Men’s Football
U SPORTS East-West Bowl returns for 2022 in Hamilton
In a rematch of the 2005 Vanier Cup, U SPORTS football coaching legends Brian Towriss and Gary Jeffries have been named the Head Coaches of the 18th edition of the U SPORTS East-West Bowl, taking place on Saturday May 7th, hosted by the McMaster Marauders.
Coach Towriss, who will call the plays for the West team led the Saskatchewan Huskies to nine Vanier Cups, winning three championships and is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Towriss started his career at the University of Saskatchewan as a player in 1974-1977. Since then, Towriss has been involved in the Huskies coaching department for 37 years as both assistant coach and head coach. Towriss’ reign of Head Coach spanned from 1984 to 2016.
As a head coach, Towriss led Saskatchewan to 11 Hardy Cup victories and was named Canada West Coach of the Year seven times, winning U SPORTS Coach of the Year in 1994.
Coach Jeffries, who is calling the shots for the East, began his coaching career 1972 as the linebackers and defensive line coach for the Laurier Golden Hawks after playing hockey for the Guelph Gryphons and football for both Guelph and Laurier as a student-athlete.
Jeffries served as the Golden Hawks defensive coordinator for 1981-88 while also serving as the Laurier women’s basketball coach from 1984-88. In 1989, Jeffries took over as the men’s basketball coach until 1996.
In 2002, he was named head coach of the Laurier football team, winning the program’s second-ever Vanier Cup championship against Towriss and the Huskies in 2005. Jeffries continued his duties as head coach and manager of football operations until 2012.
From 2013-14, Jeffries was the special teams coordinator of the McMaster Marauders before joining the Gryphons from 2016-18 as an assistant coach.
The East-West Bowl will be a rematch of the 41st Vanier Cup where Jeffries’ Golden Hawks defeated Towriss and the Huskies 24-23. In a game that saw five lead changes, Laurier overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to take the lead with just 19 seconds left.
The 18th edition of the top prospect showcase will continue after a two-year hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and includes over 90 of the best and brightest athletes in Canadian University football.
The East-West Bowl was initiated in 2003 and is organized with the help of the Canadian University Football Coaches Association, in partnership with the Canadian Football League. The event brings together over 90 of the top U SPORTS football players for a week of practices and a combines evaluation camp, culminating with the annual prospects game.
All-time East-West Bowl Coaches
|
Year |
Host |
East Coach |
West Coach |
|
2022 |
McMaster |
Gary Jeffries, Laurier |
Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan |
|
2019 |
Carleton |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
Greg Marshall, Western |
|
2018 |
Laval |
Cherif Nicolas, Bishop’s |
Greg Marshall, Western |
|
2017 |
Laval |
Gary Waterman, StFX |
Wayne Harris Jr., Calgary |
|
2016 |
McGill |
Danny Maciocia, Montreal |
Blake Nill, UBC |
|
2015 |
McGill |
Danny Maciocia, Montreal |
Brian Dobie, Manitoba |
|
2014 |
Western |
Jeff Cummins, Acadia |
Blake Nill, Calgary |
|
2013 |
Western |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
Stefan Ptaszek, McMaster |
|
2012 |
Western |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
Stefan Ptaszek, McMaster |
|
2011 |
Western |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
Blake Nill, Calgary |
|
2010 |
Western |
Pat Sheahan, Queen’s |
Blake Nill, Calgary |
|
2009 |
Western |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
Greg Marshall, Western |
|
2008 |
McMaster |
Steve Sumarah, Saint Mary’s |
Brian Dobie, Manitoba |
|
2007 |
Laval |
Denis Piché, Ottawa |
Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan |
|
2006 |
Laval |
Gary Jeffries, Laurier |
Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan |
|
2005 |
Laurier |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan |
|
2004 |
Laurier |
Blake Nill, Saint Mary’s |
Glen Constantin, Laval |
|
2003 |
Laurier |
Blake Nill, Saint Mary’s |
Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan |