Over the coming months, the UBC Thunderbirds football program is looking forward to honouring the greats from all eras throughout the Blue and Gold's storied history with the unveiling of our All-Decade Teams from 1950 to 2019.
Beyond the many great teams, there were countless impactful coaches and players to grace the field at Thunderbird Stadium, and we are both remembering and celebrating them with this recognition.
Every 10-year period in university football includes a legendary group of talent, and the Thunderbirds have featured many of the conferences very best throughout the generations.
Identifying the top performers of a decade is not easy, but it was time well spent for the panel! While we focused on career production, individual awards and factored in both team success and multiple seasons of elite contributions, the final decisions were ultimately in support of the players who thrilled fans with standout seasons.
The selections are based on the players accomplishments at the university level and the impact they had on UBC and the Canada West conference. Players were chosen for individual offence, defence and specialist performances.
We unveiled the 1970s team in 2018 in celebration of the decades biggest accomplishments and head coach Frank Smith's legacy game. We are continuing that success with the 1950s and 60s teams led by Hall of Fame coach Frank Gnup. This team features members of the 1959, '61 and '62 Hardy Cup championships squads, while also boasting 37 Canadian Football League draft picks, four Hall of Famers and two NFLers.
Frank Gnup with some members of his 1961 UBC football team
UBC football experienced a tremendous decade in both the 1980s and 1990s, with the highest winning percentages in school history while taking part in eight Hardy Cup finals, winning four Hardy Cup championships and three national championships.
The 2000s and 2010s also left their mark on CW football history with four Hardy Cup final appearances, a Hardy Cup and a national championship crown, a Hec Crighton winner, 64 all-stars, 38 all-Canadians and 19 CFL draft picks.
Go 'Birds
