University of Regina Athletics

Club History
The Regina Rams have been a highly successful sports organization for many years. The Rams come from a long tradition of Canadian junior football, which dates back to the early part of the century when predecessors of the Rams captured national titles in 1928 and 1938. Formed in 1954 from the amalgamation of two teams (the Bombers and the Dales), the Rams participated in the Man-Sask Junior Football League from 1954 to 1975. In 1976 the Rams joined with teams from Alberta to establish the Prairie Football Conference in which the Rams participated until 1998, the Club's final year in junior football.

In 1965 legendary Head Coach Gordon Currie joined the Regina Rams, having achieved a record of success at the high school level that is unlikely ever to be equalled. That same year he led the Rams to the Western Canadian Junior Final. 1966 marked the construction of the Rams clubhouse at Mount Pleasant Sports Park in Regina and the Club's first national title.

During the 33 football seasons from 1966 to 1998, the Regina Rams participated in 17 Canadian Junior Football Championships, emerging with victories on 15 occasions (1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998), and defeated both CIAU and European opponents. More than fifty former Regina Rams have moved on to the professional ranks in the Canadian Football League.

After completing a 45-year history of junior football in 1998, the Regina Rams embarked on a new challenge in 1999 as a member of the Canada West Conference of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union. This was made possible by the development of a community partnership agreement between the Regina Rams Football Club Inc. and the University of Regina. In 2000, only their sophomore season as a university football team, the Rams made a huge impact on CIAU football by winning the Canada West conference championship (the Hardy Cup) and the Atlantic Bowl national semi-final on their way to an appearance in the Vanier Cup.

Frank McCrystal coached the Rams in their final 15 seasons at the junior level, from 1984 to 1999. His 31-year tenure as head coach of the Rams continued for the program's first 16 seasons in the CIS before his retirement following the 2014 season. Longtime CFL assistant coach Mike Gibson coached the team in 2015 and he was followed by a pair of former Rams players, Stephen Bryce (2016-2019) and Mark McConkey (named interim head coach for the 2020 season and head coach in 2021-present).

Community Partnership with the University of Regina
In 1998 the Regina Rams Football Club, looking for new challenges and with a substantial number of their players being University of Regina students, presented a proposal to the University of Regina for a "community partnership" under which the University, through the Regina Rams as a University of Regina team, would participate in CIS football commencing in 1999. In the space of a few months, the partnership agreement was concluded and the Canada West conference unanimously approved the addition of a University of Regina football team for the 1999 season and beyond.

The arrangement between the University of Regina and the Regina Rams Football Club is unique in university football in Canada. Broadly stated, the Rams' organization has remained intact (its board being considered an advisory committee to the University) with the community-based funding of the Rams' operations continuing. In large measure, the Club remains financially independent of the University and must pursue a broad range of fundraising projects and activities in order to keep the program running.

The Rams are enthusiastic about their partnership with the University and believe that both parties are achieving substantial benefits from the relationship. The arrangement is an example of the many positive things that can be accomplished through a partnership between the University and the community.

Facilities
The Rams Clubhouse is located on campus in the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. It has state-of-the-art training facilities including a sizable weight room with Olympic free weights, Nautilus-type weight machines, Stairmaster and stationary bike. Televisions, stereos and computer terminals - on which players and coaches can track the athletes' progress - are also in the room.

The facility also includes offices for the head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, marketing coordinator, as well as a coaches' meeting room. In addition to the offices are the trainers' room and equipment manager's room.

The Rams' 2500-square-foot locker room features 68 lockers and a folding wall that divides the room in half for meetings for the offensive and defensive squads. The last major area is the Memories Room, which hosts regular Board of Directors meetings and houses team memorabilia.

By walking out the south door and across the parking lot, the Rams reach their fully lit practice field. The practice field uses a Sportexe playing surface. The Rams play all of their home games at Mosaic Stadium.

Rams in the Community
The University of Regina Rams tries to provide the community with more than just a winning football team. Community support has been instrumental to the past successes of the Rams' program. We are grateful to the Regina community and our fans for the tremendous amount of support they give us. We like to show our appreciation to the community by getting involved in special events and appearances throughout the city.

Management and Administration
Hard work and dedication on the part of the many people involved in the Club's activities have allowed the Rams to maintain a quality program. The University of Regina Rams are fortunate to have a highly skilled and experienced coaching staff. Exclusively volunteers in the past, the coaching staff now consists of full-time and part-time coaching positions. Off-field professional support includes the team manager, consulting physicians, physiotherapists, trainers and equipment personnel. The Rams Board of Directors, working alongside the marketing coordinator and administrative assistant, manages financial and administrative matters. These volunteers put in many hours to ensure the Rams are meeting the high standards they set for themselves.