The Red Leafs are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian or non-American university affiliated with the U.S.-based National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The teams previously used the nicknames "Clan" and "Clansmen," which were used as a tribute to the Scottish heritage of the university's namesake, Simon Fraser.

In 1997, Simon Fraser sought to join the NCAA of the United States as a Division II school, but was turned down.

The GNAC admitted SFU one year earlier than planned as a full conference member in time for the 2010–11 season.

After the 2021 season, the GNAC shut down its football league, with SFU and the other remaining members joining the Lone Star Conference for that sport.

[20] However, the LSC announced it would no longer maintain its affiliate membership with Simon Fraser following the 2023 season, leading SFU to end its varsity football program effective immediately.

SFU holds a 17–16–1 series lead while UBC is the most recent champion having won the 2022 game at Terry Fox Field.

[22] With the end of Simon Fraser's football program, however, the Shrum Bowl has become a defunct rivalry, with the last edition played in 2022 under American rules and resulting in a 18–17 victory for UBC.

The official mascot of SFU Athletics is McFogg the Dog, an anthropomorphic Scottish terrier who wears a kilt.

[29] McFogg was officially adopted as the University's mascot in 1996[30] and is named in honour of SFU's inaugural president Patrick McTaggart-Cowan who was nicknamed "McFog".