Written by Liam T. Buchanan

Instagram: @buchananliam

Twitter: @_buchananliam

Thumbnail Photo by MacLean’s

Saint Mary’s University was founded two centuries ago in 1802 as Saint Mary’s College (SMC) by Reverend Edmond Burke. Originally a small Catholic school, Archbishop John T. McNally, a figure in the Catholic Church, used his power on March 31st, 1952 to have SMC changed to SMU. This was ultimately the first step in the road to secularization at SMU. In 1964, Jocelyn Grassby became the first full-time female student to graduate from SMU, and the school became co-educational four years later. Following these monumental moments in the fight for equal rights, the school board became secular and transitioned away from the Archdiocese of Halifax having control over the University. Professors were still primarily Jesuits but this soon declined with the rise of secularization. Sport, too, has its own unique history at Saint Mary’s University. From the school’s inception at the beginning of the 19th century to the contemporary era, the Huskies - once called both the Irish and the Saints as an ode to its Catholic roots – have paved a historical road regarding sport, and will continue to do so in future decades; however, this analysis will solely focus on the current paved road, and not the path ahead. This “current paved road” will be highlighted by three varsity teams: the women’s ice hockey team, the men’s football team, and the women’s basketball team.

We begin this historical analysis by taking a look at one of Saint Mary’s most recent varsity sports teams, the women’s ice hockey team. The newest one of the bunch, this team began playing in the 1997-98 season under the guidance of Coach Lisa MacDonald. The team has found success from the beginning, becoming the Atlantic champions in their first season. Moreover, they currently have the second-most AUAA/AUS championships in women’s ice hockey history with seven trophies. Despite success in Atlantic Canada, the team has yet to achieve national success by lacking both a championship game and a victory under their belt. Their best showing was the 2015-16 season, where they were crowned the CIS bronze medalists. This doesn’t mean that they’ll never get there, though: with all that success at the core of their foundation, they’re bound to find national success en route to the Golden Path Trophy. It should be noted, too, that in 2011, St. Francis Xavier University became the only AUS school to reach the national championship game.

Next up is the men’s football team. The football team dates back to 1956 when it was first coached by Rev. Elmer MacGillivray, S.J. In their inaugural season, they won the MJFC Championship. An attempt to retrieve information about the MJFC was unsuccessful; moreover, a further analysis of U Sports historical data demonstrates conflicting results. SMU’s database states that the Huskies won the MJFC Championships two years later under Bob Hayes, but the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) - the predecessor to U Sports - claims SMU lost to the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in the finals of the 1958 Maritime Intercollegiate Football League (MIFL), a different outcome and different league than our school suggests. Nonetheless, the Huskies have achieved overall success. The team holds a 246-142 (.634) all-time record at the date of this publishing. The Huskies have won the Vanier Cup three times and have appeared in the national championship game nine times since its inception; the Huskies have also the most Jewett Trophy championships. While the team had a disappointing 2019-2020 season, the Journal is cheering on the football team to succeed this year, and hopefully get a fourth Vanier Cup under their belt.

The final team that is studied is the varsity women’s basketball team. The women’s team dates back to 1974, which was first coached by Kathy Mullane. Our records show that the women’s team won an Atlantic Universities Athletics Association (AUAA) - what is now known today as the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) - championship two years after the team’s debut under Mickey Fox. The latter half of the 20th century was not overly successful for the team, as most seasons they finished below 500; however, the program began to pick up steam in the last decade. The current head coach, Scott Munro, was hired for the 2009-10 season, and there is no question why he is tenured. He’s been crowned the AUS Coach of the Year three times; has led the team to four AUS championship wins; has one Bronze Baby appearance in the 2014-15 season, which is the national championship game; and has only coached the team to two below 500 seasons. In essence, there is no wonder that Wikipedia claims that SMU “has one of the best Canadian women’s basketball programs.” It could be argued that Munro’s legacy will endure through this program, similar to Larry Uteck’s of the football program.

While history is a subject that some do not enjoy, knowing the history of the school you attend can be very intriguing. Furthermore, it is fundamental for a sport enthusiast to know who has built up the legacy that endures in the contemporary setting of their alma mater. This is why we have researched the history behind the women’s ice hockey team, men’s football team, and women’s basketball team. Most historical information was found through a quick search of our school’s website, and also with the help of Wikipedia to confirm some general information. With this knowledge you now have, we hope it inspires you to learn more not just about sport at SMU, but about our school as a whole!

A Historical Analysis of Sport at SMU

FOLLOW US