Panda Game

Panda Game

Teams	Ottawa Gee-Gees Carleton Ravens
Trophy	Pedro the Panda (3rd Version)

The Panda Game is a Canadian rivalry football game between the two OUA football teams in Ottawa, Ontario, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton University Ravens. It is one of the oldest and richest rivalries in Canadian university football. Its name is derived from the trophy presented to the winner each year; Pedro the Panda. 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, decided to promote the rivalry between his school and Carleton University. He 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). McNulty 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.

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, eventually leading to the snap of a railing. 30 Ravens fans to fall 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.

The future of the Panda Game was heavily 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

In 1998, it was decided that Carleton University would be cancelling their football program at the end of the season after numerous years of sustained 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. 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.

New era at TD Place

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

The Panda Game in 2014 was another wildly successful venture, the use of TD Place 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 kicked among the frenzy.

The 2015 edition saw a then-record attendance of 17,596. It was also the highest scoring Panda Game of all time with a combined score of 93 points, 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 at TD Place Stadium watched Carleton defeat Ottawa 43-23. It was the most attended CIS regular season football game in at least two decades.

Game results

Ottawa victories

Carleton victories

Year	Site	Winning team		Losing team		Series	Notes
1955	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	14	Ottawa	6	CAR 1-0	First official Panda Game
1956	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	14	Ottawa	10	CAR 2-0
1957	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	44	Carleton	0	CAR 2-1	Biggest blowout in Panda Game history
1958	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	23	Carleton	0	TIE 2-2
1959	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	42	Carleton	0	OTT 3-2
1960	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	28	Carleton	6	OTT 4-2
1961	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	13	Carleton	12	OTT 5-2
1962	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	13	Carleton	10	OTT 6-2
1963	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	41	Carleton	21	OTT 7-2
1964	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	40	Ottawa	33	OTT 7-3
1965	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	27	Carleton	19	OTT 8-3
1966	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	28	Carleton	13	OTT 9-3
1967	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	36	Carleton	20	OTT 10-3
1968	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	28	Carleton	27	OTT 11-3
1969	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	21	Ottawa	20	OTT 11-4
1970	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	29	Carleton	20	OTT 12-4
1971	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	28	Ottawa	14	OTT 12-5
1972	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	31	Carleton	14	OTT 13-5
1973	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	21	Carleton	14	OTT 14-5
1974	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	48	Carleton	7	OTT 15-5
1975	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	55	Carleton	22	OTT 16-5	Gee-Gees go on to win National Championship
1976	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	19	Carleton	14	OTT 17-5
1977	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	36	Carleton	16	OTT 18-5
1978	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	24	Ottawa	13	OTT 18-6
1979	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	28	Carleton	16	OTT 19-6	1st Pedro retires
1980	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	30	Ottawa	21	OTT 19-7
1981	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	29	Carleton	0	OTT 20-7
1982	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	19	Carleton	7	OTT 21-7
1983	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	28	Ottawa	23	OTT 21-8
1984	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	30	Ottawa	18	OTT 21-9
1985	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	34	Ottawa	27	OTT 21-10
1986	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	30	Carleton	29	OTT 22-10
1987	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	8	Ottawa	4	OTT 22-11	See "1987 Tragedy"
1988	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	29	Carleton	9	OTT 23-11
1989	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	23	Carleton	11	OTT 24-11
1990	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	30	Carleton	17	OTT 25-11
1991	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	34	Carleton	15	OTT 26-11
1992	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	17	Carleton	6	OTT 27-11
1993	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	21	Carleton	3	OTT 28-11
1994	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	27	Ottawa	15	OTT 28-12
1995	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	35	Carleton	8	OTT 29-12
1996	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	28	Carleton	0	OTT 30-12
1997	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	22	Carleton	19	OTT 31-12
1998	Lansdowne Park	Ottawa	59	Carleton	17	OTT 32-12	Ravens team cancelled following season
2013	Gee-Gees Field	Ottawa	35	Carleton	10	OTT 33-12	Triumphant return of Panda Game
2014	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	33	Ottawa	31	OTT 33-13	Last second Hail Mary catch
2015	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	48	Ottawa	45	OTT 33-14	Overtime victory, highest scoring game in Panda history
2016	Lansdowne Park	Carleton	43	Ottawa	23	OTT 33-15	Sellout crowd (23,329)

See also

Capital Hoops Classic