Get to know JrNT head coach Warren Craney

Kirkland, Quebec native and Junior National Team head coach, Warren Craney got his start coaching a year after he played his last down of junior football as a free safety with the Châteauguay Raiders.

“Football is a sport you absolutely love and once you stop playing it’s over,” or so Craney thought.

“I had a former coach, a mentor, Peter Chryssomalis, now the head coach at Vanier College who pushed me towards coaching. He felt I had something to give back to the game, I’m very fortunate he did and I got involved with the Châteauguay Raiders.”

Craney recalls that Chryssomalis told him he owed it to not only his community but the football public in general to pass on his knowledge and love of the game to future generations of athletes.

“You know what, he was right and I still tell that to my players when they graduate that they need to give back to the sport.”

Craney enjoyed three great years at Vanier College as their defensive coordinator before having to make a tough decision. He received an offer to join Gerry McGrath at Concordia University as a paid coach – his first full-time offer.

“I had to make a decision of whether I was going to be a full-time coach or continue to help out on a volunteer basis and pursue a career. But you know what, my love for football was too strong and I jumped at the opportunity coach McGrath gave me at Concordia.”

In his seven years at Concordia three of Craney’s players captured the Presidents’ Trophy as top defensive player in Canadian university football (Mickey Donovan 2004, Patrick Donovan 2005, 2006, and Cory Greenwood 2009).

Craney was approached by Laval head coach, Glen Constantin who served the same role with Team Canada in 2009 and was asked to serve as Canada’s defensive coordinator at the 2007 Global Juniors. Craney went on to fulfill this position twice more with Team Canada at the IFAF World Championships. In 2009 he served under Constantin at the inaugural IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio as well as again in 2012 helping Canada defeat Team USA for the gold medal under Noel Thorpe.

Throughout his time with the Team Canada program Craney has worked alongside some of Canada’s best coaches.

In his first year with Team Canada in 2007, Craney had the intimidating task of coordinating a defense anchored by three university head coaches. His coaching staff included Calgary Dinos’ head coach Blake Nill (then head coach at St. Mary’s) as his linebackers coach, Jeff Cummings (Acadia head coach) his d-line coach and DB coach Marc Santerre who at the time was head coach at the University of Montreal.

Craney couldn’t help but take away lessons from the high level coaches he was given the opportunity to work with.

He worked alongside Blake Nill in 2007 and then again in ’09 and took away, “Blake’s relentlessness, he will never settle, he’ll always pursue his goal.”

From the team’s head coach Glen Constantin, Craney explains, “the biggest thing I learned from him was organization and appreciating the kids. Glen is unbelievably organized and he’s a great listener and has a good ear for what’s going on.”

Craney also worked with Cummings both in 2007 and ’09, taking away, “to absolutely enjoy every moment because you are with those kids for three weeks, it seems like an eternity, you’re away from your family but when it’s gone you miss it the second it’s done.”

Craney also worked alongside Greg Marshall on multiple occasions from the Global Juniors, Junior National Team to the IFAF World Team. “The biggest thing I learned from Greg was leadership, he’s got a tremendous passion for the game and his ability to command was something I took away.”

Craney, a member of Team Quebec’s 2006 and 2008 U19 coaching staffs also has fond memories of coaching at the national championship.

“It’s fun but I definitely miss coaching it. Canada Cup has got to be one of my favourite life experiences I’ve been a part of. It’s a lot of fun seeing how much it’s grown since that first year I [in 2006] is unbelievable.”

He’s returned the last few years to help identify all-star teams in addition to those that might make the jump to the national team. His experience as a participant helps him in his process.

“I can appreciate what the kids and coaches are going through both physically and mentally and at the same time what a blast they are having.”

In 2010, Craney decided to take on the challenge of rebuilding York University’s football program to its past glory.

“Leaving Concordia was a very difficult decision for me, I knew it was time and I felt that York had some great leadership that has just been hired and I felt we could do it.”

Following the 2013 season, despite a slow rebuild, York re-signed Craney to a contract extension.

“It’s great to see that they still believe in what we’re doing, they knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight, they knew it was going to be a long process and it’s just good to see that both the school and myself are committed to it and moving forward and making this into a championship program.”

Craney feels the Lions have put together a good nucleus over the past three years. He’s looking forward to watching this group transition into a more competitive OUA team.

“We’re fortunate in the OUA to have 6 playoff teams, and obviously that’s a goal of ours to transition the last three recruiting classes into a playoff contender. I know there are a couple of milestones we need to reach to hit in order to achieve that but I think the ship is on the right track.”

For coach Craney, a rewarding aspect of being a part the national team program is watching former players exceed at the university and professional ranks. Most recently, ’12 alums, Will Finch and Mercer Timmis were named Hec Crighton nominees after being named MVPs in their respective conferences while Edward Godin and Pierre-Luc Caron helped Université Laval win the 2013 Vanier Cup.

“You build a bond with these kids, you live with them for over 21 days. Every second of your day is spent with these kids and you build solid relationships. Those relationships almost end at the end of the championship – everyone goes their separate ways.”

“It’s amazing to see them move on to the next level and see their careers excel and to see them excel at the next level. To watch them go from star university players to professional athletes. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Team Canada heads into the 2014 IFAF U19 World Championship as the defending champion after defeating Team USA 35-29 on home soil in Austin, Texas. Standouts selected from a series of regional selection camps across Canada will be invited to Dallas, Texas to take on Team USA as part of the International Bowl series. Based on their performances, Canada’s 45-man World Championship roster will be selected.