Burlington Stampeders Announce 2011 Head Coaches – Lumsden leads Varsity

Burlington ON – The Burlington Minor Football Association board of directors announced the following coaching appointments for the 2011 Ontario Football Conference (OFC) Varsity Division summer season which includes two teams in the junior varsity level:

Varsity (players born 1992-94) – Neil Lumsden
Junior Varsity (players born 1995-96) – Sean Williamson
Junior Varsity (players born 1995-96) – Kevin Holmes
Bantam (players born 1997- 98) – Cliff Bruce

“The Burlington Minor Football Association develops some of the most exceptional football talent in the province of Ontario. Our players and alumni are represented throughout the region and the province – in high schools, on elite teams and throughout the CIS,” said summer director, Jay Davison. “The reason is simple, it’s the coaching.”

All Burlington Stampeders head coaches are certified Level 2 NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program). In addition Stampeders coaches participate in high-level coaching clinics at prestigious universities throughout Canada and the US.

The history of Stampeders coaches includes winning high school coaches, former CFL players, former CIS players, CIS coaches and community coaches – the best this community has to offer. The results are played out on the field. Currently three OFC championships are held by Burlington Stampeders teams. This year’s stable of coaches is defined in the same tradition as previous championship teams – exceptional in both talent and experience.

2011 Coach Biographies

Varsity Division – Neil Lumsden

Neil Lumsden is the returning head coach of the OFC Varsity Division Burlington Stampeders, a position he has held since 2007. Under Coach Neil, the Varsity Stamps have enjoyed unparalleled success in the OFC, winning championships in the inaugural year 2007, repeating in 2008 and 2010.

Neil’s playing career began in high school, continued into University with the Ottawa Gee Gees, winning both the Vanier Cup and the Ted Morris trophy as Vanier MVP. He translated this into a CFL career with the Argos, Tiger-Cats and Eskimos, winning Grey Cup championships in 1980-82 and honored with the Dick Suderman Trophy as Outstanding Canadian in 1981.
Lumsden’s coaching style is described by his players as disciplined and focused, equipping them with the skills to win, having fun along the way.

Junior Varsity Division – Sean Williamson

Sean Williamson is returning as Stampeders head coach in the Junior Varsity Division. In 2010, in his first head coaching season, Coach Sean led his team to an undefeated season capped by the OFC Junior Varsity Tier 1 championship. He has been a fixture of high school and rep football in Burlington for the past eight years. Sean was offensive line coach with the 2008 champion Varsity Stampeders , the 2009 champion Junior Varsity Stampeders, the GHAC and Halton champion Assumption High School in 2003 and 2004 and the three-year champion Corpus Christie High School teams where he continues as an offensive/defensive line coach.

Sean’s playing career began in the Collingwood high school and rep teams, named a Simcoe County High School all-star for three years and continued into CIS when he played offensive tackle for the X-men of St. Francis Xavier 1997-2000.

Coach Sean has an unsurpassed passion for excellence as evidenced in his attention to fundamentals and the finest details. This passion, together with the relationship with his players, creates an atmosphere that brings out the best talent in every individual on the team to help them achieve success at both the CIS and CFL level. He’s coached Danny Brannagan (Toronto), Chima Ihekwoaba (Montreal) and Ryan Bomben (Montreal).

Junior Varsity Division – Kevin Holmes

Kevin Holmes is no stranger to the Burlington Minor Football Association, having coached from 2005 through 2010 in the BMFA house league, developing many players that have successfully moved on to the Stampeders stable. For the past two seasons Coach Kevin has been the assistant head coach and offensive line coach with the Cambridge Lions entry in the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL).

Kevin played high school and junior football in Saskatoon and has coached not only football, but hockey, baseball and basketball, both in Saskatchewan and in Ontario.

Coach Kevin’s coaching philosophy is best summarized by one word – respect. Both on and off the field Kevin is respectful of his players and is unwavering in his determination to ensure that every player is developing the skills, knowledge and necessary passion for the game. Success for Kevin is measured in terms of his attendance at practice and seeing returning players from previous years.

Bantam Division – Cliff Bruce

A product of the BMFA organization and programs, Cliff Bruce has been identified as one of our exceptional coaches by players, parents and the league. Coach Cliff has served as head coach with most BMFA divisions coaching in flag, house league and with the Stampeders.

Cliff’s playing career started at age seven in the BMFA house league. From age 11 through 16, Cliff was a member of the Stampeders rep teams. He captained the Aldershot high school football team, played with the Burlington Braves and received a full football scholarship to Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Always aware of his priorities, he turned this down for family reasons. That did not hide his talent. Invited to the Tiger-Cat rookie camp the same year he was unable to participate due to a broken ankle.

Cliff’s coaching style reflects his personality, easy going but tough when required. He runs what he calls power finesse football. First power the football on the ground, then tighten up the defence and finally pick apart opponents with an aggressive passing game. On defence the more aggressive, the better. His defences are a reflection of how he played nose tackle – smashmouth, mean and nasty.

There will be an information session and in-person registration for all interested players and their parents at the Burlington Seniors Centre at 2285 New St., Burlington, Ontario (in Central Park adjacent to the Central Library and Arena), on Saturday January 22, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. For further details regarding the Burlington Stampeders OFC Summer Program, please contact the following e-mail: [email protected]

New this year, on-line registration is open on the BMFA web-site. Please follow the following link:
[URL]http://burlingtonminorfootball.ca/default.aspx?p=article&id=23514