GRANVILLE EASTMAN: A Coach’s Journey South

Eastman was serious about football during his Leacock days, but didn’t have the same zeal for his studies. His coach would change that.

“I was fortunate enough to have some good role models and mentors at Stephen Leacock. Guys like (head coach) Giulio Giordani.” Eastman continued, “he told me in my last year of school, ‘you gotta go to college.’”

The defensive back’s marks in school were not high enough to warrant entrance into university, so Eastman decided to return for an extra year to improve his grades. It was during that year Coach Giordani introduced Eastman to the late legend Larry Uteck. Uteck was head coach of Saint Mary’s University Huskies and was actually interested in one of Eastman’s teammates. The hopeful DB impressed Uteck enough, though, and was offered the opportunity to play at Saint Mary’s during the glory days of the “Chris Flynn Era.” Eastman is quick to point out that several of the Huskies had the talent to play NCAA football, but he wasn’t one of them.

“I always felt I was a coach long before I was a player. I always knew the game better than I could play it, “ he said in a recent phone interview after we met at the recent FCCA.

It was in 1992, when he was graduating from SMU as a sociology major, that offensive line coach Neville Connoly gave Eastman the book which would help chart his career path. It was the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) manual. Eastman was already helping coach a women’s flag football team on campus and the manual gave him the desire to pursue coaching full-time.

He began his career as a volunteer for Tom Arnott at York University and learned a great deal about defense and coaching during a rough couple of years for the program (you may remember York lost 47 consecutive games from 1988 to 1995.)

Also during that time, Eastman was attending clinics and AFCA conventions and networking with as many coaches as he could. He also wrote letters and stayed in contact with several U.S. schools.

Finally, after “a lot of prayers and some good fortune,” Eastman landed a job as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State University under head coach John Bobo. Bobo is the uncle of current University of Georgia offensive coordinator, Mike Bobo. Coaching trees and family trees don’t grow far apart.

Eastman absorbed an education in coaching as well as earned his Master’s degree in sociology during his two years at Arkansas State. Transitioning to the American game was also a learning experience.

While running the scout team, Eastman remembered, “within my first three practices, I moved two guys in motion at the same time. I did that maybe twice more and got scolded pretty good. I kinda learned they weren’t going to tolerate this.”

The former SMU Huskie furthered his coaching career by moving to Tiffin University in Ohio, a Division II school, and worked his way up to defensive coordinator. During his time in Ohio, Eastman started another letter writing campaign, this time to NFL teams offering to intern. With the help of legendary California high school coach Phil Stearns (whose high school staff once included future NFL head coaches Mike Holmgren and Marty Mornhinweg at the same time!!), Eastman went to camp with the Detroit Lions as an intern in 2002. There, he continued learning his craft and met Kevin O’Dea, who later set Eastman up with other NFL internships.

After the Lions camp, coach Eastman was hired at his current home, Austin Peay. He began as an assistant coach working on special teams and is now the defensive coordinator for the NCAA-FBS school. Eastman is still learning under head coach Rick Christophel. Eastman is teaching as well. As mentioned, he was in Burlington last weekend at the FCCA convention to teach a seminar on defensive back techniques and drills.

Eastman’s coaching journey is far from over. His wife, Lynnette (whom he met as part of the journey) and their two sons, J.R. and Brandon, are more important than anything and as long as an opportunity allows him to care for them, he is willing to try it. Eastman would love to be a college head coach someday or work at the pro level in either the NFL or CFL. He’s been especially impressed with the CFL recently.

“I’ve seen the growth of the league and seen how it’s getting better. And the better years are ahead. I have no doubt,“ says the former letterman at SMU, who is also excited by the stability of the franchises now.

The coaching career of Granville Eastman has been one of hard work, constant learning, and continuous networking. The coaching family is tight-knit and contacts are as important as playbooks. The Austin Peay Governors coach has already achieved great success from humble Canadian beginnings, but still has more to come.

“My goal since the day I left Toronto was to coach at the highest level.” It’s a lofty aim, but Eastman says, “That’s just how goals go.”