Towriss enters hall of fame
There was symmetry to Brian Towriss’s 33 years as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.
Towriss said before Thursday’s induction into the Hamiltonbased Canadian Football Hall of Fame that Doug Siemens was the quarterback in his first game as head coach of the Huskies, in 1984. Doug’s son, Kyle Siemens, was the quarterback in Towriss’s final game with the Huskies on Nov. 5, 2016.
“It’s kind of ironic and at the same time it was full circle,” Towriss said.
The quarterbacks were the bookends in a career that has been acknowledged with induction as a builder into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
The Moose Jaw-born Towriss led the Huskies to nine Vanier Cup berths, including victories in 1990, 1996 and 1998. He left the U of S as Canadian university football’s alltime leader in coaching victories (196) and games coached (315).
The records are part of Towriss’s accomplishments, but the players were his priority.
“They are all student-athletes and they all have different pressures on them than some athletes and you have to keep that in mind the whole time,” Towriss said. “Some of them are in engineering, commerce and law. It’s not only football (at the U of S) because there are a few things that they have to juggle and to manage with their time.”
Regina product Paul Woldu, who spent two seasons (2006-07) with the Huskies as a defensive back, appreciated how Towriss treated his players.
“Because of him, I had one of the best experiences of my life and not only my football life,” said Woldu, the Huskies’ defensive backs coach. “That time was significant for me and it was because of him. Being around him and the Husky tradition is the reason why I came back to coach. It was knowing that this program was built from his values and it’s the same thing with (current head coach) Scott Flory.”
Towriss’s tenure with the Huskies ended Dec. 19 when he announced he was stepping down. Towriss didn’t give a reason for his resignation, leading to speculation he had been forced out after eight consecutive playoff losses.
A week later, U of S president Peter Stoicheff apologized for the manner in which the announcement was handled. Looking back, Towriss feels his resignation may have come at the best time.
“I wasn’t going to go much longer and maybe one or two years,” the 61-year-old Towriss said. “With the changes that were happening at the time, with a new structure, new people running the athletic department and a new dean and everything else, it was probably best to do it now rather than two years from now.”
Towriss hasn’t completely stepped away from football. In August, he was a guest coach at the University of Guelph’s training camp.
“That was nice and it was good when I walked away that I didn’t have to worry about what would happen in two days when they played their first game, either,” Towriss said. “I stay in touch with a lot of CIS guys and I watch a lot of games. I’m not sure if I’m totally done with it yet, but we’ll figure it out. It has to be the right situation and I’m not jumping into anything, but we’ll see.”
Towriss is enjoying his first fall without being involved in football since 1972, when he was a high school student in Moose Jaw.
“I miss the kids more than I miss practice and that kind of stuff,” Towriss said. “I’m certainly not stressed and that’s a good thing.”
Stan Schwartz joins Towriss as a builder in the Hall’s Class of 2017, which also includes players Mike O’Shea, Anthony Calvillo, Geroy Simon and Kelvin Anderson.