The Acadia Axemen football team represents Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in the sport of Canadian football in U Sports. The Axemen have been in continuous operation since 1957 when they played their first full season in the Nova Scotia Junior Canadian Football League.[1] The program entered the top tier in Maritime football in 1962 and has been competing there ever since.[2] The program saw its greatest success from 1975 to 1981 where they won six conference championships, appeared in four Vanier Cup national championships, and won two of those in 1979 and in 1981.[3]
| Acadia Axemen | |
|---|---|
 Acadia Axemen logo | |
| First season | 1957 |
| Athletic director | Brian Finniss |
| Head coach | Jeff Cummins 20th year, 74–84–0 (.468) |
| Other staff | Tom Flaxman (OC) Shad McLachlan (DC) |
| Home stadium | Raymond Field |
| Stadium capacity | 3000 |
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Wolfville, Nova Scotia |
| League | U Sports |
| Conference | AUS (1999–present) |
| Past associations | NSJCFL (1957) MIFL (1958–1959) AFC (1960–1965) MIAA (1966–1968) AIAA (1969–1973) AUAA (1974–1998) |
| All-time record | – |
| Postseason record | – |
| Titles | |
| Vanier Cups | 2 1979, 1981 |
| Atlantic Bowls | 4 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981 |
| Jewett Trophies | 15 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019 |
| Hec Crighton winners | 3 Al Charuk, Bob Stracina, Bob Cameron |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
| Colours | Garnet and Blue |
| Fight song | Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show |
| Outfitter | Adidas |
| Website | acadiau.ca |
Recently, the Axemen had their most success in the 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2019 seasons, when the teams finished first in the AUS and reached the Uteck Bowl all four years. Since 1998, the program has qualified for the playoffs every year except for the 2008, 2022, and 2023 seasons.[4]
Recent regular season results
edit| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | PCT | PF | PA | Standing | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 196 | 155 | 2nd in AUS | Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 38-18 |
| 2001 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 121 | 187 | 2nd in AUS | Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 38-7 |
| 2002 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 205 | 215 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 25-11 |
| 2003 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 201 | 181 | 2nd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 30-28 |
| 2004 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.625 | 254 | 156 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 15-11 Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 24-7 |
| 2005 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.625 | 276 | 135 | 1st in AUS | Defeated St. Francis Xavier X-Men in Loney Bowl 69-6 Lost to Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in Uteck Bowl 31-10 |
| 2006 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | 0.625 | 197 | 155 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in semi-final 16-16 Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 32-24 Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Uteck Bowl 57-10 |
| 2007 | 8 | 3 | 5 | – | 0.375 | 182 | 287 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 38-17 |
| 2008 | 8 | 1 | 7 | – | 0.125 | 120 | 239 | 4th in AUS | Missed Playoffs |
| 2009 | 8 | 2 | 6 | – | 0.250 | 138 | 239 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 33-30 |
| 2010 | 8 | 4 | 4 | – | 0.500 | 134 | 154 | 2nd in AUS | Defeated Mount Allison Mounties in semi-final 22-14 (OT) Lost to Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 37-8 |
| 2011 | 8 | 7 | 1 | – | 0.875 | 261 | 108 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 39-20 Lost to McMaster Marauders in Uteck Bowl 45-21 |
| 2012 | 8 | 7 | 1 | – | 0.875 | 229 | 132 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 17-9 Lost to Laval Rouge et Or in Uteck Bowl 42-7 |
| 2013 | 8 | 3 | 5 | – | 0.375 | 165 | 122 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to Mount Allison Mounties in semi-final 19-10 |
| 2014 | 8 | 3 | 5 | – | 0.375 | 144 | 210 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 18-17 |
| 2015 | 8 | 4 | 4 | – | 0.500 | 185 | 170 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 26-4 |
| 2016 | 8 | 2 | 6 | – | 0.250 | 124 | 214 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to Mount Allison Mounties in semi-final 27-18 |
| 2017 | 8 | 6 | 2 | – | 0.750 | 226 | 193 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Saint Mary's Huskies in Loney Bowl 45-38 (OT)[5] Lost to Western Mustangs in Uteck Bowl 81-3 |
| 2018 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | 0.625 | 236 | 146 | 3rd in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 33-10 |
| 2019 | 8 | 8 | 0 | – | 1.000 | 309 | 165 | 1st in AUS | Defeated Bishop's Gaiters in Loney Bowl 31-1 Lost to Montreal Carabins in Uteck Bowl 38-0 |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
| 2021 | 6 | 1 | 5 | – | 0.167 | 52 | 59 | 4th in AUS | Lost to St. Francis Xavier X-Men in semi-final 27-22 |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | 8 | – | 0.000 | 88 | 209 | 5th in AUS | Missed Playoffs |
| 2023 | 8 | 1 | 7 | – | 0.125 | 81 | 203 | 5th in AUS | Missed Playoffs |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 6 | – | 0.250 | 132 | 267 | 4th in AUS | Lost to Bishop's Gaiters in semi-final 59-0 |
Head coaches
edit| Name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fred Kelly | 1956–1959 | [8] |
| Scorchy MacVicar | 1960–1964 | [8] |
| Bill Busching | 1965–1967 | [8] |
| George Hemond | 1968–1970 | [8] |
| Bob Vespaziani | 1971–1978 | |
| John Huard | 1979–1983 | |
| Sonny Wolfe | 1984–2003 | |
| Jeff Cummins | 2004–present |
National championships
editSemi-final championships
edit
- Runner Up: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019
- Champions: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981
- Runner Up: 1975, 1980, 1986, 1995, 1998
Conference championships
edit- Champions: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019
National award winners
edit- Hec Crighton Trophy: Al Charuk (1974), Bob Stracina (1976), Bob Cameron (1977)
- Peter Gorman Trophy: Jerome Pathon (1993)
- Frank Tindall Trophy: John Huard (1981), Jeff Cummins (2011, 2017)
Axemen in the CFL
editAs of the end of the 2024 CFL season, three former Axemen players are on CFL teams' rosters:
- Mike Benson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Bailey Feltmate, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Jake Thomas, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ Canadian Football in Halifax and Nova Scotia 1940-1957
- ^ University Football in Atlantic Canada 1958-1973
- ^ 1981 Football Axemen: ‘A special group of players’
- ^ Bob Adams CIS Sportspage, 1997
- ^ "AUS hands Loney Bowl title to Acadia following eligibility controversy with SMU". Atlantic. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
- ^ Bob Adams CIS Sportspage
- ^ U Sports Standings
- ^ a b c d "Football Builders Award". Acadia University. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "CFL players". Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 4, 2024.