Ottawa Gee-Gees

The Ottawa Gee-Gees is an athletic team that represents the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario in all of its sporting events. The term "Gee-Gee" is taken from horse racing where a Gee-Gee is the first horse out of the starting gate. The name GGs also describes the university colours, garnet and grey. For many years, the team was known as the Garnet and Grey (Grenat et Gris); the name Gee-Gees was chosen to appeal to both francophone and anglophone fans of this bilingual university.

The Gee-Gees are best known in Canadian Interuniversity Sport for a perennially strong football team, winning the national championship, the Vanier Cup, in 1975 and 2000 and appearing in the championship game in 1970, 1980, and 1997.

Varsity teams
Ottawa Gee-Gees teams compete in:
 * Basketball (m/w)
 * Cross Country Running (m/w)
 * Ice hockey (m/w)
 * Football (m)
 * Rugby (w)
 * Soccer (w)
 * Swimming (m/w)
 * Track & Field (m/w)
 * Volleyball (w)
 * Baseball (m)
 * Rowing (m/w)

Gee-Gees football
The Ottawa Gee-Gees football team have appeared in five Vanier Cup championships, losing in 1970, 1980 and 1997, and winning the national title in 1975 and 2000. The team practises on campus but play their home games at Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park where only the north stands are open to the public. The Gee-Gees have also won a total of eight conference championships, including four Yates Cups and four Dunsmore Cups as the team split time between the OUA and OQIFC.

In recent years, the team has seen much success, having enjoyed eight consecutive seasons with non-losing records. In that time, the team has had three first place finishes with the last being achieved in 2010. The team has also won one Yates Cup conference championship in that time, in 2006, but lost to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Mitchell Bowl soon after. The school hired Gary Etcheverry to be the team's head coach for the 2012 season, but after losing his first five games of the season, he was relieved of his duties. The Gee-Gees went on to finish with a 2-6 record and out of the playoffs for the first time since 1991.

Season-by-season record
The following is the record of the Ottawa Gee-Gees football team in the last ten seasons of play:

Ottawa Gee-Gees in the CFL
As of the start of the 2012 CFL season, three former Gee-Gees players are on CFL teams' rosters:
 * Delroy Clarke, Edmonton Eskimos
 * Mike Cornell, Edmonton Eskimos
 * Ezra Millington, Montreal Alouettes

1975 Vanier Cup champions
The undefeated 1975 National Championship team (11-0) is considered to be one of the most dominant in Canadian college history. That team became the first to finish with a perfect record after winning a Vanier Cup. Even to this day, the 1975 team still holds several CIS and OUA team and individual records. Players from the 1975 team were selected to the CIS All-Canadian team 13 times during their college careers. During their CIS careers, players from the 1975 team were selected as OUAA an OQIFC All-Stars 42 times.

1975 Gee Gees CIS career awards

 * 13 All-Canadian Selections during their CIS careers
 * 42 OUAA All-Star Selections during their CIS careers
 * 1 Hec Crighton Finalist (CIS Outstanding Player)
 * 2 J.P. Metras Trophy Finalists (CIS Outstanding Lineman)
 * 1 Frank Tindall Trophy (CIS Coach of the Year)
 * 1 Ted Morris Trophy (MVP Vanier Cup)

The 1975 University of Ottawa Gee Gees CFL careers
A total of 21 players from the 1975 Vanier Cup Championship team were selected in the Canadian Football League draft, including nine players in the first round or higher including six CFL Territorial Protections (from 1973 through 1982 each CFL team was allowed to pick and protect 2 players from their region before the 1rst round began). During their careers as professionals, players from the 1975 Vanier Cup Championship team appeared in 23 Grey Cup games and went on to collect a total of 12 Grey Cup Rings. The following is a brief list of the impact that these players have had in the Canadian Football League.

Eric Upton - Guard - 10 Years CFL Edmonton Eskimos-3 time Western All-Star, 6 Grey Cup Appearances, 5 time Grey Cup Champion

Rocky DiPietro- Slotback - 14 Years CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats, CFL All-Time Pass Reception Leader, Canadian Football Hall of Fame Inductee, 2 time CFL Outstanding Canadian, 3 time Lew Hayman Trophy Outstanding Canadian Eastern Division, 5 time Eastern All-Star, 4 Grey Cup Appearances, 1986 Grey Cup Champion

Neil Lumsden - Fullback/Kicker - 10 Years CFL Toronto Argonauts/Hamilton Tiger-Cats/Edmonton Eskimos, Winner 1976 Frank M Gibson Trophy CFL Outstanding Rookie Eastern Division, 2 Time Eastern Division All-Star, 1981 Grey Cup Canadian MVP, 3 time Grey Cup Champion

Miles Gorrell - Offensive Tackle - 19 Years CFL Calgary Stampeders/Hamilton Tiger-Cats/Montreal Alouettes/Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 5 time Eastern Division All-Star, 2 time Winner Leo Dandurand Trophy CFL Outstanding Lineman Eastern Division, 5 Grey Cup Appearances, 1 time Grey Cup Champion

Jeff Avery - Wide Receiver- 6 Years CFL Ottawa Rough Riders, 1 time Eastern Division All-Star, 2 Grey Cup Appearances, 1976 Grey Cup Champion

Al Moffat - Defensive Tackle - 6 Years CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 1 time Eastern Division All-Star, 1 Grey Cup Appearance

Mike Murphy - Fullback - 4 Years CFL, Winner 1977 Frank M. Gibson Trophy CFL Outstanding Rookie Eastern Division

Doug Falconer - Defensive Back - 4 Years CFL Ottawa Rough Riders/Calgary Stampeders, 1976 Grey Cup Champion

Tim Berryman - Linebacker - 7 Years CFL Edmonton Eskimos/Ottawa Rough Riders, 1 Grey Cup Appearance

Bill Harrison - Halfback - 5 Years CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats/Toronto Argonauts

Ian Mac Pherson - Defensive Tackle - 3 Years CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Men's Basketball Program
The Gee-Gees men's basketball team has been ranked in the CIS Top Ten for most of the 2005-2006 season, sitting 2nd as of January 24, 2006. On January 18, 2006, the Gee Gees recorded their first win against the Carleton Ravens, their cross-town rivals. Previous to their 62-61 win, the Gee Gees had lost 18 straight games against the Ravens, dating back to 1999. The win also broke the Ravens 56-game winning streak at home. The Gee-Gees finished 6th at the 2005 CIS National Basketball Tournament in Halifax.

2010 - 2011 New Coach, Fresh Start
In July 2010, the University of Ottawa appointed James Derouin, a former alumni and player, as their new head coach after the departure of Coach Dave DeAveiro who left for McGill University. Derouin was formerly an assistant coach for the UBC Thunderbirds for the past two years and was captain of the Gee-Gees Men’s Basketball Team for both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. In his final year, he also played under former Gee-Gees head coach Dave DeAveiro. Derouin called this “[...] a dream come true, really. I’ve been working towards this for a long time. It’s amazing.”

Derouin, a native of Ottawa, "[looks forward] to building on the current success of the Gee-Gees program, added Derouin. With the loss of two strong players [Josh Gibson-Bascombe and Donnie Gibson], we will look to fill those holes as much as possible and continue to strive for excellence.”

2010 - 2011 Regular Season & Playoff Summary
The Gee-Gees had a strong finish to the regular season that led themto qualify for the OUA Wilson Cup playoffs. It began with the Gee-Gees defeating Laurentian University in the OUA Quarter-Finals followed by a solid win over second-seed University of Toronto to qualify for the nationally televised (The Score) Wilson Cup Final Four in Hamilton. The playoff run unfortunately ended as the team was just two points short verses Lakehead to qualify for the CIS Nationals in Halifax.

Graduating Gee-Gees, Louis Gauthier had one of his most solid seasons in his five-year career while Nemanja Baletic ended his CIS Career with yet another solid season while winning the CIS Kevin Shields Award and University of Ottawa President’s Award for outstanding commitment and achievement in the classroom, community, and athletics.

2011 - 2012 Exhibition and Season
The Gee-Gees kicked off their pre-season with their first exhibition game against NCAA La Salle Explorers with a 73-61 defeat. This game saw the debut of 4 of 5 recruits - Michael L’African, Serge Grenon, Vikas Gill, and Charles Rémillard.

New recruits had a great debut with Vikas Gill going 6 for 10 from the three-point line to finish the night with 20 points and Michael L’African leading the team in assist with 4. Second year forward, Gabriel Gonthier-Dubee, also had strong game finishing with 16 points.

The Gee-Gees were without the services of University of Arkansas (Pine Bluff) Transfer, Shamus Ferguson and All-Star Warren Ward who is with Team Canada for the FISU Universiade 2011 in Shen Zhen, China.

The Gee-Gees will welcome NCAA University of Albany, University of St.Louis, and UC Santa Barbara to wrap up their United States exhibition games.

The CIS regular season begins November 11, 2011, for the Gee-Gees who will play at Brock University.

Men's Basketball Program Alumni
Ali Mahmoud - St. Patrick’s High School (Ottawa) - University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (2002, 2003) - Lebanon National Basketball Program - Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (2004 – Present) - 2006, 2010 FIBA World Championships

Alex McLeod - University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (2002 – 2006) - Gee-Gees All-Time 3 Point Scorer (OUA Games) - Over 1,207 career points - OUA East Rookie Team (2002) - OUA East All-Star (2004, 2005, 2006) - Certified Canadian Lawyer

Joshua Gibson-Bascombe - University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (2005 – 2010) - OUA East Rookie of the Year (2005-2006) - OUA East All-Star (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) - All-Time Leading Scorer with 1571 points - NH Ostrava of the Czech Republic - Team Canada Men’s Development Team - FISU (2007 Thailand, 2009 Serbia)

Gee-Gees soccer
The Gee-Gees women's soccer team program was founded in 1994 by current head coach, Steven Johnson. The team went on to become national champions in 1996, in just their third season of play, after which Johnson was recognized as CIS coach of the year (an honour he would again receive in 2005). The team has also won CIS silver medals in 2005, 2003, 2000, 1997 and CIS bronze medals in 2001, and 2006.

Gee Gees hockey
The men's hockey program was formed in 1889. The team played in the Ottawa City Hockey League. The team was first known as "Garnet and Grey", as well as the other varsity athletic programs within the University of Ottawa. In the 1940s, all the varsity athletic programs became known as the "Gee Gees", which was nicknamed by the media. The Gee Gees had tremendous success in the 1980s. Despite, that the Gee Gees have yet to win the University Cup - CIS championship for men's hockey. Ottawa's most memorable run took place in 2004, as the Gee Gees ousted rivals Universite de Québec à Trois-Rivières (otherwise known as UQTR Patriotes) 2-1 in the OUA playoffs, and then advanced to the Queen's Cup, hosted by the University of Western Ontario. The Gee Gees lost the OUA final to York, but they still earned a spot in the University Cup, held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where power-house UNB (University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds) played host to the tournament. However, the Gee Gees failed to record a win and went home 0-2. Notably, it was the first time since 1985 that the Gee Gees played in the University Cup.

The Gee Gees are well known for their successful coaches like Mickey Goulet, who is currently head coach of the Italian National Men's Hockey Team, which participated in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Coaches like Michel Boucher, Tony Zappia, and current head coach Dave Leger, who has been at the helm since 2003.

The Gee Gees played in several rinks before the current Minto Sports Complex, which was built on the site of the Minto Arena, the former Minto Skating Club facility, which was demolished in 2000. Ottawa has held games at the Sandy Hill Arena and the Robert Guertin Arena in Hull. The first rink, was known as "College Yard", which was an outdoor rink in front of Tabaret Hall. The second venue for the Gee Gees was the indoor Rideau Skating Rink, which was flooded during winter for the ice surface. The site on the corner of Waller Street and Laurier Avenue is now the Arts building at the University of Ottawa.