UBC receiver Shemar McBean (right) consoles his fellow fifth-year senior receiver and teammate Edgerrin Williams-Hernandez following Canada West football action Oct. 7, 2025 at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. A 24-10 loss to No. 5 Saskatchewan was a tough pill to swallow in what would be the final home game in the careers of the 'Birds' fifth-year class. (Photo by Rich Lam property of UBC Athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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UBC Football: ‘Birds surrender 17 points in final 93 seconds of opening half en route to 24-10 loss to No. 5 Huskies in 2025’s final home game! Playoff lives now hang in the balance with road finale at Regina!

By Howard TsumuraVarsityLetters.caVANCOUVER — A team of the world’s best surgeons, each armed with golden scalpels, could have dissected the box score of Friday’s Canada West football game at Thunderbird Stadium until all that remained were ribbons and been no closer to explaining how the hometown Thunderbirds dropped a near must-win 24-10 decision to the […]

The late Frank Smith touched every corner of B.C.'s football community. (Photo property of UBC Athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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UBC Thunderbirds mourn the loss of legendary football head coach Frank Smith

Frank Smith, one of the most legendary and enduring coaches in all of Canadian university sports, passed away earlier this week.Smith, who guided UBC football for 21 seasons beginning in 1974 and along the way led the program to four national championship appearances, including Vanier Cup titles in 1982 and 1986, was 93 years old.We […]

As part of his near record-setting performance, UBC quarterback Drew Viotto unleashed a pass as the Thunderbirds saw a late rally from 25 points down at the half fall short in a 35-31 loss in Winnipeg on Saturday to the host Manitoba Bisons. (Photo by Zachary Peters property of Manitoba Bisons athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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Despite epic rally from 25 points down at half & freshman QB Drew Viotto’s 473 yards passing, UBC falls 35-31 to Manitoba! Thunderbirds’ Canada West playoff hopes take another hit!

By Howard Tsumura(VarsityLetters.ca)For the UBC Thunderbirds, it’s been a season in which its ‘ups’ have been doing their brave best to battle a plethora of ‘downs.’And perhaps that’s why after answering one of its most listless opening-half performances in a decade with a second half that seemed to come out of nowhere, it became almost […]

Fellow offensive lineman Navjot Pooni (left) and 'Birds assistant Ben Griffin support veteran centre Gavin Coakes who showed the emotion of the moment as the Thunderbirds topped the visiting Dinos 23-22 on Homecoming night Sept. 19 in Vancouver. (Photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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UBC Football: When veteran centre Gavin Coakes sheds tears of joy, it’s all about the origin story of the Thunderbirds’ heart-and-soul offensive line! Next test comes Friday at Alberta!

By Howard TsumuraVarsityLetters.caVANCOUVER — There were so many positives revealing themselves on the field last Friday at Thunderbird Stadium as part of UBC’s season-saving 23-22 win over the Calgary Dinos.So many, in fact, that we restricted our initial look at the victory from the standpoint of the ‘Birds ability to produce four massive defensive plays […]

It's magic! Even UBC defensive halfback Darrien Brown can't quite put into words what his 11th hour interception might mean in the big picture as the Thunderbirds topped the visiting Calgary Dinos 23-22 on Homecoming night Sept. 19 in Vancouver. (Photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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A Sunday Read: In the anatomy of UBC’s breathtaking 23-22 win over Calgary, here’s how four defensive plays from the same needle and thread helped stitch a win and save a season on the brink!

By Howard TsumuraVarsityLetters.caVANCOUVER — So much of the time, the easiest way to gauge the greatness of a football game is to lather in its own gaudy bath of offensive numbers.Yet it seems that the truest gems are often times those games which arise out of nowhere, those wholly organic ones somehow stitched together by […]

UBC receiver Shemar McBean gets a little camera time after hauling in a 62-yard touchdown pass from Derek Engel as Regina visited the Thunderbirds in Canada West football action Friday, Sept. 12, 2025 at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC Athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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UBC Football: Ahead of Friday Homecoming here’s three things to ponder after ‘Birds loss to Regina: How do ‘Birds stop the run? How dangerous is the Derek Engel deep ball? You gotta love Tyson Lewis!

By Howard TsumuraVarsityLetters.caVANCOUVER — It a little crazy to think that when the UBC Thunderbirds come charging onto the field Friday to face the visiting Calgary Dinos (6 p.m., Canada West TV) that they will have reached the midway point of the Canada West football regular season … in just 23 days.In what has seemed […]

UBC'S Tyson Lewis (left) looks to celebrate his key fumble recovery with teammate Malcolm Fraser during Aug. 28 Canada West opener against Manitoba at Thunderbird Stadium. UBC's youth movement, especially along its defensive front and in its defensive secondary, are huge keys this season. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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UBC football: Who are the 2025 Thunderbirds, really? After tough loss in Saskatoon, Friday test against No. 6 Regina Rams could go long ways towards revealing team’s true identity!

By Howard Tsumura (VarsityLetters.ca)VANCOUVER — There comes a point in every great piece of mystery writing where the protagonist is confronted by a sense of the unknown, creating a work of dramatic tension best described in literary terms as a real ‘page turner’.In a manner of speaking, that’s kind of been the story arc thus […]

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 in Detroit. (Photo by Jeff Nguyen property of Detroit Lions via AP 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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Veteran mentorship helps ex-‘Birds O-lineman Giovanni Manu tackle the challenges of climbing the depth chart with Detroit! New NFL season opens Sunday as Manu and the Lions face Green Bay!

By Howard Tsumura(VarsityLetters.com)VANCOUVER — Giovanni Manu came to the Detroit Lions draped in a blank canvas. Now, two NFL training camps later, the 6-foot-7, 350-pound former UBC Thunderbirds standout from Pitt Meadows has put himself in the big picture.“Short story is, if they told me I had to play left tackle against the Green Bay Packers […]

UBC quarterback Drew Viotto brought his physical style against the Manitoba defence as the Thunderbirds defeated the Bisons 21-9 in its 2025 Canada West season opener Aug. 28 at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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Tsumura on UBC Football: My two big takeaways from impressive win over No. 8-ranked Manitoba! Why ‘Birds have an enviable QB situation, and why anyone would covet the blue-&-gold’s front 7!

By Howard Tsumura (VarsityLetters.ca)VANCOUVER — It’s not that Blake Nill misunderstood the question.More than that, it’s all part-and-parcel of the DNA of post-game coach speak to remain in the moment. You know, the micro… not the macro.Yet, in the aftermath of a Canada West season-opening 21-9 victory over the No. 8 Manitoba Bisons here Thursday […]

Chicago Bears' Theo Benedet takes on the Buffalo Bills' Landon Jackson, Sunday, August 17, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo property of Chicago Bears 2025. All Rights Reserved)
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In a case of ‘carpe diem’ defined, UBC’s Theo Benedet puts adversity behind him and seizes the day with Chicago Bears! Handsworth grad still in the battle for starting left tackle spot!

By Howard Tsumura (VarsityLetters.ca)VANCOUVER — Theo Benedet showed up at Chicago Bears training camp and made such an impression that it was senseless to whisper.And on Tuesday afternoon, after the North Vancouver native and UBC Thunderbirds’ alumnus was announced as part of the NFL team’s final 53-man roster, what wound up speaking loudest of all […]