In 2019, redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Maracle threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, powering the Gee-Gees back to a .500 record and handing the Queen’s Gaels the third loss of their young season on Saturday at Gee-Gees Field.
The win extended their unbeaten streak in home openers to seven, marking a perfect record since opening the field just south of the University of Ottawa’s main campus in 2013.
Six years on, the Gee-Gees entire roster has completely turned over, with Maracle (thanks to a medical redshirt extending his eligibility) the only returnee from that pre-COVID roster.
At the time, current Gee-Gees head coach Marcel Bellefuille was serving as a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos after a one-year stint on the Gaels sideline following his return from the CFL ranks.
Those same Gaels have also beaten the Gee-Gees seven straight times since, with the eastern Ontario rivals meeting in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 OUA playoffs seasons. Maybe luckily for the Gee-Gees, their 2025 schedule does not include the Tricolour.
But perhaps the most visible change for students? The shiny new Faculty of Health Sciences building now towers over the Lees campus, a reminder of the project that pushed the Gee-Gees to TD Place for most of four seasons.
The Gees will look to extend that streak of perfection in home openers at Lees, the first on-campus home to the football team in 120 years, this Saturday, when the York Lions come to town — with the Lions holding their first winning record since 2016.
One team will be handed their first loss in Week 2, as the Gee-Gees took care of business in Waterloo, with a 27-12 win behind a strong defence and a 16-of-23, 222 yard showing from Josh Janssen, which included a touchdown.
“I love playing at Gee-Gees Field,” Janssen told OB.SESSED. “It feels just like any other day going to the field for practice. It’s almost a relaxing feeling, which helps me really focus on doing my job."
Defensive back Patrick Cumberbatch is also excited to be playing back on campus.
"I think playing at TD Place is a great experience, but I like playing at home on campus, it makes it more easier and more accessible for students to come out and watch our games," adding that he thinks the return the Lees was a great idea.
While some players relish the comfort of being back on campus, others see the venue as secondary. “For us, football is football,” said linebacker Kwabena-Nana Gyimah. “We’d play in a parking lot if we had to.”
The fan experience, at least, should be much improved. While TD Place offered CFL-level facilities, the Gee-Gees typically drew crowds of 1,000 to 2,000 (outside the neutral Panda Game, which remains at TD Place) — numbers that felt like a drop in the bucket inside a 24,000-seat stadium.
Despite finishing well ahead of York and Carleton in the standings last year, Ottawa still ranked ahead of only those two programs in average attendance. A move back to Gee-Gees Field could change that.
Even with no bump in the 1,000 to 2,000 fans who looked lost inside TD Place’s 24,000 seats, that would now fill a much larger portion of the 3,400-seat stands on Lees, creating the kind of atmosphere university football thrives on — and one that keeps fans coming back.
The hope is that a permanent return to campus will help right the ship on the attendance front and give the Gee-Gees a home-field energy to match their on-field results.
Cumberbatch added that the team has made a few changes around the field to make it an "even better" atmosphere for those in attendance.
“I’m excited to put on a show for the Gee-Gees fans,” said Janssen. Gyimah echoed the sentiment, calling it “a blessing” to play in front of Gee-Gee Nation and crediting the varying teams at the school for building “an amazing community” since COVID.
Kickoff goes at 4 p.m. on Saturday. York, fresh off their first win over McMaster since 1997, will enter as an underdog — though not as heavy of one as in past years.
With Keagan Hall behind centre for his fifth season after a standout career for that same McMaster team and head coach Dexter Janke’s reliance on the CJFL pipeline paying off, the Lions have a newfound sense of direction.
2012 that some saw as a turning point for the Lions program at the time
For the Gee-Gees, home openers at Lees have never ended in defeat. With the crowd back on top of them at Gee-Gees Field, they’ll look to keep that perfect streak alive after a six-year hiatus.