Laurier Football

rsity, this institution has always been “the little school that could.”

Nobody around the country had ever heard of Waterloo Lutheran University or Waterloo College until Tuffy started playing the big teams,” was how Nichols described the role athletics has played in the development of the university. Both in the athletic world and outside of it, the success of this school’s sports teams has raised its profile. From the time it was known as Waterloo College to the ’05 Vanier Cup win, athletics has given the university publicity it wouldn’t have been able to get any other way.

“We had a lot to do with putting the university on the map,” said Smith. “Look at it today, if you look at TV time, [the football team is] on for two or three hours, for a few games a year, you can’t purchase that amount of advertising.”

Whether it’s giving the school publicity or giving the students something to cheer for, athletics has been integral in the development of Laurier. The evolution of such a strong athletic program has given a constant to a school that has experienced so much change. And the result has become an athletic tradition that is among the best in Canada. Justin Fauteux, The Cord Weekly (originally published January 7, 2011)