Windsor's Potential Coaching Candidates

As the inevitable end to Mike Morencie's career as Windsor Lancers head football coach nears, I look at a few of the more qualified replacements that may — or may not — be available.

I present to you, in no particular order, a Magnificent (or not) 7 candidates for the jobs ... and a secondary list of maybes — or maybe nots. 

Read on. And then sound off in the comment section. Just remember to keep it clean. 

PAUL GLEASON:

Gleason is currently defensive coordinator for the Western Mustangs. It's a job he's held since 2003, serving as such under both Larry Haylor and Greg Marshall — two of the best tutors in the OUA.

Prior to the arrival of Mickey Donovan, one of the OUA's best recruiters, Gleason was Western's recruiting coordinator from 2001 until 2008 when Donovan joined the staff and began to shoulder most of the recruiting weight.

But boosters in Windsor have already begun bandying his name around — and the guy's Yates Cup championship season isn't even over yet.

Gleason coordinated the OUA's best defence in 2008 and 2007, the latter being the season in which the Mustangs won the Yates Cup and locked down crazy-legged quarterback Justin Dunk in doing so — the scrambling, maddening pivot had just 42 yards rushing in the OUA championship game.

Last season was significantly less successful, but it was an anomaly and Gleason says he is a better coach this year.

At the high school level, Gleason went 67-4-1 in eight seasons, five of them undefeated. He won a London record seven high school football championships.

Gleason is a Windsor grad, so Windsor athletic director Gord Grace may have that going for him if Gleason is an eventual candidate.

But working against the Lancers are the facts that Gleason co-owns Forest City Football Camp, which has operated in London for 12 years; Gleason and his wife not long ago welcomed a son into the world; and he's also a full-time teach at St. Thomas Aquinas high school in London.

Maybe, just maybe, Windsor can score a two-for-one or buy-one-get-one-free deal if they land Gleason and reunite him with his former assistant coach ... 

MIKE CIRCELLI:

Mike Circelli is a legendary high school coach in London, where, at Catholic Central he revived a long suffering program, turning it back into a perennial powerhouse.

He was the Crusaders head coach from 1985-89 and 1998-2009. From 1990-1997, he served as Gleason's assistant coach. Circelli's Crusaders appeared appeared in 19 high school championship games and won 13 of them during his 25-year stint.

At 55, after 32 years as a teacher, he announced his retirement in January. Steve Green of the London Free Press penned the homage at the time. It could easily serve as a resume.

Some highlights:

Won 13 London Conference or Thames Valley championships in 19 appearances in the final, including 18 in a row from 1987-2005.

Won the OFSAA Western Bowl in 2004 and 2005 and played in the inaugural game in 2000.

Were named unofficial national champions in 1992 and 1997.

Posted a record, including playoffs, of 189-34-0.

MICKEY DONOVAN:

Because so many in Lancerland suffer from an infiority complex brought on by the Mustangs — even though they should blame Morencie — they seem set on dismantling the Western coaching staff. That's why, again, Mickey Donovan's name pops up the way it did in 2007 and 2009 when Morencie was under the microscope.

In March, I suggested Donovan as a possible replacement for Kyle Walters, when he left for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Not much has changed since that guest post at the CIS Blog, so here, essentially, is a carbon copy:

Would Mickey Donovan want to leave the OUA football mecca that is London, Ontario? Maybe. If he really wants to be a head coach one day.

There's little if any chance Greg Marshall leaves Western any time soon, so will Donovan say goodbye first?

If it carries any weight, and it does for a lot of Canadian football folks (just ask CFL brass), Donovan is an American. He played linebacker at both the University of Maine and at Concordia University. He was named a two-time all-Canadian and national defensive player of the year.

It's clear he has the knowledge and experience from both sides of the border. Before landing in London, Donovan coached with NewHampshire State (Division 1-AA).

Donovan owes a lot to Marshall so loyalty may be an issue. When Marshall was coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he invited Donovan to try out. Donovan suffered a knee injury but Marshall was so impressed he convinced Hamilton management to keep Donovan on the team.

Donovan's only been with the Mustangs for four years, so there is the question of experience. But, like he did as a player, Donovan's impressed Marshall. Donovan started as a linebackers coach and is now responsible for the special teams.

Donovan's also Western's recruiting coordinator. His prize recruits include current San Diego Chargers defensive end Vaughn Martin and present-day Mustangs linebacker John Surla, last season's defensive player of the year.

RON VANMOERKERKE:

One of the only OUA defences to be as consistantly as good as Western's during the past eight seasons has been Ron Vanmoerkerke's at Laurier.

Vanmoerkerke's a winner. Period.

He was a Laurier linebacker in the late 1980s. He won the 1987 Yates Cup. A year later, he received the WLU Alumni Association academic and athletic achievement award. And in 1989, he was named an OUA first-team all-star linebacker and team MVP.

He's been a Laurier coach for 12 years. He was named defensive coordinator in 2003. In 2005, the Hawks won the Vanier Cup.

Vanmoerkerke produced the OUA's defensive player of the year in 2006 and 2007 when Jesse Alexander and Anthony Maggiocomo won the award.

Last season, Vanmoerkerke was named the OUA's volunteer coach of the year. Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries was named coach of the year. So again, Vanmoerkerke would come from a program with pedigree.

Should Vanmoerkerke apply for and win the job, he wouldn't be the first coordinator to leave Laurier and become a head coach.

Stefan Ptaszek was the Hawks' offensive coordinator before taking over McMaster.

PAT TRACEY:

Pat Tracey is as qualified a candidate as there is. But is he actively looking to leave the comfort zone of Queen's where he serves as defensive coordinator and recruiting guru for head coach Pat Sheehan?

He's from nearby Belleville. His daughter was a ball girl for the Vanier Cup winning team in 2009. He's the heir apparent to Sheehan. So it's going to take a lot (of money) to woo Tracey away from Kingston.

Sources say he was interested in the Guelph job when it became available in March after Kyle Walters left for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. But then again, Guelph is his alma mater.
Tracey was said to have applied but wanted more than the roughly $60,000 Guelph would or could offer.

Money was also the problem when he dropped out of the running when Walters originally landed the job.

From a guest post I made at the CIS Blog:

Tracey originally applied to be Queen's coach but was passed over for Pat Sheahan, who had more experience in the role. Tracey jumped at the chance to move himself, his wife and two girls closer to their original Belleville home when Queen's offensive co-ordinator Steve Yovetich left to pursue a business career in Ottawa. Tracey applied and beat out 13 other applicants for the job.

The duo won the Vanier Cup last fall; the school's first since 1992.

Tracey clearly knows what it takes to build a program — he's help do so in tangible ways at two schools. Recruiting continues to be a more — if not the most — important job for a coach, especially when doing so against the likes of Western and Queen's. And Tracey can sell a program, a job made easier with a program on the uptick.

The uptick(s) in Windsor's case are some of the OUA's lowest admissions standards, a new stadium, a new weight room/excercise facility and hotbed of football talent in the Lancers' own backyard.

If that's not enough to entice Tracey to move his entire family seven hours southwest on the 401 maybe the thought of $80,000 per year for five years — what I'm told the job will pay — will entice the defensive coordinator.

Still, Windsor's likely a tough sell to Tracey, who is said to be making that kind of money already at Queen's and can simply wait to be promoted when Sheehan retires.

KYLE WALTERS:

There is a small faction of Windsor Lancers boosters pushing hard for athletic director Gord Grace to reach out to Kyle Walters, the former Guelph Gryphons head coach and current Winnipeg Blue Bombers special teams coach.

Walters wasn't actively seeking a CFL job when he left Guelph. In fact, he wasn't seeking any job. At all. What he was looking for was stability. He would have stayed in the Royal City and raised a family for as long as the Gryphons would have him.

“I’m a bit of a romantic, and I probably would have stayed in Guelph for 25 years and made a career of it here for what I was making,” Walters said, “but when someone else offers you a job that pays more, you have to entertain the offer; at least look at it. And I got too good of an offer both financially and in terms of a coaching opportunity (to turn it down).”

However, athletic director Tom Kendall only offered Walters a one-year deal on a sort of "probationary" period in March.

So, without a raise and without job security, he left when Winnipeg came calling.

But professional football is a business and Walters, after just one season, is already feeling the heat of the Big City media. The Winnipeg Sun said Monday that Walters is on the hot seat.

Again, the going rate in Windsor — so I'm told — will be $80,000 a year for five years. And I'm told that's especially true if the man they hire ends up being Walters.

Walters in four years accomplished more at Guelph than Morencie did in his 13 seasons at Windsor.

Walters opened the Niagara Falls Region to recruiting, revived a program, beat Western once in four years while Morencie did so only twice in 13. Walters also led the Gryphons to a remarkable Yates Cup appearance in 2007.

Imagine what he could with a five-year deal, some money and a better facility.

TED GOVEIA:

Ted Goveia has to be mentioned as a prime candidate — even if it is the easy hire for Windsor athletic director Gord Grace. The two have a history.

Goveia served as an assistant to Grace when he head coach Mount Allison during the 1990s.
Goveia also has ties to Ontario. He was head coach of the Burlington Braves from 1998-2000.

Bob Duff, who has been (sort of) on top of the Morencie death watch since about 2007 noted in 2009 that Goveia was "at the top of the list" as potential replacements.

Goveia was as recently as the 2009 season head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds. He was fired after going 2-6 in 2008 and 1-7 in 2009.

However, one astute CIS observer and fervent blogger noted the record wasn't all Goveia's fault.

[The new coach's] challenge will be changing the culture of a program that simply hasn't been given the resources and attention needed to succeed in the Canada West conference for many years ... lack of a turf field—Vancouver's never-ending rainy season makes practicing on muddy fields a bit of an issue, and the team has had to travel outside of Vancouver for their training camp the last two years due to Thunderbird Stadium being used by concerts.

I googled my fingers off but couldn't come up with Goveia's current whereabouts.

OTHERS WORTH CONSIDERING:

Mike O'Shea — Former Gryphons linebacker, Yates Cup champ, current Toronto Argos special teams coach

John Bloomfield — Former Windsor AKO Fratmen head coach, former Essex County high school coaching great, former St. FX X-Men head coach

Steve LaLonde — Applied for the Guelph job and was apparently athletic director Tom Kendall's early pick before Stu Lang enter the fray, was AUS coach of the year in 2006

Kevin MacNeill — Former Laurier and UBC special teams coach, got an interview during Guelph's latest hiring, eventually became Guelph's defensive coordinator

Denis Piche — Former Ottawa Gee-Gees head coach who resigned in February, had enough of the 14- to 16-hour days, had a new "exciting opportunity" and hasn't been heard from since.

Andy McEvoy — Former York Lions head coach, now runs Canada's version of Rivals.com

Mike McLean – Former York Lions head coach, former successful Canadian Junior Football head coach with the Edmonton Wildcats, out of football at the moment

Now it's your turn. Who gets your vote? Who doesn't? Who did I miss? Have at it in the comment section, but keep it clean. No personal attacks.

Comments

[Donnie]

Mickey Donovan is the best idea.

[GGFan]

Denis Piché has taken a administrator position for a new sports complex in Gatineau (so I guess that makes him a public worker now) and enjoys the (well deserved) time he can now spend with his daughters and his family.

[lancer fan]

chris bertoia from uwo is another sleeper pick, great recruiter with a blue collar attitude that would fit in at windsor

also harry lumley would be a good choice as a figure head type coach who would get the best talent and the best coaches available... think joe pa and would probably take less money

[Greg Layson]

Lancer fan;

I totally forgot Lumley - he's similar to Circelli and Gleason in terms of high school success. His name was on my list. It just got late last night and I forgot to add it to the post.

I'll admit I forgot Bertoia, despite being given that name before.

Thanks for the feedback and reminders!

[freethinker]

Harry would be an excellent addition to the staff if he were inclined to retire from HS coaching.

The new coach needs to be a great recruiter and great evaluator of talent.

Windsor is a great hire away from being a contending football program. Too many positives, the only negative would be distance from the GTA....but Queens is just as far from the GTA if not further.

[Josh]

What about Laurier offensive coordinator Ryan Pyear??

[Greg Layson]

Hey Josh;

Pyear was Duff's list a couple years back. In fact, he said Pyear was one of the top three candidates.

I think that's changed, though.

Windsor can't take a chance on inexperience. Windsor needs to get out of this hole that's become an abyss quickly.

That's not a slight on Pyear's ability as a player or even as an assistant/coordinator.

I just think Windsor wants more of a guarantee. Not that there are many — if any — in the life of sports.

[Faces on College]

Agreed....Pyear may very well be Laurier's next coach...but I wouldn't take a risk with him. Even Mickey Donovan is a risk.
That's why my first 2 choices would be Pat Tracey and Kyle Walters.

[Faces on College]

Greg...a correction....Mike did beat Western twice in 2003.
However, the vast majority of the contests were ridiculous beat downs. What sticks in my craw the most is the 2006 playoff loss to an average Western team on our field, with Western missing Mike Faulds. Western beat us in the mud bowl without completing a single pass!
We were simply out coached. That 2006 team was championship caliber. That team underachieved due to inferior coaching.

[Greg Layson]

Thanks FoC. I and the post stand corrected. I made the change.

Apologies to Morencie and Lancers alike.

[Glen Mills]

I think Windsor should hire me. I'm the best coach Essex County has ever seen!

Glen Mills = Vanier Cup within 3 years

Go Ravens!

...out

[DH]

I think Joe Paopao is looking for work

[pistol pete]

Really DH?
Well, as a Renegade season ticket holder for all of the team's brief and brutal history, I'd take a pass on Joe, thank you very much.
A nice guy Joe Paopao is...a really swell guy from all that I hear.
But that was the problem with Joe from where I sit...too nice a guy to coach at the pro level.
He might be different at the university level but I would just as soon not take that chance.

[Greg Layson]

Special thanks to loyal blog reader Pete Gryphon who pointed out I mistakenly ID'd Pat Tracey as OC rather than DC. Tracey is, in fact, assistant coach AND DC.

My apologies to all Queen's (Golden) Gaels fans and, of course, Tracey.

If you see a mistake, feel free to email me, I'll correct it. I'm not to big to admit to a mistake.

[ex-player]

the lancers need a hardnosed coach one who does not care about the limelight aor the big names..... why does the coach haveto be a name all know, that usually does not work

anyone know who john celistino is?

[Nike Free]

Such a good writing, or by I saw for the first time. I'm quite happy, you are a good writer

[Dick Bedclothes]

There is not enough cash on the table to attract and established coach....that along with the fact the what remains are local Windsor coaches who may have apllied and lost is not a great situation...

Want to be able to bring along your own people...which is why one candidate mentioned above turned the job down a few times

Why would someone leave a job to coach football for less $$?

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[BPO]

But, talking and sharing your felling and thoughts with someone you are close will help you tremendously in solving all the problems.

[ken griffey shoes]

Agreed....Pyear may very well be Laurier's next coach...but I wouldn't take a risk with him. Even Mickey Donovan is a risk.

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A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.