This fall, the Windsor Lancer football program is celebrating its 50th anniversary, culminating with a celebration on Saturday September 29th.  Over the course of this week, the Windsor Lancers are proud to highlight a few of the best memories of the program in a series of stories.
 
By Chris Zorbas
 
Half a century, that's how long the Lancer Football program has existed at the University of Windsor. Though there were various forms of football played on campus dating back to the early 1920's, it was in 1968 that it became a varsity sport under the leadership of legendary coach Gino Fracas. Now that the Lancers are heading into their 50^th year of varsity competition, it bears looking back on the history of the football program.
 
Coach Fracas grew up in Windsor and was a star running back at Assumption College High School. He went on to win two Yates Cup championships at Western as a running back and linebacker and was the first overall pick in 1954 in the CFL draft. The Ottawa Rough Riders would eventually trade him to Edmonton where he won two Grey Cups. He then spent a few years coaching with the University of Alberta Golden Bears after his retirement from the CFL in 1962 before returning to Windsor in 1968 to build a varsity program in his hometown.
 
Under Coach Fracas, the Lancers won a Central Canadian Intercollegiate Football Conference (CCIF) Canadian championship in 1969 in only their second year. Fracas and his staff developed the program's first Hec Crighton Trophy winner in quarterback Andy Parici in 1972. Parici threw for 4,606 yards and 34 touchdowns in his career as a Lancer.
 
In 1975, the Lancers led by Fracas captured another championship for the Blue and Gold. Riding one of the most dominant defenses in OUA history, the Lancers captured the Yates Cup that year. The '75 defense gave up only 34 points in seven games, a record that still stands today.
 
In 1976, Coach Fracas was named Coach of the Year by the OUA and captured the award again the very next year. In 1979, the Lancers' program developed their second Hec Crighton winner when quarterback Scott Mallender earned the prestigious honour. During his Blue and Gold career, Mallender threw for over 5,000 yards and still holds the Lancer record for passing yards in a season with 1,821.
 
In 1986, Gino decided to move from the sidelines to the lecture hall, leaving the coaching ranks but remaining as part of the University's faculty. Coach Fracas left quite a legacy with the program, including a Canadian championship, a Yates Cup, and two Hec Crighton winners during his illustrious tenure.
 
John Musselman would took over for Fracas, a Lancer alumnus and Windsor native who played for Gino from 1970-73. Under the guidance of Musselman, the Lancers enjoyed their best season in 1990 where they finished 4-3 and advanced to the OUA semi-finals. One of Musselman's top players was Gerald Hlady, the first ever back-to-back football all-Canadian in program history. Hlady is also the first and only three-time winner of the University of Windsor's DeMarco Trophy as top male student-athlete. Chris Church followed in his footsteps a few years later, also earning back-to-back all-Canadian honours in 1995 and '96.
 
Mike Morencie would eventually become the third head coach in Lancer history as he took over the reigns of the Lancer program in 1998. Morencie led the Lancers to one of the best seasons in program history in 2006 when they finished 6-2 and advanced to the OUA quarter-finals.
 
One of Coach Morencie's top players was star running back Daryl Stephenson, who arrived on campus in 2004 and made an immediate impact on the program. Daryl didn't take long to announce his arrival to the rest of the country as he took his very first carry in his very first game for a 49-yard touchdown run in a victory over Queen's to kick off his Canadian university career. In his rookie season, Daryl rushed for 1,192 yards to lead the CIS in rushing and was named the Norm Marshall Trophy recipient as the OUA's Rookie of the Year. Stephenson went on to become the first player in CIS history to rush for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. In 2006, he captured the prestigious Hec Crighton Trophy as to most outstanding player in Canadian University Football. He also became the first and only CIS player in history to surpass the 5,000 yard mark and is still the CIS career rushing leader with 5,163 yards.
 
In 2011, former Lancer wide receiver Joe D'Amore took over as the fourth head coach in program history. In his first year at the helm, he guided the Lancers to a 5-3 record and the OUA semi-finals, coming within one win of a Yates Cup appearance. D'Amore went on to lead the Lancers to four straight playoff appearances in his first four seasons. He also cultivated Lancer standout quarterback Austin Kennedy who sits tied for first in OUA history in career passing touchdowns with 79 and receiver Jordan Brescacin who remains the OUA's all-time leader in receptions with 192.
 
Heading into the 50th year of Lancer Football, Coach D'Amore is hoping to strengthen the program with one of the largest recruiting classes in the OUA. Bringing in a talented and diverse recruiting class from across the country, the Lancers are well positioned to kick-off the next fifty years of Lancer Football the right way.