St. John's Rugby Football Club
The St. John's Rugby Football Club was a Canadian football team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, formed in October 1887, that played in the Manitoba Rugby Football Union and Western Canada Rugby Football Union between 1892 and 1932.[1] The team was founded by students of St. John's College, but as information about this team has been mostly lost to history, it seems that the football team was not officially associated with the college (as mention of the team is not found in any of the school's official history). Additionally, there was also a St. John's Royalists junior football team, but again, no information links it to the MRFU club.[2][3][4]
| Founded | 1892 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1932 |
| Based in | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| League | Manitoba Rugby Football Union Western Canada Rugby Football Union |
| League titles | 13 league championships |
The St. John's Rugby Football Club was a very successful team, having won 13 MRFU championships in the 31 seasons they played.
While the St. John's Rugby Football Club did merge with new Winnipeg Rugby Football Club in 1932, the team is not part of the official history or records of Winnipeg's current team: the Blue Bombers.[5]
MRFU season-by-season
| Season | G | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 28 | 6 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1893 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 3 | 7 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1894 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 42 | 0 | 2nd | |
| 1895 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 16 | 6 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1896 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 23 | 4 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1897 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 69 | 6 | 1st | 3-way tie - no champion |
| 1898 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 24 | 10 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1899 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 83 | 29 | 10 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1900 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 39 | 5 | 2nd | |
| 1901 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 49 | 4 | 2nd | |
| 1902 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 68 | 0 | 3rd | |
| 1903 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 78 | 2 | 3rd | |
| 1904 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 20 | 6 | 1st - tied | lost MRFU playoff to Winnipeg Rowing Club, 20-8 |
| 1905 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 0 | 4th | |
| 1906 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 52 | 6 | 3rd | |
| 1907 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 55 | 2 | 2nd | |
| 1908 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 64 | 43 | 7 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1909 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 35 | 6 | 1st | MRFU Champion |
| 1910 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 61 | 2 | 2nd | |
| 1911 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 61 | 2 | 2nd | |
| 1912 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 54 | 3 | 2nd | |
| 1913 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 51 | 4 | 1st - tied | Won MRFU playoff over Winnipeg Tammany Tigers, 23–8, lost MRFU final to Winnipeg Rowing Club, 13-2 |
| 1914 | did not play | ||||||||
| 1915 | no league play | ||||||||
| 1916 to 1918 | suspended due to the Great War | ||||||||
| 1919 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 3rd | |
| 1920 to 1924 | did not play | ||||||||
| 1925 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 57 | 2 | 4th | |
| 1926 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 27 | 8 | 1st - tied | Won MRFU Championship playoff over Winnipeg Victorias, 14–5, lost west semi final to Regina, 13-5 |
| 1927 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 55 | 0 | 3rd | |
| 1928 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 28 | 7 | 2nd | Tri-City Rugby Football League - lost west final to Regina, 12-1 |
| 1929 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 35 | 4 | 1st - tied | Won MRFU Championship playoff over Winnipeg Tammany Tigers, 10–1, lost west semi final to Regina, 19-3 |
| 1930 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 5 | 8 | 1st | MRFU Champion, lost west playoff to Regina, 23-0 |
| 1931 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 6 | 1st | MRFU Champion, lost west semi final to Regina, 47-5 |
| 1932 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 101 | 13 | 11 | 1st | MRFU Champion, lost west semi final to Regina, 9-1 |