UBC Thunderbirds

UBC Thunderbirds
University University of British Columbia
Association U Sports
Conference Canada West
Athletic director Gilles Lépine
Location Vancouver, British Columbia
Varsity teams 29
Football stadium Thunderbird Stadium
Basketball arena War Memorial Gym
Ice hockey arena Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
Baseball stadium UBC Thunderbirds Baseball Stadium
Mascot Thunderbird
Nickname Thunderbird
Fight song Hail UBC
Colors Blue and Gold[1]
         
Website www.gothunderbirds.ca

The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thunderbirds are the most successful athletic program both regionally in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, and nationally in U Sports.

Teams

Across 14 varsity sport disciplines, UBC fields 25 teams overall; notably, 13 of which compete in U Sports, and eight in the American collegiate NAIA circuit:

Football

Template:Infobox U Sports football school

The UBC Thunderbirds football team has won the CWUAA Hardy Trophy conference championship 16 times, which is third all-time among competing teams. On a national level, the team has won the Vanier Cup championship four times, in 1982, 1986, 1997 and, most recently, in 2015. The team has also lost twice in the title game, in 1978 and 1987. The Thunderbirds program has also yielded three Hec Crighton Trophywinners: Jordan Gagner in 1987; Mark Nohra in 1997; and, most recently, Billy Greene in 2011.

Following four straight seasons of playoff drought -- spanning 2007 to 2010 -- UBC finished with a 6-2 record in 2011 earning second place in the Canada West with an appearance in the Hardy Cup. Quarterback Billy Greene would also become the third Thunderbird to win the Hec Crighton Award that year. However, all team accolades would be for naught as an ineligible student-athlete, who played in all eight games, would force UBC to forfeit all six regular season wins as well as its post-season results from that year.[2] The school was fined and the program was placed on probation for the following season.[3] This seemed to halt any progress that was made as the team finished 2-6 for the 2012 season and out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six years.

In 2013, the team bounced back with a 4-4 regular season record led by a solid defense and running back Brandon Deschamps, who was one of only three running backs in Canada to rush for more than 1,000 yards. They would lose in the Canada West semifinal to the eventual Mitchell Bowl champion Calgary Dinos 42-28. The program would regress again in 2014 as they finished with another 2-6 record and out of the playoffs.

During the following off-season in 2015, UBC Athletics would draw the Dinos head coach, Blake Nill away from the Calgary Dinos in what was the most high profile coaching change that year. Nill's impact was immediate as he was able to recruit quarterback Michael O'Connor, who was the ranked the sixth best quarterback by ESPN among the 2014 recruiting class.[4] The Thunderbirds achieved a turnaround in Nill's debut season at the UBC helm to finish the 2015 regular season with a 6-2 record, placing second in the CWUAA standings. During the ensuing post-season drive of three straight single-elimination playoff games on the road, UBC upset the heavily favoured Calgary Dinos in the Hardy Cup game at Calgary; then defeated the St. Francis Xavier X-Men to earn its historical first Uteck Bowl victory at Antigonish, to advance to the national title game. In the 51st Vanier Cup championship, the Thunderbirds narrowly defeated the defending CIS champion Montreal Carabins, by scoring the game's last possession field goal to end the fourth quarter. The victory was UBC's fourth Vanier Cup overall, tying the Calgary Dinos for the all-time record among CWUAA member universities.[5]

Competing against the cross-town Simon Fraser University, the Thunderbirds and Simon Fraser Clan previously shared a long-standing local rivalry, which has been dormant since 2010. That year, SFU left the CIS for the NCAA's Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. These two teams did not play within the same governing bodies until 2002 (SFU played, priot to then, in the NAIA while UBC has always competed in the U Sports), they would compete in an annual match-up known as the Shrum Bowl, named after Gordon Shrum. After SFU's realignment to NCAA Division II was confirmed, it seemed as though the annual match-up would be decommissioned. However, the two teams would go on to renew the Shrum Bowl game as a one-off exhibition on October 8, 2010 at Thunderbird Stadium playing Canadian rules. The Shrum Bowl has not been contested for since, due to both teams citing conflicts in their respective competition schedules.

Recent regular season results

Season GP Won Lost OTL Pct % PF PA Standing
20008 350 0.375 206 2314th in CW
20018 260 0.250 132 2335th in CW
20028 350 0.250 144 1415th in CW
20038 080 0.000 132 2607th in CW
20048 530 0.625 235 2123rd in CW
20058 440 0.500 210 2004th in CW
20068 440 0.500 287 2093rd in CW
20078 350 0.375 167 1985th in CW
20088 260 0.250 117 1606th in CW
20098 350 0.375 110 2635th in CW
20108 260 0.250 164 2556th in CW
2011[A]8 080 0.000 58 722nd in CW
20128 260 0.250 193 2975th in CW
20138 440 0.500 256 2154th in CW
20148 260 0.250 175 2936th in CW
20158 620 0.750 289 2392nd in CW

^ A. In 2011, due to an administrative sanction, UBC retroactively forfeited its six regular season wins. UBC's ensuing post-season games were also removed from record by the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, citing UBC Athletics' submission of an erroneous eligibility declaration regarding one of its active roster players.[3]

UBC Thunderbirds vs USask Huskies

U Sports Playoff Results

Thunderbirds in the CFL

As of the start of the 2016 CFL season, seven Thunderbirds alumni are currently active in the Canadian Football League, having transitioned to professional football:

Baseball

In the summer of 1996, 30 years after the original UBC baseball program was disbanded due to budget cuts, Athletic Director Bob Phillip along with former professional Jim Murphy and community baseball coach Mark Hiscott provided funding for the present day Thunderbirds baseball. Hiscott recognized student Terry McKaig, a former collegiate player and national team member, as the one to take over the program as head coach. Since 1997, McKaig has been the driving force behind the T-Birds with support and funding from such major leaguers as Jeff Zimmerman and Ryan Dempster.

The Thunderbirds compete in the United States as the only Canadian member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). In 2001, the program reached a new level as the New York Mets made Derran Watts the first ever Thunderbird to be drafted, when they selected him in the 12th round. Since then nine more Thunderbirds have been drafted including 2007 World Series starter Jeff Francis, who recently signed a contract worth close to $50 million. T-bird baseball successes include their trip to the 2006 NAIA World Series.

Men's Ice Hockey

In 1974, the members of the Thunderbirds hockey team travelled to China to help share hockey skills to Chinese players.[6]

Men's Rugby

Men's rugby is one of the oldest varsity sports at UBC (including the precursor to UBC, McGill University College of BC, varsity rugby started in 1906). The varsity XV now competes against the University of Victoria in a two-game, combined score series to claim the coveted "Boot". They also play a two-game, combined score series against the University of California for the "World Cup" trophy (a competition started in 1921). The varsity XV is coached by Spence McTavish (former UBC varsity rugby captain, former Canadian rugby international and captain, and former Bobby Gaul award winner), and assistant coach Rod Holloway (former UBC varsity rugby scrumhalf, and former assistant coach of Canada's National Senior Men's team (RWC 1995)). UBC's rugby program has a long tradition of producing national team rugby players (7's and 15's), most recently Jim Douglas (RWC 2003), Mike Burak (RWC 2007), Chris Pack, Ryan MacWhinney, Justin Mensah-Coker, Tyler Hotson, Eric Wilson and Harry Jones.

Men's Soccer

Notable players include: Brian Budd, Srdjan Djekanovic
The UBC Thunderbirds are the most successful men's soccer program in Canada, having won 12 CIS championships, eight more than any other school in the country.[7]

Women's Ultimate Frisbee

Besides being a finalist in 1997, the team became the first Canadian University program to win the USA Ultimate (called UPA back then) College National Championship in 2008 held in Boulder, Colorado.[8]

Men's Volleyball

Previously coached by Richard Schick since the 2003-2004 season, Kerry MacDonald took over the helm of the men's volleyball program following the end of the 2015-2016 campaign.

Women's Volleyball

Led by head coach Doug Reimer, the Thunderbirds captured their tenth overall women's volleyball Canadian championship in 2013, which marked the most recent national banner in a streak of six straight titles dating back to 2008. In the 2013 gold medal match, the Thunderbirds defeated the Alberta Pandas in straight sets to tie U Sports' all-time record -- shared with the Winnipeg Wesmen -- for holding the longest reign as repeat champion in the sport.[9]

U Sports and NAIA National Championships

U Sports Championships

Women's Swimming (18)

Men's Swimming (13)

Women's Field Hockey (17)

Men's Soccer (13)

Women's Volleyball (10)

Women's Basketball (6)

Women's Soccer (6)

Football (4)

Men's Volleyball (3)

Men's Basketball (2)

Men's Cross Country

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championships (7)

Women's Golf

Men's Golf

Women's Cross-Country

Facilities

Fight Song

UBC used to have a fight song "Hail UBC", written by Harold King in 1931.
A pep song with the same name "Hail UBC", written by Steve Chatman, was adopted in 2011. The lyrics go:

Hail to the Thunderbirds! Hail UBC!
Thunder and lightning — Onward to victory!
Hail to the Blue-and-Gold! Hail UBC!
U, B, C forever — Onward to victory!

NCAA membership bid

In 2005, they applied to become members of the principal U.S. college sports governing body, the NCAA. They are not the first Canadian school to try to join the NCAA; in 2000, local rival Simon Fraser, then exclusively an NAIA member, sought to join the NCAA but was turned down. At the time, the NCAA's constitution prohibited non-U.S. schools from joining; however, some observers believed the real reason Simon Fraser was turned down was that the school sought to join as a Division II school, and the NCAA did not want to set a precedent with a lower-level school. UBC, on the other hand, was reportedly interested in joining Division I. UBC's athletic budget of approximately $4 million Canadian is dwarfed by those of schools in the Pacific-10 Conference, the only BCS conference on the U.S. West Coast. However, at least two mid-major conferences with a West Coast presence, the West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference, had been suggested as possible future homes for the Thunderbirds.[10]

The NCAA approved a change to its constitution on January 14, 2008 to allow Canadian schools to become members. Under a 10-year pilot program due to begin June 1, 2008, Canadian schools can join the NCAA as Division II members, and any school that meets the June 1 deadline for application can become a member as of the academic year immediately following the deadline. CIS has not officially indicated whether a school joining the NCAA under this program can retain its CIS membership. It was expected that both UBC and Simon Fraser would be among the first schools to apply for NCAA membership under this program.[11][12] Simon Fraser did apply and was accepted, but in April 2009 UBC deferred a decision on applying.[13]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ UBC Colour Palettes (PDF). Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  2. ↑ "UBC Thunderbirds football stripped of all wins in 2011 after using ineligible player". The Province. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  3. 1 2 "Canada West sanctions UBC for eligibility violation". Canada West Universities Athletic Association. 2011-12-20. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  4. ↑ Former Penn State quarterback Michael O'Connor commits to UBC
  5. ↑ Vanier Cup: UBC Thunderbirds beat Montreal Carabins 26-23
  6. ↑ Rose, Les (1974). "Thunderbirds in China". Documentary film. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  7. ↑ "CIS:Past CIS Champions". Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  8. ↑ http://www.usaultimate.org/archives/1997_college.aspx USA Ultimate 1997 College
  9. ↑ "CIS Women's Volleyball Past Champions". CIS. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  10. ↑ Ewen, Steve (2005-11-08). "UBC expects visit by NCAA". The Province. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  11. ↑ Press release, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (2008-01-15). "CIS responds to NCAA membership openings". TSN. Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  12. ↑ "No Canadian schools apply for Division II membership". NCAA. 2008-06-03. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  13. ↑ "UBC defers decision on application to join NCAA Division II". UBC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
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