York University Lions head football coach Warren Craney announced on Tuesday that Jesse Alexander has been named the special team coordinator for the program.
Alexander, who will also coach the Lions linebackers, comes to York with 10 years of coaching experience in U SPORTS with the Laurier Golden Hawks. While there he worked mostly with the linebackers while also assisting on special teams and with the defence. This past season he won his first Yates Cup as a coach with the champion Golden Hawks.
“Jesse is a proven winner and we are thrilled to add someone of his calibre to our coaching staff,” said Craney. “We are at a unique spot in our rebuild and are looking for strong leaders to guide our talented young players, and we believe Jesse will make a big impact on our special teams.”
Prior to becoming a coach, Alexander had a tremendous playing career with the Golden Hawks. He dressed in 52 consecutive games at linebacker and helped Laurier win back-to-back Yates Cups in 2004 and 2005, as well as the Vanier Cup in 2005. He was a two-time OUA all-star and CIS all-Canadian (2004, 2006) and was also honoured as the OUA’s defensive player of the year in 2006. He was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders with the 39th overall pick in the 2005 Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft.
In 2011 he was named to Laurier’s Team of the Century as one of the top 33 players in program history, and that same year he was inducted into the institution’s Hall of Fame.
“It has been a lifelong goal of mine to become a full-time football coach at the U SPORTS level and I feel that the past 15 years has prepared me for this opportunity,” said Alexander. “I could not be more excited to bring my football knowledge and passion for winning to the Lions football program. I am looking forward to helping the Lions get back into the playoffs and to help build a winning tradition over the next few years.”
In addition to his coaching experience with the Golden Hawks, Alexander has spent time in the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL), most recently as the defensive coordinator for the Cambridge Lions for three seasons (2013-15).
Alexander will make his debut on the sideline with the Lions on Sunday, Aug. 27 when the squad opens the 2017 OUA campaign with a game against the Western Mustangs at Alumni Field.
Source: York Lions
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