Colours: Red and White
Symbol: Bison
Founded: 1915 (1919 as a senior team)
Grey Cups Won: 0
Grey Cups Lost: 0
History
1915 - The Victoria Rugby Club (Winnipeg Victorias) is formed in the summer when they assumed operations from the Winnipeg Rowing Club. On the eve of the 1915 season the Victorias announced that they would not operate at the senior level. The Victorias did operate teams at the intermediate, junior and juvenile levels.
1919 - With the war over, the Victorias resumed play, including senior company for the first time, along with the St.John's Football Club and the University of Manitoba Varsity.
1923 - The Victorias attempted to recruit players from the other MRFU teams in an effort to become more competitive in the WCRFU playoffs. An emergency meeting of the MRFU was convened and rules regarding recruiting were put in place to protect the other teams.
1919-1924 - The Victorias were MRFU champions finishing each year with a perfect 4-0 record.
1924 - The Winnipeg Victorias became the first Winnipeg team to qualify for the Grey Cup. An internal disagreement over which railway to use ended up costing the team the right to play.
1928 - The Victorias chose to suspend operations rather than join the new Tri-City Football League. Concern over travel expenses was the reason.
1935 - The Victorias returned for one final season. The team consisted of about ten quality senior players with the remainder of the roster being made up by lower level players. Some of the 1935 team would go on to play late rwith the Blue Bombers, including future Hall of Famer Ches McCance.
1919 Winnipeg Victorias
1922 Winnpeg Victorias
[History, roster, and pictures courtesy of Chris Sinclair]
