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| THE STORY SO FAR... |
| The Niagara X-Men is a club football team operated by the Niagara Colts Football Club Inc. The club was formed to “bring football to the Niagara Region” at a time when there were no organized clubs in the area. The Niagara Colts Football Club has had a profound impact on post-secondary football in the Niagara Region since its founding in 1997. |
1997 The Niagara Colts Football Club was founded in 1997 as a non-profit organization to allow Canadian football players the opportunity to advance their
careers beyond high school. The Colts formed a volunteer executive committee and coaching staff and a mission statement was formulated:
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"to help Canadian football players advance their playing career past high school, to provide Canadian coaches with a professional development opportunity, and to provide unpaid, volunteer opportunities for those who seek personal career development." |
In their inaugural season, the Colts competed in the Great Lakes Football League (GLFL). Leading the league in passing, the Colts featured three prominent players who advanced to university: |
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| At the conclusion of their inaugural season, the Colts played their first American post-secondary game versus Alfred State College. Denison threw for 467 yards and Smith caught 19 passes in a 36-14 loss. |
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1998 The Colts continued their dominating pass attack during their second
year with the GLFL. They finished second in the league, defeating the previously undefeated Halton Invictas in the season finale 50-45.
QB Tom Denison and WR Steve Smith went on to set passing and receiving records for the GLFL:
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| At the end of the season, the Colts played Theil University in Pennsylvania, losing 20-18. |
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1999 The Colts became Charter members of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL),
a summer league for players 19 years and under. The Niagara Colts helped form the OVFL and competed in the OVFL from 1999 to 2001.
Once again, the Colts led the league in passing with their new passing tandem of QB Doug Pawson and WR Vaughan Swart.
• QB Doug Pawson set several OVFL passing records before going to Bishop’s University • WR Vaughan Swart set various OVFL receiving records before going to McMaster University, where he was named Yates Cup MVP in 2001, and was selected to the All-Canadian team. • Vaughan Swart also made Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" with an incredible 3-way performance: |
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2001 The 2001 season was a period of transition for the Colts. The team name
was changed to the Niagara X-Men to reflect their primary sponsor, X-Fitness, in Welland, Ontario. The team continued to play in the OVFL, but
returned once again to the U.S. after the OVFL season to face Erie Community College in October. The X-Men gave a great effort, but lost the game 28-0.
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2003 The Niagara Colts Football Club withdrew from the OVFL to focus on post-secondary
football opportunities. The club funded a local college football team through Niagara College and a "pilot project home & away" season was
played. The X-Men won their first game 36-22 versus the Lambton Lions of Sarnia. QB Tim Burke began his stellar throwing career passing for 217 yards while
defensive players Chris Herbert and Bill McGarrigle both scored defensive touchdowns.
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2004 The X-Men played 6 games in the U.S. versus NCAA Div III Junior Varsity teams. One of
their fiercest opponents, Mount Union College Junior Varsity, were Division 3 National Champions 7 of the past 10 years. Despite a winless season, QB Tim Burke
and TE Bryce Denisko established themselves as top recruits and both went on to York University. Denisko was named CIS player of the week in week 2 of his rookie year in 2006.
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2005 The X-men won all their games in Canada by a combined score of 112-19, but failed to win any of their four
games on American soil versus NCAA Div III junior varsity teams, although they did come close. On October 10th, 2005, the X-Men lost to the Buffalo State College JV team by a score of 38-36.
The X-Men opened the scoring with an 83 yard drive to lead 6-0. Safety Nate Anderson caused a fumble on the X-Men 1 yard line, recovered it, and ran it back 99 yards for a touchdown. However, the celebration was short-lived, as the TD was nullified by a block from behind penalty. The score at halftime was tied at 24-24. Down 38-30 with 2:12 left in the game, QB Tim Burke engineered a 94-yard drive for a TD. With 16 seconds left and the score 38-36, the X-Men failed on a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game. Despite the loss, the X-Men achieved their 5-year plan of becoming competitive vs junior varsity programs in the U.S. |
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2006 The X-Men expanded their schedule to include 2 U.S. colleges – Erie Community and Alfred State, whose matches with the X-Men were included in
their regular season schedule. Also, an exhibition game was arranged with the junior varisty team from York University. The remainder of the schedule featured three U.S. junior varsity college teams. Although the
team remained winless in the U.S., significant progress was seen.
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2007 During the off-season, the X-Men organization ran a player evaluation camp to increase awareness of the team and its goals. Several high-level
football coaches were present, including Adam Rita of the Toronto Argonauts. The camp was a huge success, spawning plans for similar events in the future.The 2007 season saw the X-Men play five games against U.S. junior varsity teams and one exhibition game versus the University of Toronto junior varsity team. This season would define the X-Men as contenders, as they obtained their first victory over an American junior varsity team by defeating Brockport College 32-27. The X-Men took an early 18-0 lead with 3 first-quarter touchdowns. As time ran down in the 2nd quarter and the score 18-6, Brockport looked ready to score with a 1st and goal opportunity. The X-Men defence stood strong and stopped Brockport on 4 consecutive plays, but were called for pass interference in the end zone, giving Brockport the ball at the 2 yard line with 2 seconds remaining in the half. Brockport ran a sweep to the left, but were stonewalled by safety Stephen Bareberaho and cornerback Garrison DelGuidice. The second half saw the X-Men continue their proficient play on both sides of the ball. The offense gained a total of 457 yards – 312 yards and 4 TDs passing and 135 yards and 1 TD rushing. The defence was also solid, producing 8 sacks, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery. This game exemplified the meaning of playing as a team, as each player on the X-Men squad had their role to play in the win. Although this was the only game the X-Men won during their season, several games resulted in close scores and excellent productivity on offence and defense. With their first win established, the coaching staff and returning players are looking ahead to the 2008 season with hopes of increasing their win total. |
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