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In a game that involves, more often than not, grunting and cursing on the gridiron, it's not all that often a Rhodes Scholar is called to intervene. And even if he were, one imagines he'd be tackled on the spot.

But David Naylor is not just any academic. A distinguished Oxford-educated medical researcher, he chaired the National Advisory Committee on SARS in 2003 and last year was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.

Tough tasks, in other words, aren't anything new.

But the one thing the genial University of Toronto president has yet to witness in his two-year tenure is a win by school's woebegone football team, which today will likely set the Canadian university futility record with its 48th loss in a row.

And that's a problem.

"Frankly," Naylor said, "I like winning."

The university's Varsity Blues aren't just bad, however. They're almost legendarily so. The team has a 2-76 record in the past 10 seasons and is winless since Oct. 13, 2001. The Blues, 0-6, have been outscored by an average of 41-14 this season.

It's a situation that Naylor is well aware of, and one he intends to change.

Formerly the dean of medicine, Naylor took office as the president in the fall of 2005, and in his installation address, he noted that the school's future success would "be measured by our openness to students who find it hardest to get here, who have felt stigmatized, excluded or unwelcome."

That, he said at the time, included "gifted athletes."

And while that's been true in several sports, from men's basketball to women's hockey and volleyball, the football team hasn't left the basement.

"I do doubt this [athletics] will ever be U of T's raison d'être — we're an academic institution and that's our calling card," Naylor said in an interview. "But life outside the classroom is incredibly important. U of T, in particular, has been criticized for being a school focused on academics and not offering the most engaging out-of-classroom experience. I think we've made real progress to turn that around in the last few years, and having first-rate athletic programs at the intercollegiate level is a small piece of continuing to turn that in the right direction.

"Obviously, when I read about the football team, I worry about how hard it is all of those involved with the program when they've had a long losing streak. And I'd like to see them do better."

Naylor, 52, faces a myriad of concerns as the head of Canada's largest postsecondary institution, issues relating to funding, infrastructure, scholarships and high-level research. Football is well down the list.

But the president is also a former athlete. At Oxford more than 20 years ago, Naylor played basketball for its Varsity Blues, the lone Canadian on a squad of Americans, and he knows the meaning of trying to compete.

Naylor said he fully supports strong varsity teams at the University of Toronto, dismissing the idea that his school embraces an "Ivy League model" that values participation over competitiveness.

While the school's athletic administration, including athletic director Liz Hoffman, has come under fire from football alumni and other observers, Naylor believes the $92-million reconstruction of the Varsity Centre will be the key in winning over new recruits.

He also said the football team, which hasn't won a game in six years, is not far from doing so.

In the meantime, he'll be in the stands — when he can.

"I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep about the short-term situation," he said. "I do feel it's tough on the young people involved, and I'm glad they've managed to stay focused on doing the best job they can.

"I get out from time to time. I do try to get out and wave the flag and make calls to recruits where coaches ask me to. I try to be as supportive as possible, but obviously, the main thing I'm called on to do is try to get the resources together and keep the focus on the programs in the best way possible."