Panda Game Explained

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Panda Game
Team1:Ottawa Gee-Gees
Team2:Carleton Ravens
Firstmeeting:1955
Carleton 14, Ottawa 6
Mostrecent:October 1, 2023
Ottawa 18, Carleton 16
Nextmeeting:October 6, 2024
Total:54
Series:Ottawa leads, 37–17
Largestvictory:Ottawa, 44–0 (1957)
Longeststreak:Ottawa, 7 (1957–1963)
Currentstreak:Ottawa, 5 (2018–present)
Trophy:Pedro the Panda (3rd Version)
Stadiums:TD Place Stadium, Lansdowne Park (1955–1996, 2014–present)

The Panda Game (French: Match Panda) is an annual Canadian football game between the two OUA football teams in Ottawa, Ontario: the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton University Ravens. It is the most significant rivalry in Canadian university football. Its name is derived from Pedro the Panda, the trophy presented to the winner each year. The game is part of the regular East division season, but is celebrated profusely due to its history. The week preceding the game sometimes referred to as "Panda Week". uOttawa is located in the downtown Sandy Hill neighbourhood of the city, while Carleton is between Old Ottawa South and Dow's Lake.

Creation and further history

In 1955, Bryan McNulty, a University of Ottawa student and associate editor for the Fulcrum and Thomas White, decided to promote the rivalry between their school and Carleton University. They asked a local jeweller, Jack Snow, to donate a stuffed panda that would be named "Pedro" to be used as a Gee-Gee mascot (as they had not adopted the Gee-Gee horse mascot yet).[1] McNulty and White later convinced Snow to display the panda in his front window and then organized the first "Pandanapping", a ritual in which Pedro would be stolen from each campus in various ways. "Pandanapping" would progress over the years to the point where major vandalism was involved and almost jeopardized the game's future.

In a short matter of time, both Pedro and the Panda Game itself became national icons. In 1958, after a 25–0 Gee-Gee victory, Pedro went on a world tour. He made visits to McGill University in Montréal, Dalhousie University in Halifax, the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, UCLA in Los Angeles, and Alabama State University in Montgomery. It is said that Pedro was even sent to Peru, Mexico and Europe.[2]

The game quickly became the most well-known football game in Canada behind the Grey Cup and the Vanier Cup. The attendance at the Panda Game one year exceeded 16,000, which was higher than that of the Vanier Cup that same season.

1987 tragedy

By the time the 1980s had come, the Panda Game had gained a reputation for being a drunken party more than a football game.

The 1987 edition brought heavily packed stands. Dozens of fans leaned up against a railing, causing it to collapse. 30 Ravens fans fell roughly 16 feet onto concrete. Many students sustained broken bones and concussions, while one female student broke her neck and spent 20 days in a coma.[3] [4]

The future of the Panda Game was in doubt after the incident, but the tradition ultimately carried on. The 1988 game was heavily monitored by police and there was a general lack of enthusiasm about the event.

Cancellation, eventual return

The aging stadium at Lansdowne Park fell into disrepair in the 1990's. The folding of the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1996 left the venue without a full-time tenant. As it was economically unfeasible to maintain the venue so as to safely host a single football game annually, the game was moved to Carleton's Keith Harris Stadium in 1997.

The resulting loss of revenue aggravated an already precarious financial situation for Carleton's football team. In 1998, Carleton University decided to cancel their football program at the end of the season after numerous years of sustained financial losses. This decision rendered the Panda Game tradition dead and left the Gee-Gees as the lone collegiate football team in the city for the first time in 53 years.

The late 2000s brought rumours that Carleton may once again look to field a football team sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, serious plans to rebuild and modernize the facilities at Lansdowne Park were put into place. After years of planning, in 2013 the Ravens once again took the field and would mark the return of the Panda Game tradition. 2013's Panda Game was a success with approximately 4,000 fans packing the brand-new Gee-Gees Field, the game resulted in the Gee-Gees getting their hands on a Pedro trophy after a dominant 35–10 win.[5]

Return to Lansdowne Park

It was announced that the 2014 Panda Game was to be held at the newly renovated 24,000 seat TD Place Stadium, thus returning the game to its former home at Lansdowne Park.

The Panda Game in 2014 was another wildly successful venture, the use of the modernized facility saw the crowd grow to 12,000 as the Ravens came away with a last second Hail Mary catch to win the game 33–31. Fans immediately stormed the field, and to this day the game remains unfinished, as the extra point was never attempted among the frenzy.

The 2015 edition saw a then-record attendance of 17,596.[6] It was also the highest scoring Panda Game of all time with a combined score of 93 points,[7] crushing the previous record of 77 points in 1975.

In 2016, the No. 7 ranked Gee-Gees came into the game undefeated (4–0) as they faced the No. 10 Ravens (3–2). Surpassing the previous season's record attendance mark, the 2016 Panda Game was a sellout as 23,329 fans watched Carleton defeat Ottawa 43–23.[8] It was the most attended U Sports football regular season football game in at least two decades.[9]

The 2020 Panda Game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the 2021 Panda Game, there were serious disturbances in Sandy Hill, resulting in several arrests and criminal charges. For the 2022 edition of the game, police increased their presence in the affected neighbourhood while officials threatened to cancel future Panda Games if such disturbances were repeated.[10] There were disturbances in Sandy Hill after the 2022 game, leading to seven arrests.[11] In 2023, the game was moved to a Sunday. The University of Ottawa created successful student events on campus before and after the game, and worked with community organizations, the city and the Ottawa Police, greatly reducing any disruptions before or after the game. [12]

Game results

YearSiteWinning teamScoreLosing teamScoreSeries tallyNotes
1955[13] Lansdowne ParkCarleton14 Ottawa6CAR 1–0First official Panda Game
1956 Lansdowne ParkCarleton14 Ottawa10CAR 2–0
1957 Lansdowne ParkOttawa44 Carleton0CAR 2–1Biggest blowout in Panda Game history
1958 Lansdowne ParkOttawa23 Carleton0TIE 2–2
1959 Lansdowne ParkOttawa42 Carleton0OTT 3–2
1960 Lansdowne ParkOttawa28 Carleton6OTT 4–2
1961 Lansdowne ParkOttawa13 Carleton12OTT 5–2
1962 Lansdowne ParkOttawa13 Carleton10OTT 6–2
1963Lansdowne ParkOttawa41 Carleton21OTT 7–2
1964 Lansdowne ParkCarleton40 Ottawa33OTT 7–3
1965 Lansdowne ParkOttawa27 Carleton19OTT 8–3
1966 Lansdowne ParkOttawa28 Carleton13OTT 9–3
1967 Lansdowne ParkOttawa36 Carleton20OTT 10–3
1968 Lansdowne ParkOttawa28 Carleton27OTT 11–3
1969 Lansdowne ParkCarleton21 Ottawa20OTT 11–4
1970 Lansdowne ParkOttawa29 Carleton20OTT 12–4
1971 Lansdowne ParkCarleton28 Ottawa14OTT 12–5
1972 Lansdowne ParkOttawa31 Carleton14OTT 13–5
1973 Lansdowne ParkOttawa21 Carleton14OTT 14–5
1974 Lansdowne ParkOttawa48 Carleton7OTT 15–5
1975 Lansdowne ParkOttawa55 Carleton22OTT 16–5Gee-Gees go on to win National Championship
1976 Lansdowne ParkOttawa19 Carleton14OTT 17–5
1977 Lansdowne ParkCarleton36 Ottawa16OTT 17–6
1978 Lansdowne ParkCarleton24 Ottawa13OTT 17–7
1979 Lansdowne ParkOttawa28 Carleton16OTT 18–71st Pedro retires
1980 Lansdowne ParkCarleton30 Ottawa21OTT 18–8
1981 Lansdowne ParkOttawa29 Carleton0OTT 19–8
1982 Lansdowne ParkOttawa19 Carleton7OTT 20–8
1983 Lansdowne ParkCarleton28 Ottawa23OTT 20–9
1984 Lansdowne ParkCarleton30 Ottawa18OTT 20–10
1985 Lansdowne ParkCarleton34 Ottawa27OTT 20–11
1986 Lansdowne ParkOttawa30 Carleton29OTT 21–11
1987 Lansdowne ParkCarleton8 Ottawa4OTT 21–12See "1987 Tragedy"
1988 Lansdowne ParkOttawa29 Carleton9OTT 22–12
1989 Lansdowne ParkOttawa23 Carleton11OTT 23–12
1990 Lansdowne ParkOttawa30 Carleton17OTT 24–12
1991 Lansdowne ParkOttawa34 Carleton15OTT 25–12
1992 Lansdowne ParkOttawa17 Carleton6OTT 26–12
1993 Lansdowne ParkOttawa21 Carleton3OTT 27–12
1994 Lansdowne ParkCarleton27 Ottawa15OTT 27–13
1995 Lansdowne ParkOttawa35 Carleton8OTT 28–13
1996 Lansdowne ParkOttawa28 Carleton0OTT 29–13
1997 Keith Harris StadiumOttawa22 Carleton19OTT 30–13
1998 Keith Harris StadiumOttawa59 Carleton17OTT 31–13Ravens team cancelled following season
2013 Gee-Gees FieldOttawa35 Carleton10OTT 32–13Return of Panda Game
2014 TD Place StadiumCarleton33 Ottawa 31 OTT 32–14 Last second Hail Mary catch
2015 TD Place StadiumCarleton48Ottawa 45 OTT 32–15 Overtime victory, highest scoring game in Panda history
2016 TD Place StadiumCarleton43Ottawa 23 OTT 32–16 Sellout crowd (23,329)
2017 TD Place StadiumCarleton33Ottawa 30 OTT 32–17 Overtime victory, Sellout crowd (24,420)[14]
2018 TD Place StadiumOttawa38Carleton 27 OTT 33–17 50th Panda Game
2019 TD Place StadiumOttawa32Carleton 10 OTT 34–17 Attendance record (24,600)
2021 TD Place StadiumOttawa19Carleton 17 OTT 35–17
2022 TD Place StadiumOttawa37Carleton 7 OTT 36–17
2023 TD Place StadiumOttawa18Carleton 16 OTT 37–17 Ottawa scores a walk-off 55 yard field goal to win. Attendance: 23,467

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Panda-Monium . 2014-06-03.
  2. Web site: Panda-Monium . 2014-06-03.
  3. Web site: Archives 1987 Panda Game . 2014-06-03.
  4. Web site: Panda-Monium . 2014-06-03.
  5. Web site: Gees-Gees Dominate Panda Bowl . 10 October 2013 . 2014-06-03.
  6. http://goravens.ca/news/2015/10/2015-panda-game-a-huge-success-for-ravens-football/ 2015 Panda Game a huge success for Ravens Football
  7. Web site: 580 CFRA News Talk Radio :: Carleton Ravens win 47th Panda Game :: News - Article . www.cfra.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151005021607/http://www.cfra.com/news/2015/10/03/carleton-ravens-win-47th-panda-game . 2015-10-05.
  8. http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/10/01/carleton-ravens-knock-off-ottawa-gee-gees-in-panda-game Carleton Ravens knock off Ottawa Gee-Gees in Panda Game
  9. Web site: Ravens thump Gee-Gees to extend Panda Game win streak to three.
  10. Web site: Ottawa police vowing 'zero tolerance' for disorder during Panda Game weekend.
  11. Web site: Dozens ticketed, 7 arrested in 'unacceptable' Panda Game aftermath, say police.
  12. Web site: No significant incidents after the Panda Game, police say.
  13. News: Carleton College Ravens Defeat U of Ottawa, 14-6. October 12, 1955. 14. Ottawa Citizen. October 1, 2023.
  14. TD_Place . 914234115234385922 . 2017-09-30. Looks like Pedro is staying with the #Ravens another year. CONGRATULATIONS @curavens on your 33-30 OT #PandaGame victory!.