Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

Updated on Nov 17, 2023

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Location Waterloo, Ontario
University Wilfrid Laurier University Association Canadian Interuniversity Sport Conference Ontario University Athletics Athletic director Peter Baxter (administrator) Football stadium Knight-Newbrough Field, University Stadium (Waterloo, Ontario)

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks is the name used by the varsity sports teams of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport and, where applicable, in the west division.

The football program has become one of the best in the conference, recently winning a Vanier Cup national championship in 2005 to go along with their previous title in 1991. Since 2003, the team has not finished lower than fourth in the ten-team OUA conference under the guidance of head coach Gary Jeffries.

The WLU Competitive Cheerleading team has also risen to prominence in the last few years having won 6 national championship titles at the prestigious University National Cheerleading Championships conducted by Power Cheerleading Athletics. The Golden Hawk Cheerleaders have been ranked in the top five squads in the nation at least 8 times in the past 10 years, winning 6 national titles in 2007, 2008 (in the All-Female division), 2009 (in the Small-Coed division), 2010 (All-Female Division), and 2011 (All-Female Division). Most recently the team brought home first place at the 2013 (All-Female Division) University Nationals Competition managing to outscore teams from all other divisions, securing the title of Grand Champions. In addition to the program's primarily competitive focus, the team can also be found cheering sidelines at football games, and both men's and women's basketball games.

The women's varsity hockey team have become very successful, winning their first OUA championship in their 1998–1999 season, winning six consecutive years in a row (2002–2008). They also won Nationals in 2004–2005.

Varsity teams

Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks teams compete in:

Baseball (m)

Basketball (m/w)

Cheerleading (w)

Cross Country Running (m/w)

Curling (m/w)

Ice hockey (m/w)

Football (m)

Golf (m/w)

Lacrosse (m/w)

Rugby (m/w)

Soccer (m/w)

Swimming (m/w)

Volleyball (m/w)

Golden Hawks football

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team has appeared in five Vanier Cup championships, losing in 1966, 1968 and 1972, and winning the national title in 1991 and 2005. The team has also won seven Yates Cup conference championships, most recently in 2004 and 2005. Their head coach during that time was Gary Jeffries, who became the interim head coach midway through the 2002 campaign before being named the full-time head coach for the 2003 season. Overall, he had compiled a regular season record of 58 wins and 22 losses as well as leading them to their 2005 Vanier Cup victory. The Golden Hawks have had one Hec Crighton Trophy winner, Bill Kubas, a former quarterback who won the award in 1994.

The program was one of the strongest in the OUA, as they had always finished in the top three in the ten-team conference from 2003-2009 as long as Jeffries had been the full-time head coach. The team completed two unbeaten regular seasons in 2004 and 2005, and one completely unbeaten season in the latter after going 12-0 and winning the 41st Vanier Cup in 2005. The Golden Hawks had seven straight seasons of at least six wins between 2003 and 2009, but had back-to-back .500 seasons in 2010 and 2011. While the team had a four win season in 2010, it should be noted that they forfeited a game they won against the Toronto Varsity Blues for using an ineligible player.

The Golden Hawks finished with a losing record in 2012 for the first time since Jeffries had taken over as head coach in 2002. Jeffries announced his resignation as the manager of football operations and head coach on November 1, 2012, leaving the program as the second winningest football coach in school history. Former Mustangs quarterback Michael Faulds was hired as the team's head coach on January 8, 2013. In Faulds' first season in 2013, the Golden Hawks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002, but rebounded with a sixth-place finish and playoff berth in 2014.

Season-by-season record

The following is the record of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team since 2003: