McGill Redmen football The McGill Redmen CIS football team is one of the oldest in all of Canada , having begun organized competition in 1874 . The team won its first championship in 1902 and since then have also won in 1912 , 1913 , 1919 , 1928 , 1938 and 1960 prior to the inauguration of the Vanier Cup in 1965 . McGill appeared in the Vanier Cup final 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 . Since the retirement of long - time head coach Charlie Baillie in 2000 , the team has only won two league championships ( 2001 , 2002 ) . In October 2005 , the McGill administration cancelled the last three games of football team ' s season after confirmed reports of hazing involving sexual abuse . 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 . In 2012 , the Redmen qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2006 , but lost to perennial powerhouse Laval . Seasons . In 1874 , McGill and Harvard met in the first North American style football game . From 1898 , McGill played in the Canadian Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union , and won their first championship , the Yates Cup in 1902 . In 1912 , Frank Shaughnessy was recruited as the first professional head coach . His teams won the Yates Cup during his first two seasons . In 1919 , the team went undefeated and did not concede a touchdown , and in 1928 . The 1919 team was inducted into McGill ' s Hall of Fame in 2010 . McGill next won a championship in 1938 . The team tied for the regular season 8 - 1 with Western after losing their final regular - season game to Western . The teams played off for the championship , won 9 – 0 by McGill , with all the scoring from kicker Herb Westman , who kicked a school record nine punt singles . The Redmen would not win another title until 1960 , when they won the Yates Cup , against Queen ' s University of Kingston , then defeated the Canada West champion Alberta Golden Bears in a challenge match for an unofficial national championship ( Churchill Bowl ) . In 1971 , McGill joined a newly - formed Quebec - only conference known as the Quebec University Athletic Association . In 1974 , the three remaining Quebec teams merged with three Ontario teams in the Ontario - Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference . McGill won the ODIFC ' s Dunsmore Cup again for the first time 1987 , along with the Montreal Shrine Bowl , Shaughnessy Cup , Robert Stanfield trophy ( Atlantic Bowl champions ) and the Vanier Cup ( CIAU national champions ) . The 1987 team featured Michael Soles at running back , who went on to a lengthy playing career in the Canadian Football League . That team was coached by Charlie Baillie who took over in 1972 and served as head coach until 2000 . Baillie surpassed the legendary Frank Shaughnessy ' s school record for wins and went on to become McGill ' s winningest coach . His overall record was 119 - 111 - 2 . Head coaches . Source : McGill .