Over the next number of weeks, Football Manitoba communications specialist Mike Still will be highlighting the many minor football clubs in the province. Each piece will include a brief history and key moments, as well as some fond memories from alumni. We kick things off with the St. Vital Mustangs, a stable force in Winnipeg’s south end for over 70 years.
The St. Vital Mustangs Football Club have a rich history that dates back to 1948. It was during this year that brothers Art and Wally McOuat founded the club, after recognizing a void in the St. Vital community. Their original location was at Memorial Park, behind Glenlawn School, moving to the current location at Maple Grove in 1994.
With no money to field a team, Art personally financed the league administration fees, and accepted hand-me-downs from teams such as the St. Vital Bulldogs, a powerhouse in the Canadian Intermediate League in the late 50’s and early 60’s.
In 1952, the Mustangs Football Club became official members of the Manitoba Juvenile Football League (MJFL), with Art as head coach. By 1954, the club was able to purchase their own jerseys, thanks to the hard work of Art and Barry Smith.
The Mustangs were competitive right from the jump, with Art leading the team to their first championship in 1955, defeating the Norquay Rams 11-9 in a two-game total points series. Brother Wally took over the team the year after, where they remained a competitive threat. The club won three MJFL titles in the 1970’s, and under the guidance of Jim Ladd, captured five provincial midget (MFLM) titles throughout the 1980s.
By 2008, the club had over 400 players and 16 total teams registered amongst the minor, midget and major age levels, and in 2011, the Mustangs took part in the inaugural season of the Manitoba Girls’ Football Association.
In 2018, St. Vital celebrated 70 years of football in the province, while continuing to give back to the community.
“When we first moved here, we had three football teams. We had a bantam group, a midget and a junior team. I was the young guy when we moved from Glenlawn to here, and now it’s been over 25 years and now I’m the old guy. It’s hard to put it into words. It’s amazing that we can continue this on,” noted Mustangs President Craig Bachynski,
“Every year, we try to rebuild and add to the experience here. We did the lights ten years ago, we’ve added the third field, we’ve now become partners with the [WWCFL’s Manitoba] Fearless and the [CJFL’s] Winnipeg Rifles, and hopefully in the next couple of years there’s going to be more things happening. We’re chasing turf fields and all sorts of things. We’re really looking to make this south Winnipeg’s football place.”
Fond memories from a successful club
The Mustangs have been a consistent contender at all age levels, helping countless players progress to the junior, university and pro ranks.
“Being on a successful team with a lot of successful guys that have gone on to play U SPORTS and have gotten many offers, it really showed me the power of teamwork and being able to rely on your teammates. I think [Mustangs] prepared me better than any other program could have to play at a high school, provincial team and university level,” recalled quarterback Jordan Hanslip, a recent commit of the Manitoba Bisons and former bantam champ with St. Vital.
“One thing I noticed during my time at St. Vital was that everyone was a lot closer. Almost every weekend we’d be hanging out at the field watching the other team’s games, then we’d go over to our friend’s houses. It was a super tight connection there and it really paid off on the field.”
For Mustangs majors alum Korey, football was a coping method. He’s lived his whole life with Tourette’s, using the gridiron as a way to manage his mental health while forming life-long friendships along the way.
“There’s days I’d have, where my mind wasn’t in the right place and I just didn’t want to be around and was struggling so much. But as soon as I walked through the doors [at St. Vital], my mind was cleared,” he says.
“All I’d want to do was come and see the guys, whether it was a film walkthrough night, actual practice or even equipment returns. As soon as you walked through the door, it’s a different life.”
Offensive lineman Tyler Fabbri is another proud alum of the program, playing for the club beginning at age 12. The eventual Winnipeg Rifle and Hardy Cup champ with the Manitoba Bisons won two provincial titles at the MFLM level between 2005-07, going on a ridiculous run that included a 27-3 record overall.
“Not being able to play high school football at the time – Dakota didn’t have a team yet – meant that playing midget was going to be my ‘high school football’ experience. The coaches, managers and board members always went above and beyond to help out their players” he mentioned.
“The Mustangs organization is much more than just a group of football teams. It was a family for me growing up. Winning was never the motivator. The Mustangs placed an emphasis on learning the game from the ground up, teaching us to be better students and members of the community. Without the club, I don’t know if I would be the person I am today.”
Fabbri’s fondest St. Vital moment came as a 17-year-old senior in 2007. Before the season, the team lost one its players unexpectedly, and as a group, they decided to dedicate the campaign to him. Coming up with the team mantra of “band of brothers,” they won the championship, taking one final walk across their field afterwards, with the late Evan Lecomte’s jersey in tow.
“It was at that moment that I knew football was going to hold a special place in my heart,” says Fabbri.
“The St. Vital Mustangs organization helped me realize that, and allowed me to grow, not only as an athlete, but as a person, both on and off the field.”