The Vanier Cup trophy was created in 1965 when General Georges P. Vanier, then Governor General of Canada, graciously granted permission to the Canadian Save the Children Fund to name the trophy awarded to the winners of Canada's university football championship, then called the Canadian College Bowl.
For the first two years, in 1965 and 1966, the Canadian College Bowl was an invitational event featuring two teams selected by a national panel. The first winners of the Vanier Cup trophy in 1965 were the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, and General Vanier personally presented them with the Vanier Cup at Varsity's athletic banquet in the Spring of 1966.
The Canadian College Bowl and the Vanier Cup trophy took on a new dimension in 1967 when the Bowl was officially declared the CIAU (now CIS) National Football Championship, with semi-final playoffs to determine the two teams that would meet in the Final.
In 1982, the name of the championship game was changed from Canadian College Bowl to Vanier Cup.
| Year | Champion | Location | Stats | |||
| 2016 | Laval | 31 | Calgary | 26 | Tim Hortons Field | Box Score |
| 2015 | UBC | 26 | Montreal | 23 | Universite Laval - Quebec, Que | Box Score |
| 2014 | Montreal | 20 | McMaster | 19 | Percival-Molson Memorial Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2013 | Laval | 25 | Calgary | 14 | TELUS-Université Laval Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2012 | Laval | 37 | McMaster | 14 | Rogers Centre | Boxscore |
| 2011 | McMaster | 41 | Laval | 38 | B.C. Place Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2010 | Laval | 29 | Calgary | 2 | PEPS Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2009 | Queen's | 33 | Calgary | 31 | PEPS Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2008 | Laval | 44 | Western | 21 | Ivor Wynne Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2007 | Manitoba | 28 | Saint Mary's | 14 | Rogers Centre | Boxscore |
| 2006 | Laval | 13 | Saskatchewan | 8 | Griffiths Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2005 | Laurier | 24 | Saskatchewan | 23 | Ivor Wynne Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2004 | Laval | 7 | Saskatchewan | 1 | Ivor Wynne Stadium | Boxscore |
| 2003 | Laval | 14 | Saint Mary's | 7 | SkyDome | |
| 2002 | Saint Mary's | 33 | Saskatchewan | 21 | SkyDome | |
| 2001 | Saint Mary's | 42 | Manitoba | 16 | SkyDome | |
| 2000 | Ottawa | 42 | Regina | 39 | SkyDome | |
| 1999 | Laval | 14 | Saint Mary's | 10 | SkyDome | |
| 1998 | Saskatchewan | 24 | Concordia | 17 | SkyDome | |
| 1997 | UBC | 39 | Ottawa | 23 | SkyDome | |
| 1996 | Saskatchewan | 31 | StFX | 12 | SkyDome | |
| 1995 | Calgary | 54 | Western | 24 | SkyDome | |
| 1994 | Western | 50* | Saskatchewan | 40 | SkyDome | |
| 1993 | Toronto | 37 | Calgary | 34 | SkyDome | |
| 1992 | Queen's | 31 | Saint Mary's | 0 | SkyDome | |
| 1991 | Wilfrid Laurier | 25 | Mt. Allison | 18 | SkyDome | |
| 1990 | Saskatchewan | 24 | St. Mary's | 21 | SkyDome | |
| 1989 | Western | 35 | Saskatchewan | 10 | SkyDome | |
| 1988 | Calgary | 52 | St. Mary's | 23 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1987 | McGill | 47 | UBC | 11 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1986 | UBC | 25 | Western | 23 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1985 | Calgary | 25 | Western | 6 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1984 | Guelph | 22 | Mt. Allison | 13 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1983 | Calgary | 31 | Queen's | 21 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1982 | UBC | 39 | Western | 14 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1981 | Acadia | 18 | Alberta | 12 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1980 | Alberta | 40 | Ottawa | 21 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1979 | Acadia | 34 | Western | 12 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1978 | Queen's | 16 | UBC | 3 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1977 | Western | 48 | Acadia | 15 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1976 | Western | 29 | Acadia | 13 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1975 | Ottawa | 14 | Calgary | 9 | CNE Stadium | |
| 1974 | Western | 19 | Toronto | 15 | CNE Stadium | |
| 1973 | Saint Mary's | 14 | McGill | 6 | CNE Stadium | |
| 1972 | Alberta | 20 | Waterloo Lut. | 7 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1971 | Western | 15 | Alberta | 14 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1970 | Manitoba | 38 | Ottawa | 11 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1969 | Manitoba | 24 | McGill | 15 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1968 | Queen's | 42 | Waterloo Lut. | 14 | Varsity Stadium | |
| 1967 | Alberta | 10 | McMaster | 9 | Varsity Stadium |
INVITATIONAL
| 1966 | StFX | 40 | Waterloo Lut. | 14 | Varsity Stadium |
| 1965 | Toronto | 14 | Alberta | 7 | Varsity Stadium |
VANIER CUP AWARDS
TED MORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY
In 1965, the year the Canadian College Bowl was organized, football lost one of its most formidable members with the passing of Ted Morris. A former Toronto Argonaut player and coach, he championed the cause of the development of young Canadians to further their football careers. The Canadian College Bowl was honoured when Mrs. Morris granted permission to create the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy to be awarded to the outstanding player in the Vanier Cup.
| 2016 | Hugo Richard | Laval |
| 2015 | Michael O’Connor | UBC |
| 2014 | Régis Cibasu | Montreal |
| 2013 | Pascal Lochard | Laval |
| 2012 | Maxime Boutin | Laval |
| 2011 | Kyle Quinlan | McMaster |
| 2010 | Sébastien Lévesque | Laval |
| 2009 | Danny Brannagan | Queen's |
| 2008 | Julian Feoli-Gudino | Laval |
| 2007 | Mike Howard | Manitoba |
| 2006 | Éric Maranda | Laval |
| 2005 | Ryan Pyear | Laurier |
| 2004 | Matthew Leblanc | Laval |
| 2003 | Jeronimo Huerta Flores | Laval |
| 2002 | Steve Panella | Saint Mary's |
| 2001 | Ryan Jones | Saint Mary's |
| 2000 | Phill Côté | Ottawa |
| 1999 | Stéphane Lefebvre | Laval |
| 1998 | Trevor Ludtke | Saskatchewan |
| 1997 | Stewart Scherck | UBC |
| 1996 | Brent Schneider | Saskatchewan |
| 1995 | Don Blair | Calgary |
| 1994 | Brent Schneider | Saskatchewan |
| 1993 | Glenn McCausland | Toronto |
| 1992 | Brad Elberg | Queen's |
| 1991 | Andy Cecchini | Wilfrid Laurier |
| 1990 | David Earl | Saskatchewan |
| 1989 | Tyrone Williams | Western |
| 1988 | Sean Furlong | Calgary |
| 1987 | Michael Soles | McGill |
| 1986 | Eric Putoto | UBC |
| 1985 | Lew Lawrick | Calgary |
| 1984 | Parri Ceci | Guelph |
| 1983 | Tim Petros | Calgary |
| 1982 | Glenn Steele | UBC |
| 1981 | Steve Repic | Acadia |
| 1980 | Forrest Kennerd | Alberta |
| 1979 | Don Ross | Acadia |
| 1978 | Ed Andrew | Queen's |
| 1977 | Bill Rozalowsky | Western |
| 1976 | Bill Rozalowsky | Western |
| 1975 | Neil Lumsden | Ottawa |
| 1974 | Ian Bryans | Western |
| 1973 | Ken Clark | Saint Mary's |
| 1972 | Roger Comartin* Andy MacLeod* |
Alberta |
| 1971 | Bob McGregor | Alberta |
| 1970 | Mike Shylo | Manitoba |
| 1969 | Bob Kraemer | Manitoba |
| 1968 | Don Bayne | Queen's |
| 1967 | Val Schneider | Alberta |
| 1966 | Terry Gorman | StFX |
| 1965 | Gerry Sternberg | Toronto |
*co-winners
BRUCE COULTER AWARD
Presented to either an outstanding offensive or defensive player in the Vanier Cup Game, the selection is dependent on the selection of the Ted Morris Trophy, winner of the game MVP. This award, is named after Bruce Coulter, Head Football Coach at both McGill and Bishop's Universities and Director of Athletics at Bishop's for 30 years. The award is appropriately designated since Coulter was both a Defensive Back and Quarterback with the Montréal Alouettes in the 1950s.
| 2016 | Cédric Lussier-Roy | Laval |
| 2015 | Stavros Katsantonis | UBC |
| 2014 | Anthony Coady | Montreal |
| 2013 | Vincent Desloges | Laval |
| 2012 | Arnaud Gascon-Nadon | Laval |
| 2011 | Aram Eisho | McMaster |
| 2010 | Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier | Laval |
| 2009 | Chris Smith | Queen's |
| 2008 | Marc-Antoine Fortin | Laval |
| 2007 | John Makie | Manitoba |
| 2006 | Samuel Grégoire-Champagne | Laval |
| 2005 | David Montoya | Laurier |
| 2004 | Matthieu Proulx | Laval |
| 2003 | Philippe Audet | Laval |
| 2002 | Joe Bonaventura | Saint Mary's |
| 2001 | Kyl Morrison | Saint Mary's |
| 2000 | Scott Gordon | Ottawa |
| 1999 | Francesco Pepe Esposito | Laval |
| 1998 | Doug Rozon | Saskatchewan |
| 1997 | Mark Nohra | UBC |
| 1996 | Warren Muzika | Saskatchewan |
| 1995 | Rob Richards | Calgary |
| 1994 | Xavier Lafont | Western |
| 1993 | Rob Schrauth | Calgary |
| 1992 | Eric Dell | Queen's |