Carleton Ravens football

The Carleton Ravens football team is a future varsity team that was approved for 2013 membership on July 6, 2011. The team will be a member of the Ontario University Athletics conference of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, returning football to Carleton University after a 15-year absence.

Historically, the Ravens football team first began play just after the Second World War in 1945 and was in continuous operation until the program was dropped in 1998. While the team that had some success in the mid-1980s, poor performances and a plan by the Carleton Athletic department to invest more funds in other sports, led to the sport being cut after the 1998 season. In their history, the Ravens won one Dunsmore Cup conference championship in 1985, but lost in the following Western Bowl to the Calgary Dinos 56 to 14.

Revival
For a number of years, there had been movements to revive the team, but there was no real interest from the university. However, on June 25, 2009, an announcement was made that the Lansdowne Live group, which owns the conditional Ottawa Canadian Football League team, was in negotiations with the university to bring back the football program and play at a rebuilt Frank Clair Stadium to be shared with the CFL team and the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Lansdowne Live partner and Ravens alumnus John Ruddy has pledged $2.5 million to provide funding for the program and it would follow the private partnership model that has proved successful both financially and on the field with the Regina Rams and Laval Rouge et Or teams. The program needed to raise a minimum of $5 million in pledge commitments in order to secure final approvals, establish Old Crows Football Inc. by May 2011 for the team to start play in time for the 2012 season.

While the group closely missed the May deadline, Old Crows Football Inc. and Carleton University announced on July 6, 2011 that the program will return in 2013. The $5 million was successfully raised and the team will be operated independently by Old Crows Football Inc. as a non-profit corporate entity that will fund and market the program. Renovations to the locker rooms, coaches' offices and Keith Harris Stadium will be paid for by the Old Crows. On January 16, 2012, Steve Sumarah was named the team's head coach.