[4][5] Stereotyped Indigenous iconography was on McGill football and hockey team jerseys and helmets until 1992 when a student-led campaign against the name and imagery led to their removal.

[6] At the same time, a large crest depicting an Indigenous man wearing a headdress was removed from the McGill gym.

The mascot made its first appearance at the 2005 Homecoming men's football game, where it was presented to the McGill Athletics Department by the Student Organization for Alumni Relations.

The program showed signs of hope as the team won three games in 2009, but soon sank back down to futility with consecutive winless campaigns in 2010 and 2011.

On March 3, 1875 the first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink by James George Aylwin Creighton and several McGill University students.

[12] On November 15, 2003, Kim St-Pierre was the first woman in U Sports history to be credited with a win in a men's regular season game.

In 2002 the team gained Level-3 varsity club status at McGill, and joined the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association, Canada's premier league founded in 1985.

McGill competes in the CUFLA East versus Bishop's, Carleton, Nipissing, Ottawa, Trent and Queen's Universities.

The team trains out of the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club throughout the fall and competes in dinghies such as the collegiate 420 and the Flying Junior.

In the 2016 CCBA National Tournament, held at Ahuntsic Park in Montreal, the Redmen went 2–1 in pool play, advancing to the semi-finals where they defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies by a score of 21–0, and then defeated the Montreal Carabins in the national championship game 3–2 on a walk-off home run by catcher Christopher Stanford.

Head Coaches: John Elias, 1994 & 1995 Ernie D'Alessandro, 1996 - 2011 Jason Starr, 2012 - 2018 Casey Auerbach 2019 - 2022 Chris Haddad, 2023 - A 2005 hazing scandal forced the cancellation of the final two games in the McGill Redbirds football season.

[15] An investigation into the incident showed that "the event did involve nudity, degrading positions and behaviours, gagging, touching in inappropriate manners with a broomstick, as well as verbal and physical intimidation of rookies by a large portion of the team.