, the Toronto Varsity Blues, and the two teams play annually in a game called the Red & Blue Bowl. The first meeting occurred on September 11, 1970, which was an exhibition match won by the Varsity Blues. At a time when Toronto was a dominant program, the Varsity Blues won the first 14 match ups until York won their first Red & Blue Bowl game in 1984. York's longest stretch of dominance began in 1996 when the Lions won their first of 12 consecutive matches, which ended after their 2007 victory. Overall, as of the 2023 season, the Lions hold a 19–34 record in the Red & Blue Bowl.

National award winners

 * Jeff Johnson – Peter Gorman Trophy (1996)
 * Jacob Janke – Russ Jackson Award (2019)

York Lions in the professional ranks
As of the start of the 2024 CFL season, five former Lions players were on CFL teams' rosters:
 * Daniel Amoako, Calgary Stampeders
 * Luther Hakunavanhu, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * Jason Janvier-Messier, Calgary Stampeders
 * Chris Kolankowski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 * James Tuck, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

As of the end of the 2023 NFL season, one former Lions player was on an NFL team's roster:
 * Nikola Kalinic, Los Angeles Rams