Football, free t-shirts and food: everything you need to know about KICKOFF 2025

By Maggie Hsu, August 29 2025—

Welcome back, Dinos fans! With men’s soccer already underway and football season officially kicking off this week, it’s time to see what head coach Ryan Sheahan and his crew have been cooking up in their hunt for the Hardy Cup this fall.

The annual tradition of KICKOFF is back this Friday as Calgary welcomes the reigning Hardy Cup champions, the Regina Rams, at McMahon Stadium. Festivities start at 3:30 p.m. with the orientation tailgate, and kickoff set for 5:30 p.m. Expect a day packed with food trucks, music, games, giveaways and that signature UCalgary vibrant energy that turns the first home game of the season into the first campus party of the school year.

KICKOFF 2024: Revisited

Second years may want to witness the rematch of KICKOFF 2024 where, despite a spirited fourth-quarter push, the Dinos fell to the Rams 24-16 in front of an electric crowd of 5500. Calgary’s defense impressed with four forced turnovers, but missed opportunities in the first three frames held the team back. Quarterback Dom Britton threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns — one to first-year receiver Luke Gutek — but it wasn’t enough to clinch the win.

This was a common theme for the Dinos as throughout the 2024-25 season, they often struggled to get their game going until the second half which would prove to be not enough against an offensively-minded CanWest Conference.

This year, after nine months to reset and retool, the Dinos are eyeing redemption — and a Hardy Cup run that feels more within reach than ever

Last season in review

More importantly, let’s set the scene for this year.

One of Calgary’s strengths last year was defense. Calgary allowed only 201 points across eight regular season games—second-best in the conference, just behind Regina. Only two of their starters have graduated and moved on to the CFL, setting the stage for consistency and leadership within the ranks. This year, they’re headlined by Liam Reid, a fifth year from Vernon BC. Reid was named First-team All-Canadian following his 2024 campaign after posting 30 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Offensively, the Dinos are amidst a rebuild that will look to integrate some new faces. However, they are still anchored by Matthieu Clarke, the team’s leading rusher for the past two seasons. Clarke is coming into his fourth year as a Dino and while he took a big step to become a leader on the field for coach Sheahan, he has the opportunity to have a breakout season this year.

Enter Regina

Regina comes into Calgary as the defending Hardy Cup Champions. Despite a 3-5 record last year in the regular season, they still qualified for the playoffs by upsetting the Alberta Golden Bears in the last week of CanWest football and ultimately, became a different team when it really mattered.

Their playoff magic continued with a 28–25 win over top-seeded Manitoba in the semis, followed by a gritty 19–14 victory over provincial rivals Saskatchewan to hoist the Hardy Cup.

What fans can expect

The season kicks off with the ultimate student tailgate. Students can expect:

Fun and exciting football. There’s a raw, unpredictable energy to college football — every possession can swing momentum, and no two games feel the same.
Local eats put on by a lineup of food trucks — make sure to grab a free food voucher
Live DJ to set the vibe for the game
Booths from Calgary Sports and Entertainment, Calgary Wild FC, Calgary Surge, Residence Services and the Alumni Association — there’s bound to be free merch up for grabs!
Games, giveaways and other interactive stations
And of course, that free kickoff t-shirt to start building your free shirt collection.

So whether you’re there for the football, the food trucks or just the free T-shirt, Friday’s KICKOFF is your chance to be part of a campus tradition — and maybe witness the start of something special for the Dinos.