By Dashawn Stephens
I once stood in awe watching Tyler Ternowski catch a routine touchdown from Tre Ford during a week 8 matchup against the Guelph Gryphons in 2018.
It was Ternowski’s 14th touchdown of the season, and he had just broken Stefan Ptazek’s record for most receiving touchdowns in a single season.
The record stood for 24 years. To many, it was unbreakable. To Ternowski, it achievable.
Some records are meant to be broken. But others, at least at first glance, appear untouchable.
Here are three current U SPORTS football records that will most likely never be broken.
3. Most Passing Yards in a Single Game - Greg Vavra, Calgary (627)
The Calgary Dinos are often synonymous with being one of the models of consistency in the world of U SPORTS football. However, what’s often forgotten is that the tradition of success that exists within McMahon Stadium, beyond the Stampeders, traces back to the late 70s. At the time, it was Greg Vavra who served as the quarterback for Dinos. From 1980 to 1983, Vavra was a four-time Canada West All-Star and two-time Canada West MVP. In 1983, Vavra became the first Dino to win the Hec Crighton Award as he was named the nation’s most outstanding player. In that same season, Vavra led Calgary to the first Vanier Cup victory in program history. Throughout his time at the helm for Calgary, Varva threw for 8,401 yards (22nd All-Time), 63 touchdowns (T-13th All-Time), and is the Dinos all-time passing yards leader.
Vavra’s spot on this list has nothing to do with his career or single-season statistics. Instead, the Canadian Football Hall of Famer has found his way on this list due to a single legendary performance that was engineered in his senior year.
On October 7, 1983, Vavra set the single-game passing yards record as he threw for 627 yards in a 61 - 30 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies. In a performance that solidified his senior campaign to be Hec-worthy, Vavra put together a passing clinic that hasn’t been matched for 38 years.
Vavra is the only quarterback in U SPORTS football history to have a single-game performance that eclipses 600 passing yards. As the traditional pocket passer begins to fizzle out, so too does the chances of this record being broken.
2. Most Career TD Passes - Chris Flynn, Saint Mary’s (87)
Chris Flynn is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever grace a Canadian university football field. The Buckingham, Quebec native suited up for the Saint Mary’s Huskies from 1987 to 1990. In his four seasons at Saint Mary’s, Flynn led the Huskies to an overall season record of 27-2, as well as 4 Atlantic Conference Championships, 4 Atlantic Bowls, and 2 Vanier Cup appearances.
Flynn was also a three-time AUAA All-Star, three-time All-Canadian, and a three-time Hec Crighton Award winner - the only player to ever win the award on three occasions. In 2011, Flynn became the first Canadian university football player to be inducted into the Canadian football Hall of Fame as his four-year career at Saint Mary’s solidified him as one of the greatest Canadian university players of all time.
During Flynn’s career, he only threw for 7,292 yards (41st All-Time). However, when it comes to finding the end zone, Flynn is the U SPORTS all-time passing touchdowns leader, throwing for 87 touchdowns during his four-year career.
Flynn’s record for most career touchdown passes will most likely never be broken for two solid reasons. First, Flynn was before his time. He had an amazing arm, which made him highly recruited coming out of Champlain College, but he was also an amazing ball carrier. During a time where Fran Tarkenton had been long forgotten and Randall Cunningham was only beginning to re-introduce the football world to the idea of a mobile quarterback, Flynn was dissecting defences on a weekly basis with his feet. Known for his ability to extend plays outside of the pocket, Flynn possessed a play-style that was unseen at the time from any quarterback in any football league. As mobile quarterbacks have become the status quo of today’s game, it’s likely that we’ll never again see a quarterback hold such a competitive advantage over opposing defences.
Larry Uteck named Flynn the starting quarterback of the Huskies the day he stepped foot on campus in 1987. Flynn went on to be a four-year starter. In today’s U SPORTS football landscape, the idea of a quarterback being a four-year starter for a program is more rare than it is common. This is the second reason why Flynn’s career passing touchdowns record will most likely never be broken. The starting quarterback position has now become a 2-3 year job that coaches believe will normally take players 2-3 years to prepare for. The idea of a four-year starting quarterback has become exclusive to only an elite group.
We’ve seen our fair share of four-year starters at the quarterback position in U SPORTS football over the years, but it’s rare to see a four-year starter at the position who possesses an unsolvable play-style. Due to the fact he checked the boxes for both criteria, Chris Flynn’s career all-time career record of eighty-seven passing touchdowns record will most likely never be broken.
1. Most Career REC Yards - Andy Fantuz, Western (4,123)
When Canadian football fans think of Andy Fantuz, recent memory often leads to thoughts of the former CFL Most Outstanding Canadian, and Grey Cup Champion. However, what if I told you that beyond his CFL legacy, Fantuz is statistically the greatest U SPORTS receiver of all time? Younger fans might ponder the legitimacy of such a statement, but it’s true.
In his four seasons at Western, Fantuz was the most dominant receiver in Canadian university football. In only his first season, the Chattam, Ontario native hauled in 1,300 receiving yards (U SPORTS Single-Season Record) en route to being crowned the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year. The four-year career of Fantuz also saw him named a four-time OUA First-Team All-Star, four-time All-Canadian, and the 2005 Hec Crighton Award winner - only the sixth receiver to ever win the award.
When Fantuz graduated, he was the U SPORTS all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (41), as well as receptions (189), but it’s his all-time receiving yards record (4,123) that places him at the top of this list.
When looking at Fantuz’s all-time receiving yards record, it unbreakable for the simple fact that it’s too far out of reach for any receiver in today’s game to break.
Fantuz is the only receiver in U SPORTS football history to record over 900 receiving yards in three separate seasons. Two of those seasons saw Fantuz break the 1000 yard mark.
When looking at the all-time receiving yards list, Fantuz sits atop with 4,123 receiving yards. However, it’s worth noting that McMaster legend Ryan Janzen sits at second on the list with 3,184 receiving yards. This means that Fantuz holds the all-time receiving yards record by 939 yards. When combining this cushion with the fact that only one other receiver has even eclipsed 3000 receiving yards in the last 20 years, it’s safe to say that Fantuz’s record will stand for a very long time.
