Game On! Shrum Bowl Between SFU And UBC Returns Dec. 2

BURNABY, B.C. – The Shrum Bowl football game between SFU and UBC is back, with a helping hand from the BC Lions.

After a 12-year hiatus, the athletics and recreation departments at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia have agreed to resume the football rivalry for at least the next two years.

Shrum Bowl XXXIV (34) will take place Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 inside SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby. The 2023 Shrum Bowl will be hosted by UBC in Vancouver.

“We’re proud to host Shrum Bowl in SFU’s new stadium atop Burnaby Mountain, and reignite the rivalry between the only two university football programs in the province,” said SFU Senior Director of Athletics and Recreation, Theresa Hanson.

“We’re looking forward to capping off our seasons with a full house and a great game!”

The BC Lions will be the Shrum Bowl’s presenting sponsor as the Canadian Football League club, under the leadership of owner Amar Doman, continues to champion the growth of the sport in BC.

“The BC Lions organization is excited and proud to help spearhead the return of an outstanding football tradition for our province, “said Doman.

“A major pillar of our brand is the support we give to all levels of amateur football.  Putting our name behind the Shrum Bowl revival and watching the next generation of great SFU and UBC players pursuing their professional dreams will be an exciting addition to our growing football calendar and provide yet another outlet to honour the great history of both schools’ football programs.”

Earlier this year, the football programs at SFU and UBC each received $50,000 from the Lions organization, as part of The David Braley Foundation’s $250,000 contribution to amateur football in BC. The donations, first announced in November, provided $25,000 to the university teams. Doman matched the offering to bring the total figure to $50,000.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with SFU to re-ignite the legendary Shrum Bowl which has long been a terrific event and healthy cross-town rivalry dating back 55 years,” added UBC’s Managing Director, Athletics and Recreation, Kavie Toor.

“To once again have a Shrum Bowl to look forward to on the calendar is a tremendous engagement and competitive opportunity for both of our football programs, our alumni, our supporters and the student body. I’d also like to thank the BC Lions for their keen interest in helping relaunch the Shrum Bowl and for continuing to support football at all levels in our community.”

The two schools have not played each other in football since SFU began competing in NCAA Division II in 2010. The SFU and UBC men’s basketball teams played against each other on Nov. 20, 2021 and drew a sold-out crowd of 1,600 to the SFU Burnaby campus.

SFU is coached by Mike Rigell and the 2022 season will mark SFU’s first season competing as a football-only member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference.

UBC – led by head coach Blake Nill – competes in U SPORTS as a member of the Canada West. The Thunderbirds won a Vanier Cup as Canadian university football champion in 2015, Nill’s first season coaching the program.

The Shrum Bowl games will be contested after the regular-season and playoff schedules for both squads, and will be recognized by the NCAA as a bowl game for SFU. The 2022 game will be played under NCAA rules with four downs.

The 2022 edition of the Shrum Bowl will resume the on-field confrontation between the province’s two university football teams, which has been dormant since 2010. That year on October 10, SFU won 27-20 at Thunderbird Stadium.

A unique rivalry in university football, the Shrum Bowl has been played 33 times since the first match-up on Oct. 16, 1967 – just over two years after the Burnaby Mountain school opened. In the inaugural game, SFU beat UBC 32-13 at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. Simon Fraser holds a 17-15-1 all-time series lead.

Shrum Bowl ticket information and other details will be announced at a later date.

–#ShrumBowlIsBack —