FROM UNIVERSITY TO THE CFL?
Laval head coach Constantin’s name keeps coming up in discussions about the Alouettes
The man who could potentially become the Alouettes’ next field general lives just down Highway 20 in Quebec City. And Glen Constantin, the most successful football coach in Canadian university sports history, said he’ll listen when the expected call comes in.
But the conversation might be short. “You’d be crazy not to listen. You don’t know what you’re passing up,” the 52-year-old head coach at Université Laval said during a recent interview with the Montreal Gazette. “But it would be very hard for me to move from here.
“I’m not going to be there for two years and lose my job. I’m well taken care of here.”
There’s no doubt the Canadian Football League team, coming off a 3-15 season and its third successive non-playoff year, needs Constantin far more than he needs the pay increase and the challenge of coaching a pro program that appears in disarray.
Completing his 17th season, Constantin, with financial assistance from Quebec businessman and team president Jacques Tanguay, has moulded the Rouge et Or into the envy of many collegiate programs.
Laval, which meets Calgary Saturday at McMahon Stadium (4 p.m., Sportsnet 360, TVA Sports 2) in the Mitchell Bowl, has won eight Vanier Cups since Constantin became the head coach in 2001. That includes consecutive titles in 2003-04 and 2012-13.
And the Rouge et Or are the defending national champions. Constantin has endured only one losing season — his first — and has a mind-boggling regular-season record of 119-20, including five undefeated campaigns.
Those closest to Constantin claim he’ll never leave the university and isn’t motivated by the challenge at the next level.
He receives an annual salary estimated at $200,000 and, given the circumstances, has a job for life.
“It’s not that I’m shying away from challenges. Do I want to leave the comfort of what I’ve built here for a two-plus-one (contract)? No. Never,” he said. “Some guys are better coaching pros. Some, college. Maybe I’m better at college. Look at (U.S. college coaches) Lou Holtz and Nick Saban, who tried and came back.”
Constantin said he has been approached by CFL teams. But, again, those closest to him deny that claim. It was roughly a year ago he was rumoured to be on the B.C. Lions’ radar. True or not, nothing materialized. The Als, seeking a coach, are expected to at least kick Constantin’s tires once Laval’s season ends.
“I don’t get approached now because I think I’ve said no so many times,” he said.
There are certainly some intangibles potentially working against Constantin. Despite all his success in university, he has never coached a day in pro and would have to prove himself to CFL athletes, many of whom are pampered, given their 4½-hour workdays. And Constantin is a Canadian in a league where many of the head coaches are American. Unless you’re Wally Buono, the CFL’s winningest head coach, or Mike O’Shea, who required years to turn around Winnipeg’s
fortunes, you can’t simply walk in and make demands. Other Canadians — Jacques Chapdelaine, Danny Maciocia, Greg Marshall, Mike Benevides and Marcel Bellefeuille — have tried to get through to CFL players with mixed results.
It’s difficult to determine whether Constantin’s routine would fly. He’s a complex and demanding individual who has been called uncompromising, tough and intimidating. Football’s his only passion. He used to sleep in his office, given that his workday began at 5:30 a.m. and, while he loves his players, it can most charitably be referred to as tough love.
Many of the players don’t agree with Constantin’s doctrines during their career, only to realize later his way was the right route.
“I’m demanding because that’s all I know and how I do things,” he said. “That’s how we do things here. The word I hate the most is complacency. I want to make sure we move ahead. And my first criteria are trust and loyalty.
“Before, I was more of a scheme and technique guy. But the reality is the kids question more now. You can’t just tell them to do certain things. You have to tell them why you do it. They’re smarter now and you have to treat them with more respect. These are humans playing a sport. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care about them.”
A former lineman at the University of Ottawa, Constantin realized at an early age he would never turn pro. He graduated with a degree in physical education, but wanted to coach, not teach. And he never wanted to be a head coach, because he was uncomfortable and shy in front of the media. His mind works quickly, but his mouth can’t keep up, the words occasionally coming out awkwardly. Constantin was promoted to head coach after five seasons as Laval’s defensive coordinator, including a 1999 Vanier Cup under Chapdelaine.
“He’s a tremendous leader and a perfectionist,” said Laval quarterback Hugo Richard. “He wants everything perfect ... done right. Sometimes it’s a little hard to live up to those expectations. We try our best. As long as we give it our all, we stay on his good side.”
It would be very hard for me to move ... I’m not going to be there for two years and lose my job. I’m well taken care of here.