McGill Redmen

The McGill Redmen are the men's athletic teams that represent McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The women's teams are known as the McGill Martlets. The name Redmen was first published in 1929 as "Red Men" and was used to describe the red uniforms worn by McGill sports teams. Research done by McGill historian Dr. Stanley Frost indicated that the name Redmen derived from ancient times, when Celts were known as the "Red Men" because of their red hair... "our own Red Men were no doubt Celts in honour of James McGill's Scottish descent," notes Frost.

Mascot
The mascot for both the Redmen and Martlet teams is Marty the Martlet. The name was chosen in 2005 by students at his first appearance at the Redmen football Homecoming game, where he was presented to the McGill Athletics Department by the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR).

Football
The McGill Redmen CIS football team is one of the oldest in all of Canada, having begun organized competition in 1874. The team has appeared in three Vanier Cup national championships, in 1969, 1973 and 1987, with the Redmen finally winning the title in the 1987 game. McGill plays out of Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, where the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes also play.

After their 2005 suspension, the team struggled with three losing seasons, including two winless seasons in 2007 and 2008. The program showed signs of hope as the Redmen won three games in 2009, but soon sank back down to futility with consecutive winless campaigns in 2010 and 2011.

Ice hockey


On March 3, 1875 the first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink by James George Aylwin Creighton and several McGill University students. In 1877, several McGill students, including Creighton, Henry Joseph, Richard F. Smith, W.F. Robertson, and W.L. Murray codified seven ice hockey rules. The McGill University Hockey Club - later re-christened "The Redmen" - was founded in 1877, arguably making the McGill Redmen the oldest ice hockey club in the world still playing.

The university operates both men's and women's teams in the CIS. The teams play at McGill's McConnell Arena. The men's team has won championships in 1883, 1903, 1905, 1912, 1918, 1921, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1946, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, including the 2012 CIS University Cup national championship. The women's team has won championships in 1985, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

On November 15, 2003, Kim St. Pierre was the first woman in CIS history to be credited with a win in a men's regular season game. This occurred when the McGill Redmen defeated the Ryerson Rams by a score of 5-2.

Lacrosse
Founded in 2001, the McGill Redmen Lacrosse team competes in the six-team Eastern Conference of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) and generally plays one to two NCAA exhibition games per season. The team has emerged as one of the most successful varsity programs at McGill, having reached CUFLA's Final Four in five of the past six seasons while capturing three Eastern Conference titles in 2007, 2011 and 2012, and making a national championship appearance (2008). In 2012 McGill won the national championship, the Baggataway Cup. The hybrid Canadian box-American field lacrosse program has had rostered players from 5 Provinces and 22 different US States, 20 of whom have been named All-Canadian at least once. The Redmen are coached by two former college NCAA Division-I varsity lacrosse players: head coach, Tim Murdoch (Princeton '84), and assistant coach, Sean Steinwald (Cornell '00), who were named CUFLA's "Coaching Staff of the Year" in 2008 and who also helped the Redmen receive back-to-back Harry Griffiths Trophies in 2008 and 2009 as McGill's best-run varsity program. Prior volunteer coaches have included John Threshie (UNC-Chapel Hill), Brendan Simeson (McGill), Mike O'Donnell (Penn State), and All-World, MLL Champion, and NCAA All-American goalie, Trevor Tierney (Princeton). The team practices on McGill's Upper Campus and home games are played at McGill's Percival Molson Stadium.

Soccer
The soccer program at McGill operates for a big part of the school year. On top of the regular CIS fall season there is a Quebec indoor season, which runs from January to mid March. Preparation for the CIS season starts with try-outs in mid-August and several preseason games against NCAA teams.

Sailing
McGill's sailing program was founded in 1949, and the first regattas took place in Northern New England. Today, the team competes in the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA), which itself is a part of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). The team trains out of the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club (RStLYC) throughout the fall and competes in dinghies such as the collegiate 420 (dinghy) and the Flying Junior. Every spring, the Redmen attend the U.K. Team Racing Championships, the Wilson Trophy in West Kirby, England.

Baseball
The baseball team plays in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA). They have won two national championships (2006 & 2010), and have appeared in two national finals (2005 & 2008). The team plays out of Trudeau park in Cote St Luc.

2005 hazing scandal
In October 2005, the McGill administration cancelled the last three games of football team's season after confirmed reports of hazing involving sexual abuse.