despite his late start, ranked fourth in the league in passing. Janzen, who had never played football in high school, led the league in receiving with 697 yards. The team’s 2–5–1 record was nothing spectacular, but it marked an important start. Joining the McMaster offensive arsenal in 1998 was Kojo Aidoo, a running back from Oakville. Aidoo and third-year running back Chris Dorrington helped buttress the Marauder ground game, allowing the team to break 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time since 1991. Chapdelaine shattered Phil Scarfone’s team passing records, gaining 2,428 yards. More importantly, McMaser’s 4–4 record gave the team its first playoff berth since 1986. Playing a semi-final against the numberone ranked Western Mustangs, McMaster nearly scored an upset in a see-saw battle that saw a Maruader rally late in the game. McMaster turnovers ultimately proved the deciding factor, but the 34–32 score against the league powerhouse made it clear that McMaster was quickly becoming a legitimate contender. Aidoo was named the winner of the Peter Gorman Trophy as the top football rookie in Canada, and Chapdelaine earned OUA MVP honours. A young running back from Belleville named Kyle Pyear joined the McMaster offence for the start of the 1999 campaign, giving McMaster even more firepower. McMaster improved to 6–2 in 1999, placing third in OUA play, but were knocked out of the playoffs by Laurier in the league semi-final. While the team did not advance to the Yates Cup, McMaster was becoming a threat after three years of consistent rebuilding under Greg Marshall. McMaster was laying the foundation for the new millennium. The 2000 Marauders had one of the most balanced and talent-rich offences in team history. Playing his final year in the maroon and grey, receiver Ryan Janzen set a new OUA single-season record with 1,034 receiving yards. On the ground, Kojo Aidoo set a new league rushing record of 1,329 yards in a season and twenty rushing touchdowns, good enough to earn him a Hec Crighton Trophy as the most outstanding player in Canadian university football. Losing only to Western in the regular season, McMaster posted a first-place finish for the first time since 1984. In the Yates Cup, Laurier fell 48–23 to give the Marauders their first OUA football title. A fourth-quarter rally against Ottawa in the following weekend’s Churchill Bowl was not enough for the Marauders to secure a berth in the Vanier Cup, but McMaster had once again tasted the success its football team. Running back Jesse Lumsden, the son of former Ottawa Gee-Gees and CFL great Neil Lumsden, joined McMaster in 2001, adding yet more talent to the depth chart behind Kojo Aidoo and Kyle Pyear. The team went undefeated in the regular season, with only a 21–21 tie against Waterloo standing between them and perfection. McMaster avenged the previous year’s Churchill Bowl defeat at the hands of the Gee-Gees, downing Ottawa (now an OUA member) 30–22 in the Yates Cup. In the Churchill Bowl in Winnipeg, Manitoba wore down the Mac defenders to score three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, frustrating McMaster’s Vanier Cup ambitions with a 27–6 defeat. The heartbreaking loss was the final university game for Ben Chapdelaine, marking the end of a five-year career that had done so much to return the Marauders to a position of respect and credibility. Chapdelaine finished his career with a new CIS record of 9,974 career passing yards and was named the 2001 Hec Crighton Trophy winner. Without Chapdelaine, the 2002 Marauders turned to their running backs to lead the offence. Injuries sidelined Jesse Lumsden for much of the season, leaving Kyle Pyear to carry the rushing load on his own. Pyear led the CIS with 1,227 rushing yards and helped boost McMaster to a perfect 8–0 regular season. The playoffs were highlighted by a 7,000-plus crowd at Les Prince Field that witnessed McMaster demolish Queen’s 33–19 in the Yates Cup final, giving Mac three straight OUA titles. Again Mac was in the Churchill Bowl, but they were unable advance to the coveted Vanier Cup, succumbing this time to the Saint Mary’s Huskies. With Lumsden healthy and Pyear in his final season, the McMaster ground game had never been better than it was in 2003. The team broke 2,000 rushing yards for the first time and established a new OUA record of 2,807 yards in the process. Another undefeated season followed, and McMaster crushed Laurier in the Yates Cup. Because of poor field conditions on campus, playoff games were moved to Ivor Wynne Stadium where McMaster enjoyed its largest home crowds (12,464) to date. The Mitchell Bowl against Laval was undoubtedly the most closely contested of Mac’s four straight CIS semi-final appearances, noteworthy for a dominating second-half performance by rookie Marauder quarterback Adam Archibald. But the result was no more favourable than in previous years.
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