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The next coach who succeeded John Metras was Frank Cosentino who coached Western from 1970-1974. During Frank Cosentino's time coaching, Western finished their time in the CIRFU, and went to the West division of the Ontario University Athletic Association (OUAA). The other two teams in their division were Waterloo and Windsor. During their time in the OUAA, Western won three championships which were all in the 1971 season.The first championship that was won was the Yates Cup, where they shutout the Ottawa Gee Gee's 13-0. This Yates Cup was Western's 11th in school history. With that win in the Yates Cup, Western went to their first national semi-final game in Halifax in which they played in the Atlantic Bowl against the Saint Mary's Huskies in which Western won 44-13 and went on to play in their first Canadian College Bowl.
In this season's Canadian College Bowl, Western went on to play the Alberta Golden Bears in which Western won 15-14, and their first Vanier Cup championship. This was the only significant year with the Mustangs in the OUAA. During Western's time with the OUAA, they went 22-7-1.
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Lineup from the Canadian College Bowl from 1971.20 November 1971
Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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The 1971 Western Mustangs.Circa 1971
J.W. Little Memorial Stadium, London, Ontario, Canada
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After the 1973 season, there was realignment with collegiate football. A new conference was made. This new conference was called the Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference (OQIFC). This conference was in effect until the end of the 1979 season.While in the OQIFC, there was another coaching change. Western's new head coach was Darwin Semotiuk who was replacing Frank Cosentino at the beginning of the 1975 season. During Darwin Semotiuk's time with the Mustangs, they won 11 championships. Their first championship was in their first season in the OQIFC, still under head coach Frank Cosentino. In the 1974 season, Western was co-champions with U of T. With being co-champions of the Yates Cup, Western went on to the Churchill Bowl and faced the Saskatchewan Huskies. In front of their home crowd in London, Western went on to win their second Churchill Bowl by the score of 41-17. With that win in the national semi-final, Western went on to play in another Canadian College Bowl against Yates Cup co-champions, the University of Toronto. In this national championship game, Western went on to win their second national championship by the score of 19-15.
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The 1974 Canadian College Bowl champions.Circa 1974
J.W. Little Memorial Stadium, London, Ontario, Canada
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Western's next championship seasons were back to back in 1976 and 1977, in which they won two more Yates Cups, Churchill Bowls and Canadian College Bowls. In the national championship games, Western defeated the Acadia Axemen on both occasions 29-13 and 48-15. Western University was the second school in collegiate football history to win two straight Vanier Cups (the other being Manitoba in 1969 and 1970).16
The 1976 Churchill Bowl and Vanier Cup champions.Circa 1976
J.W. Little Memorial Stadium, London, Ontario, Canada
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The 1977 Western Mustangs.Circa 1977
J.W. Little Memorial Stadium, London, Ontario, Canada
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During the 1978 season, Western finished the season with a 8-2 record, but did not win any championship that season. In Western's last season in the OQIFC which was in 1979, Western started their run of winning four straight Yates Cups, and seven in the ten year span.19
During the 1980 season, Western's Greg Marshall won the Hec Crighton for being the most outstanding player in the CIAU that season. During the 1986 season, Blake Marshall won the Hec Crighton trophy. In 1989, Western captured their fifth Vanier Cup in history as they defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies 35-10. This was Western's first championship in the Ontario University Association (OUA).20
The kickoff at the 1989 Vanier Cup.18 November 1989
Skydome, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Lewko Hryhorijiw
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Players celebrating with the Vanier Cup.18 November 1989
Skydome, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Lewko Hryhorijiw
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Western taking the Vanier Cup to the their fans.18 November 1989
Skydome, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Western's last two championships of any kind in the 20th century were in 1990 and 1994 respectively. The 1990 title was the Yates Cup when they defeated Toronto 46-31. Unfortunately for that squad, they did not win the Atlantic Bowl as they were defeated by the Saint Mary's Huskies 31-30.In the 1994 season, Western won their last Vanier Cup of the 20th century as they won in overtime by defeated the Calgary Dinos 50-40. This was Western's sixth Vanier Cup in school history. In total, Western had won 39 championships before the end of the 20th century.
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