TORONTO – University of Toronto head football coach Greg DeLaval today confirmed his resignation from the program, effective April 15, 2011, in order to reunite with his family in the West.
In three years as the team’s head coach, DeLaval has played a significant role in turning around the historic football program. Serving as interim head coach for the 2008 season, he helped end the longest losing streak in CIS history, leading the team to their first win in seven seasons and notching his first CIS victory in his first game as the Blues bench boss in September 2008.
This past season, DeLaval led the team to its best record in 15 seasons. Most impressive was the win over the then number two-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees at home – U of T’s first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since defeating Waterloo 21-15 on September 19, 1997.
“Greg has shown outstanding leadership – in supporting our student-athletes, in significantly improving the competitiveness of our program, and in making U of T one of the top choices for football athletes in Canada,” says Beth Ali, director of intercollegiate and high performance sport. “He will be sorely missed but he’ll always be part of the Blues family.”
After a long separation from his young family, DeLaval and his wife, Marlo, have found work in the same city and are returning to their previous home in Calgary. DeLaval will join the coaching staff at the University of Calgary, where he served as special teams coordinator and offensive assistant for the Dinos in 2006-07.
“Coaching at U of T has been an unbelievable experience but being apart from my family for two years has been mentally exhausting and not fair to anyone, particularly my two boys,” says DeLaval. “I leave here with nothing but great memories. I will miss the Varsity Blues coaching staff and players immensely but I feel very good about the condition of the football program. The coaches, players, alumni and the University are all taking positive steps toward making this program a national contender.”
The University plans to hire an interim head coach for the 2011-12 season while it undertakes an already-planned review of the entire intercollegiate program. The review was set in motion as a result of the changing landscape of university sport in Ontario and Canada, as well as a mandate to develop a U of T sport model that supports excellence and high performance initiatives. “Once our new intercollegiate model is in place, we will be in a much better position to hire the very best person to continue taking this team to new heights,” says Ali. An interim coach will be announced in the coming days.
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