10 years since they hoisted the first Vanier Cup in program history, the 2011-12 McMaster Marauders football team sees their name etched in history as a team induction into the Hall of Fame.
A season that went 11-1 for one of the greatest sides to ever hit the gridiron, the Marauders only loss in 2011 came at the hands of the Western Mustangs in week 2, 21-48. From there, the Maroon went on a seven-game winning streak leading to a Yates Cup victory over the Mustangs, 41-19, in London, Ont. – Kyle Quinaln was awarded the Dalt White Trophy as the Yates Cup MVP.
After falling by a pair of touchdowns to the Acadia Axemen in the first quarter of the Uteck Bowl a week later, the Marauders pulled off an impressive come-from-behind victory, 45-21. It took three touchdown passes and a scoring run from Quinlan to book their first trip to the Vanier Cup since 1967, snapping their four-straight bowl game losses.
What has now been dubbed,
the Best Game Ever, the Marauders went head-to-head against the Laval Rouge et Or in the 47
th Vanier Cup at BC Place in Vancouver. The Rouge et Or came into the championship game with a perfect 6-0 record in all Vanier Cup games, and it would take two overtimes for the Marauders to change that.
The Marauders burst out to a 23-0 lead heading into halftime but suffered a scoreless third quarter as Laval put up 17 points in the frame. A back-and-forth ensued, and ultimately it would take a Tyler Crapigna field goal from 20-yards out to seal the victory for the Marauders, 41-38.
Quinlan was named championship game MVP, completing 36-of-55 passes for 482 yards, and two touchdowns, while also adding 106 rushing yards on 14 carries. Defensively, first-year linebacker at the time, Aram Eisho, stole the show after leading all players on the field with 11.5 tackles, in addition to forcing a fumble.
During the season, the Marauders had two first-team all-Canadians (Michael DiCroce & Crapigna), and three second-team all-Canadians (Quinlan, Matthew Sewell, and Jason Medeiros).
DiCroce was named the OUA's Most Valuable Player that season, while Ryan Chmielewski was awarded the Outstanding Stand-Up Defensive Player ward. The team also boasted 11 OUA all-stars; seven first-team all-stars and four second-team all-stars
Nine members of the roster went on to get drafted to the CFL; Ben D'Aguilar, Michael Daly, DiCroce, Spencer Moore, Sewell, Crapigna, Eisho, Kevin Malcolm, and Nick Shorthill.
