Sudbury Spartans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Sudbury Hardrocks (1954-67)
- Sudbury Spartans (1967-present)
| Founded | 1953 |
|---|---|
| League | Northern Football Conference |
| Team history |
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| Based in | Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
| Stadium |
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| Colours | Dark Blue and Silver |
| Owner | Dario Zulich (2017-present) |
| Head coach | Kim Labrosse |
| Championships | 18 |
| Website | www |
The Sudbury Spartans are an amateur gridiron football team based in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. Established in 1952, it is the longest continuously operating sports organization in Sudbury. The Spartans have won more Northern Football Conference Championships (18) than any other team in the league.
The team plays in the Northern Football Conference, which also includes current teams from Hamilton, Oakville, Tri City, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Ottawa, Sarnia, and 2 from Toronto.
History
The Spartans began play in 1954 as Charter Members of the Northern Ontario Rugby-Football Union (predecessor to the NFC) Originally named "Hardrocks" to reflect the Sudbury's predominant mining industry, the moniker was changed to "Spartans" in 1967 by then rookie head coach Sid Forster. Forster, a member of the 1953 team who was inducted in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001, felt the old name sounded more like a street gang than a football team.
Suspension of operations
Following the death of Forster in 1994, the team struggled to remain competitive. It faced several winless seasons in which it could not finish above .500. During this period, it fielded teams as small as 20 men. On May 14, 2007, the Spartans suspended operations due to an insufficient number of players to safely field a team. The team entered into a two-year "leave of absence" from the NFC and were hoping to return to NFC action by 2010, however there is no indication of a leader ready to take ownership of the organization.