Fleet-footed Brian Walling broke through opposition defences and conference rushing records as he ran for an impressive 3,084 yards during five seasons with the Acadia Axemen. Almost three decades after hanging up his jersey, he still stands as the fourth all-time leading rusher in the Atlantic conference. In his final year at Acadia, the Axemen […]
Larry Jusdanis
November 19, 2016
A key ingredient in one of the most prolific offenses in the country in 1995, Larry Jusdanis helped to apply a CFL-style offensive playbook to the Canadian university game. Under the watchful eye of then head coach Sonny Wolfe and offensive coordinator Danny Laramee, Jusdanis set AUAA records that still stand to this day. From […]
Ed Gataveckas
November 19, 2016
Few people wearing Acadia colours have enjoyed the kind of success that Ed Gataveckas did during his tenure as a member of the football Axemen. A linebacker under legendary head coaches Bob Vespaziani and John Huard, Gataveckas was a member of the 1979 CIAU championship Axemen. He was named an AUAA All-Star each year from […]
1995 Acadia Football Axemen
November 19, 2016
In 1993, the Acadia Axemen ushered the CFL spread offense into the CIAU, led by offensive coordinator Danny Laramee and head coach Sonny Wolfe. By 1995, Acadia has mastered a passing game that was nearly unstoppable. The team registered 214 points in eight games in a conference that boasted four strong teams, including the St. F.X. […]
1986 Acadia Football Axemen
November 19, 2016
The 1986 Acadia football Axemen provided head coach Sonny Wolfe with his first conference championship, putting together an impressive 7-0 regular season and rolling over the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 29-13 in the conference final. Acadia dominated the conference during the season, putting up a league-leading 245 points while allowing the fewest points – 67. […]
1980 Football Axemen
November 19, 2016
Sandwiched between two national championship teams, the 1980 football Axemen chalked up seven consecutive regular season victories after losing their opening game to Saint Mary’s. The red and blue lost 17-15 to the Huskies, but then went 7-0 on their way to another conference championship. Coached by Waterville, Maine native John Huard, the Axemen avenged […]
1977-1978 FOOTBALL AXEMEN
November 19, 2016
The Acadia football teams of the mid-to late-1970s were perennial national contenders and the 1977 squad was no exception. The team won a third straight conference championship and advanced to their second consecutive CIAU College Bowl championship. Acadia opened the season with a convincing win over Mount Allison then dropped a close decision to St. […]
John Huard
December 16, 2014
A native of Waterville, Maine, John Huard played four years of football at the University of Maine, and was a three-time Maine Athlete-of-the-Year. A linebacker, he is generally considered to be the finest football player the state of Maine has ever produced. John played professionally with Denver and New Orleans in the NFL and Montreal […]
Bob Cameron
December 6, 2014
Bob Cameron arrived at Acadia from his native Ancaster, ON in the fall of 1974 and, over the next five seasons, did as much as anyone to usher in the ‘Golden Age’ of Acadia football. Cameron took over as Acadia’s starting quarterback in his second year and led the Axemen to three straight conference titles, […]
Marv Allemang
December 6, 2014
Marv Allemang came from a large family and was raised outside of Hamilton, Ontario, in the bedroom community of Ancaster. Then-coach Bob Vespaziani recalls Marv as “the big, strong, silent type, and honest as the day is long.” An important cog in the Axemen football machine, Marv played tight end and defensive end at Acadia […]
Sonny Wolfe
December 6, 2014
Most people spend their lives trying to find a career that is satisfying and fulfilling. For Sonny Wolfe, his decision early in life to coach football would never waver, and over the course of a 40-year career hementored many young men in a sport they loved and guided them to even greater things after graduation. […]
Earle “Andy” Anderson ’33
August 25, 2012
Digby native, Earle “Andy” Anderson was a keen participant in several athletic endeavors. Arriving on the Acadia campus during the 1930-’31 academic year, he wore the Acadia colours for three seasons, starring in English rugby, hockey, track and field and baseball. Football In football this powerful and agile offensive athlete starred alongside the likes of […]
1975-76 Men’s Football Team
August 25, 2012
The 1975-76 men’s Canadian football squad emerged as Maritimes Intercollegiate champions bringing to Acadia for the first time the coveted Jewett Trophy. The Bob Vespaziani -coached squad gained in the league’s opener a 35-29 decision over St. Francis Xavier with Cliff Steeves and John Stevens starring offensively. In their next encounter with Dalhousie as their […]
Andrew W. (Andy) Currie- 1976
August 25, 2012
Montreal native, Andy Currie, a graduate of Acadia with a BA in 1976 and a BED in 1978, contributed greatly to the Axemen’s football program as both a athlete and coach during the 1970’s. As a student of MacDonald High School in the Montreal area, he excelled in athletics during his early junior and senior […]
Mark Moors- 1978
August 25, 2012
…1978 …an All-Canadian football player as an Axeman, who later played in the CFL. Mark Moors, Class of’ 78 was a 1975 graduate of the Sir Robert Borden High School in Ottawa. Entering the Acadia Campus during the Fall of ’75, he soon joined Bob Vespaziani’s football Axemen, being relegated to the position of backup […]
Robert Stracina- 1978
August 24, 2012
As a Canadian football Axeman, Bob Stracina, a ’78 Acadia graduate, was generally recognized as one of the nation’s premier intercollegiate performers. As a rookie with the ’75 Axemen, Bob was singled out for praise in the team’s early-season 51-0 triumph over Dalhousie as he converted all touchdowns and booted several long punts. In a […]
1981-82 Men’s Football Team
August 24, 2012
The 1981 football season represented the twenty-fifth anniversary of the game on the Acadia campus. Consequently, on the afternoon of October 17th, at Raymond Field, the University celebrated this event as the John Huard-coached Axemen defeated St. Mary’s Huskies, 13-3. Appropriately enough, Don MacVicar who had scored the first-ever Axemen touchdown back in ’56, performed […]
1976-77 Men’s Football Team
August 22, 2012
…First Acadia Atlantic Bowl Football Champions; Canadian finalists The 1976 season was indeed outstanding for the Acadia Axemen Football Team as they turned in a 9-2 won-lost record. Winning the Atlantic conference for the second straight year, Acadia won our first-ever Atlantic Bowl Championship, a berth in the national College Bowl finals in Toronto and […]
Robert “Bob” Vespaziani- (Builder)
August 22, 2012
…thrice the A.U.A.A.’s football “Coach of the Year” Bob Vespaziani first gained distinction as the Axemen’s Head Football Coach in 1971, guiding the club to a very creditable standing in conference play. The following season, the Massachusetts- born mentor, was named the Bluenose Football Conference coach-of-the-year as he guided the team to the runner-up position […]
Neil Gordon Sanford- 1935 (1913-1955)
August 22, 2012
…an English rugby and hockey star Neil G. Sanford, a graduate of 1935, was an outstanding multi-sport athlete who starred on Acadia swimming, football and hockey teams from the Fall of ’31 to the Spring of ’35. On the football field, Neil or “Nelly” as he was affectionately called began his heroics during the Fall […]