The CJFL TOTAL THURSDAY Newsletter
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www.cjfl.net “For all your CJFL Information & News” The CJFL TOTAL THURSDAY Newsletter Brought to you by Volume 3 Issue 4 "The CJFL gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Sponsors" "The Canadian Junior Football League provides the opportunity for young men aged 17 to 22 to participate in highly competitive post-high school football that is unique in Canada. The goal of the league is to foster community involvement and yield a positive environment by teaching discipline, perseverance and cooperation. The benefits of the league are strong camaraderie, national competition and life-long friends." Canadian Junior Football League – Players of the Week – Week Three Ben Gorniak – Quarterback – Edmonton Huskies The 5th-year quarterback had a most impressive start to the 2011 season as the Huskies faced the Winnipeg Rifles on Sunday. Gorniak would complete 27 of 47 passes for 407 yards, throwing for 2 touchdowns to receivers Yannick L’Abbe & Anthony Barrett in the 41-34 setback. Jayson Bates – Defensiveback – Chilliwack Huskers Like the offensive side, the defensive side of the ball also had a number of terrific individual performances. For the second consecutive week the Defensive Player of the Week is a member of the Chilliwack Huskers. Defensive back Jayson Bates had a wonderful game and kept the Huskers close with two interceptions, two solo tackles, one assist, one special teams tackle and one ball batted down. Bates is in his fourth year with the Huskers organization. Kyle Willis – Returner – Winnipeg Rifles The rookie running back that spent last season with the BCFC’s South Surrey Rams made a huge impact in his first PFC game. He returned 3 punts for 108 yards, including a 57- yard return for a touchdown as part of a 20-point third quarter that propelled the Green Gunners to a 41-34 win over the Edmonton Huskies. The History of Junior Football This is a story about the 128 year history of junior football in Canada and the 104th anniversary of the first inters provincial play-off game. It’s about a blue collar football league that opened its doors to the young men of Canada to provide them with the opportunity to play the great game of Canadian football. What do you know about the history of junior football? We must thank historians like Reg Green, Ed Henick and Robert Sproule for preserving the history of junior football. Did you know that junior football started in 1883 as a feeder system for the senior leagues? Did you know that the first Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) junior championship game was played on November 1, 1890 when the University of Toronto II defeated the Hamilton Ontarios 26 to 3? We now know that the first Canadian Rugby Union (CRU) championship game was played on November 30, 1907. Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, the champions of the Ontario Rugby Football Union Junior league, played the University of Toronto Varsity II of the Inter-Collegiate Football Union. Parkdale defeated Toronto Varsity II 11 to 0. That was an interesting concept, a junior football club playing an inter-collegiate team for a Canadian Rugby Union championship. They were all one big happy family at that time, how times have changed. Why is 1908 an important milestone in junior football history? The game played in 1908 was the first inter provincial championship game. A gentleman by the name of Weismuller brought all of the junior teams from the leagues in Ontario and Quebec together in one room to negotiate the first Canadian Junior Rugby ( Football) Inter Provincial play offs. This is the milestone and the anniversary that we are celebrating. The Montreal and Toronto newspapers provided a lot of information about the 1908 game. The Montreal Star reported that the Parkdale Club had accepted a guarantee for the game and would be ready to play on the Saturday; there no record of what this guarantee entailed. The Star stated that this was for the Dominion Championship. We now know that the game was played on November 29, 1908 in Montreal on the M.A.A.A. grounds. The final score was 18 to 1 for Parkdale. The Globe and Mail gave all the details of the game including the lineups for both teams. One interesting and controversial fact was noted in an article in the Montreal Gazette on November 17, 1908. It stated as follows. “Montreal holds the Dominion Junior Championship as a result of Parkdale’s default last year (1907).” However, the Toronto Globe debated that fact in an article on December 2, 1907 that stated that the Parkdale Canoe club was the Canadian Junior champions in view of their Canadian Rugby Union (CRU) championship in 1907. Parkdale apparently declined to play Montreal probably because of the weather conditions or perhaps it had to do with the lack of a guarantee. Do we have a Dominion junior champion in 1907? What would sports be without controversial issues? In 1919 the Western Canadian Junior Championship was established when Alexander John Gillespie donated a trophy. This is junior football’s oldest continuous trophy and it has its war wounds to prove it. It is a sterling silver trophy that now shares the spotlight in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum with the Grey Cup. The first team name engraved on the trophy in 1919 was actually a league, the Regina Junior Rugby League. The team that won the trophy was the Regina Winners. They were part of the first junior league formed in Regina. The Regina Junior Rugby League consisting of teams in Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw. Winnipeg formed their first junior league in 1919 with the Tammany Tigers, St. Johns and Crestwood. Tammany won the Winnipeg title and then played Regina in a two game total point series which Regina won 17 to 6. Who was Alexander John Gillespie? He was born in Regina in 1890 and died in 1952. He has an interesting sports history; however, it doesn’t look like he played football. He was a track star, played baseball and hockey. He suffered a serious injury in hockey as a goaltender which caused the loss of his right leg. In 1919 he presented his trophy for the annual competition in Western Junior Rugby (Football). He was an administrator, businessman and citizen and a generous contributor to sports in Regina. The first East/West junior championship game was played on December 12, 1925. The Regina Patricias (Pats) defeated the Edmonton Junior Eskimoes in the Western Canadian Championship (Gillespie trophy). The Montreal AAA Juniors defeated the Toronto Junior Argonauts in the Canadian Rugby Union (CRU) semifinal game. The Pats traveled by train to Montreal and a sports reporter, Dick Gibbons, accompanied the team on the trip. Dick was amazed to find out that the two teams were playing for a Canadian junior football championship that didn’t have a trophy. He wired his newspaper, the Regina -Leader Post, for permission to purchase a trophy and received $100.00. The Montreal AAA juniors were victorious on that day and they were the first team to have their name engraved on the Leader-Post trophy. The Leader- Post trophy was fifty years old when it was retired following the 1974 Canadian junior championship played in Vancouver. The last team to have its name engraved on the trophy was the Ottawa Sooners. The Leader-Post trophy now sits proudly on display in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1975 the Armandale Corporation became the major sponsor of the Canadian junior Championship. The trophy was presented for the first time in Hamilton, Ontario on November 16 when the Regina Rams defeated the Hamilton Hurricanes. The Armandale Cup was retired after the 1989 Canadian junior championship game played in Calgary on November 12. The Calgary Colts defeated the Burlington Junior Tigers on that day. The Armandale trophy was given to the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame by the Armandale Corporation. In 1990 Canadian Airlines International became the sponsor of the Canadian junior championship and the championship game became known as the Canadian Bowl. After the demise of Canadian Airlines the junior championship game continued with the name and it is now the nationally recognized name of the Canadian junior championship and hopefully it will continue long into the future. The Canadian Junior Football League has been a tradition for128 years. We must never lose the focus on what this league is all about, its mission and vision to provide young men from every walk of life the opportunity to play the game of Canadian football. That was the vision 117 years ago and it continues to this day with thousands of young men playing this game from Vancouver Island to Quebec. A small group of dedicated people back in 1883 had an idea and they were committed to make that idea work. One aspect of that idea that has remained the same with junior football clubs providing the opportunity for young men to participate in a highly competitive league that is unique to Canada. The senior teams are now professional and the inter collegiate teams are now the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS). Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can do the impossible. The Canadian Junior football League in 2011 is the proof of the commitment and dedication of that small group of people who met in a room in Hamilton Ontario in 1907with the concept of opening the boundaries for junior football in Canada. Let’s keep the tradition of junior football alive and well. Ron White www.bcjuniorfootball.ca Team Record Home Away PF PA Pts Vancouver Island Raiders 3-0 1-0 2-0 171 26 6 Okanagan Sun 3-0 1-0 2-0 88 51 6 Westshore Rebels 2-1 1-1 1-0 71 94 4 Kamloops Broncos 1-2 0-1 1-1 58 114 2 Langley Rams 0-3 0-2 0-1 50 87 0 Chilliwack Huskers 0-3 0-2 0-1 36 102 0 BCFC WEEK 3 SUMMARY By Ryan Watters – BCFC Media Coordinator Week 3 of the BCFC has come and gone and two teams remain undefeated, while another two teams are still searching for their first win.