Carleton Ravens Fly Again! General Manager Tom Timlin discusses the next steps

Written by Matthew Thomson

OTTAWA, On.- It has been fourteen years since Ottawa’s Frank Clair Stadium played host to the Panda Bowl (a game between the cross-town rivals Ottawa Gee Gees and Carleton Ravens), but football fans in our nation’s capital will soon be able to dig the eucalyptus leaves out of storage as the Carleton Ravens will once again hit the gridiron in 2013. The Ravens moved one step closer to their comeback with the selection of Thomas Timlin as the Manager of Football Operations for the squad that’s only a couple years away.

Timlin is no stranger to the Carleton football scene, having been a Raven from ’81 to ’85. During that time he accumulated a school record fourteen interceptions as a LB/DB and earned the President’s Trophy in 1983 as the top defensive player in the CIS. His number 37 is one, which is guaranteed not to be on the field in 2013 as the as it stands as the only football number to be retired in school history. When asked how it felt to be part of the revival of the proud Carleton football tradition, it’s not surprising that Timlin expressed excitement to be back; “Well I played here for five years, as captain for four of those, and then coached four a couple before heading out of the country for work. I only moved back to Ottawa in 2008, and that’s when I started working with Kevin McKerrow on the revival of the program. I’m really proud to be apart of what we feel is going to be something special”.

Something special may very well happen under the lights at Keith Harris Stadium, however firstly, Timlin has to build a team. More specifically, Timlin has to choose a coach to build a team. Unlike the CFL, expansion teams in the CIS don’t have the luxury of an expansion draft. They have to, instead, rely on the abilities of their coach as a recruiter. Timlin understands this; “First and foremost, it’s important that the coach we select is a strong recruiter. He has to have CIS experience, needs to be energetic and fit with the program, but most importantly he has to be a strong recruiter.” (when asked if that meant as a head coach or as a coach in general, Timlin quickly replied ‘As head coach’). Timlin himself will not be solely responsible for the selection of the head coach, but will be part of a committee to narrow down from a pool of applicants (position posted now). They hope to be able to name a head coach before Christmas.

At this point, it is probably a good idea to explain how the program will operate. It will be based loosely on the method the programs at Laval and Regina are operated, however it will be a business model unique to Carleton. The team will not be financed by the school, but instead by a committee aptly named Old Crows Football Inc. With the budget being made up of donations by alumni, including John Ruddy’s 2.5 million dollar donation, the team will have an operating budget of five million dollars, but Timlin recognizes that a transition will be required; “We recognize that this format is not permanent. My job is to organize that will transition to a sustainable program.”.

A Carleton Ravens football team would make the second CIS football program in Ottawa and the eleventh in Ontario (more than the total number of Canada West and AUS teams combined). The obvious overcrowding of the OUA has raised murmurs of the possibility of the potential combination of OUA and RSEQ (Quebec league) teams to combine a third conference that would hold teams from both conferences. Timlin dismisses this possibility, however, saying that he feels its in the best interest of the Ravens to join the OUA and compete against opponents within the province.

Football fans in the capital area can now add the return of the Ravens to the football scene as a reason why 2013 will be such an exciting year. The city will go from one CIS program to two, and will also be adding a CFL team to the mix. Timlin is confident the increase of high-level football in Ottawa will only increase the buzz and interest in the game, and continue to improve interest at the grassroots level. One thing is sure, Timlin’s passion for his school’s program and for the game itself is un-deniable, a quality that can only increase the chances for the Ravens goal of hitting the ground running.

You can follow all the developments in the Carleton Ravens football program “[URL]http://www2.carleton.ca/football/.