Vanier Cup The Vanier Cup ( in ) is the name of the championship of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team . It is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl . It is named after Georges Vanier , the former Governor General of Canada and was first awarded in 1965 to the winner of an invitational event contested between two teams that were selected by a panel . In 1967 , the trophy was declared the official " CIAU ( now CIS ) National Football Championship " and a playoff system was instituted . From its creation until 1982 , it was known as the Canadian College Bowl . The game typically occurs in late November , although it is occasionally played in December . The Laval Rouge et Or have won the most Vanier Cups ( 7 ) , while the Western Ontario Mustangs have the most appearances ( 12 ) . Seventeen teams have won the Vanier Cup , while three others have played for the championship but never won . There are seven active teams that have never appeared in the championship game . The 2012 Vanier Cup game was played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto . It was played between the Laval Rouge et Or and the McMaster Marauders in a rematch of the 2011 game . Laval won the game 37 – 14 and captured their seventh championship , setting a new record for most Vanier Cups won by one school . History . The Vanier Cup was created in 1965 as the championship trophy of the Canadian College Bowl . For the first two years of competition , the Canadian College Bowl was an invitational event , with a national panel selecting two teams to play , much like the system employed by American college football today . In 1967 , the Canadian College Bowl was declared the national football championship of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union , now Canadian Interuniversity Sport , with a playoff system determining the two participants . The Vanier Cup was played in Toronto , Ontario , from its inception in 1965 through 2003 . However , after the CIS opened the game to host conference bids in 2001 , the possibility arose to have games held outside Toronto . The 2004 , 2005 and 2008 games were hosted by the OUA at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton , and the 2006 game was hosted by the University of Saskatchewan at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon . Four times , the game has been played in the same city and during the same weekend as the Grey Cup : 1973 , 2007 and 2012 in Toronto and in 2011 in Vancouver at BC Place Stadium . Today , the Vanier Cup is played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl ( formerly Atlantic Bowl ) and the Mitchell Bowl ( formerly the Churchill Bowl ) . The Uteck and Mitchell Bowls , in turn , are contested by the Loney Bowl ( AUS ) , Hardy Cup ( Canada West ) , Dunsmore Cup ( RSEQ ) , and Yates Cup ( OUA ) champions . The Vanier Cup ' s most valuable player is awarded the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy . It was first awarded at the first championship in 1965 and named in honour of Teddy Morris , who died the same year . Morris , a Hall of Fame former Toronto Argonauts player and coach , was an organizer of the first bowl and champion for developing Canadian players . The Bruce Coulter Award was first awarded in 1992 and is dependent on what position the winner of the Ted Morris Trophy played . If the winner is from the offence , then the Bruce Coulter Award winner will be the most outstanding defensive player or vice - versa . It was named after Bruce Coulter , long - time Head Coach at Bishop ' s University and former offensive and defensive player with the Montreal Alouettes in the 1950s . Coulter was inducted as a builder in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997 . The 2009 and 2010 games where held at Laval University in Quebec City , making it the first time the province of Quebec hosted the Vanier Cup . As of 2011 , 40 of the 47 Vanier Cups have been played in Toronto , three elsewhere in Ontario , two in Quebec , one in Saskatchewan and one in British Columbia . No games have been staged in the Atlantic region . The game is regularly broadcast nationally and in 2008 was on the cable network The Score , before returning to TSN in 2009 , where it has been since then . In November 2010 , the rights to the Vanier Cup were purchased by sports marketing company MRX . The 2011 game was held in Vancouver , on the same weekend as the 99th Grey Cup and for the first time it was fully integrated into the Grey Cup Festival as a festival event . In 2012 , the 48th Vanier Cup , played between Laval and McMaster at the Rogers Centre in Toronto became both the most attended and most watched Vanier Cup ever . Held the same weekend and in the same city as the 100th Grey Cup , the game was attended by 37 , 098 . The previous record was set in 1989 at the 25th Vanier Cup , when 32 , 847 watched the game between Western and Saskatchewan that was also played at the Rogers Centre ( then known as the SkyDome ) . The game , broadcast on TSN and RDS was watched by 910 , 000 . Note : All Ted Morris Trophy and Bruce Coulter Award winners played for the winning team , unless otherwise noted . Championships . A . Bob McGregor , Ted Morris Trophy winner in 1971 , played for the Alberta Golden Bears . B . In the 1972 game , the Vanier Cup Committee and Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union officials decided to crown co - winners from the same school . C . Rob Schrauth , Bruce Coulter Award winner in 1993 , played for the Calgary Dinos . D . Brent Schneider , Ted Morris Trophy winner in 1994 , played for the Saskatchewan Huskies . Vanier Cup appearances . E . The Wilfrid Laurier record includes three games played as Waterloo Lutheran . Six active teams have never played for the Vanier Cup : Bishop ' s Gaiters ( RSEQ / OQIFC ) , Montréal Carabins ( RSEQ ) , Sherbrooke Vert - et - Or ( RSEQ ) , Waterloo Warriors ( OUA ) , Windsor Lancers ( OUA ) and York Lions / Yeomen ( OUA )