UTM Eagles

The Department of Athletics at Erindale College was established in 1967 alongside the Erindale College Athletic and Recreation Association (ECARA). The college's first indoor facility was made from a converted four car garage, while athletics spaces at Erindale Secondary School and Huron Park Recreation Centre were used for the expanding program. Erindale College teams played in the University of Toronto's Interfaculty sports (now known as U of T Intramurals) under the name Erindale Windegoes, later changed to the Erindale Warriors for men's teams and Erindale Hustlers for women's teams. In the 1970s, the college attempted to establish its own intercollegiate program, with a petition signed by 1,700 students to allow it to compete in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) basketball league. The request was denied, but Erindale continued to play in exhibition games, while its rowing team was its only intercollegiate sport.^[9]

The campus joined Ontario Collegiate Recreation (OCR) in 1993.^[6] In 1999, the teams' eagle logo was created by student Nejatie Bahroz, and the UTM Eagles colours of navy blue, white and silver replaced the former Kelly green, white and black.^[9] The opening of the Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre (RAWC) in 2006 greatly expanded indoor athletics space on the campus.^[10]

The University of Toronto Mississauga became the 30th full member of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) on April 28, 2014. It joined other smaller university campuses such as Laurier Brantford and the Lakehead University Orillia Campus in the College Association rather than OUA.^[2] Under the direction of Ken Duncliffe, head of the campus's athletics department (now known as the Department of Recreation, Athletics and Wellness), the Eagles varsity program was created to give UTM students an option to participate in varsity sports at a lower level than the Varsity Blues. The Blues, which participate in Ontario University Athletics (OUA), are based on the larger St. George campus and serve as the primary intercollegiate sports program available to students from all three University of Toronto campuses.^[11]

The UTM Eagles varsity program consisted of six teams: women's basketball, men's basketball, women's soccer, men's soccer, badminton, and cross country.^[12][13] Basketball games were held in the Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre (RAWC) and soccer on the South Athletic Field.^[3]

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic the OCAA temporarily ceased operations, and a year later in November 2021, the athletics department announced the unexpected suspension of the Eagles varsity sports program, citing low participation numbers. This decision was met with resistance from students, who created a change.org petition and social media campaign with an account called @bring.back.varsity to reinstate the program.^[3] Despite the push-back, the varsity program remains suspended, with the University of Toronto recommending that students participate in sports through its Tri-Campus league or the Varsity Blues.^[3]