KENT AUSTIN
He’s the new head coach of the Tiger-Cats.
A different year brings different circumstances for Kent Austin.
Around this time last year, Austin was the object of considerable speculation about his possible return to the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the team’s head coach. Austin then elected to remain at Cornell University as its head coach. Shortly thereafter, the Riders hired Corey Chamblin to fill the coaching void.
Fast forward to Monday, when the Hamilton TigerCats announced that Austin had been hired as vice-president of football operations, general manager and head coach. Austin takes over from George Cortez, who was fired as head coach Dec. 11 after the Tiger-Cats missed the CFL playoffs with a 6-12 record.
“It really wouldn’t have worked anywhere (last year) and it wasn’t anything to do with Saskatchewan,’’ Austin said Monday from Hamilton. “Saskatchewan is very special to us and to our family and is a community that we loved. That time in our life and my career, it didn’t make sense for us and it wasn’t going to work on a personal level. This year, we’re a year older and more mature and my daughter is entrenched in university (at Cornell). We’re at a different stage in our lives and the responsibility here was greater than what was offered before. That was a greater attraction for me.’’
Austin spent the 2007 season as the Riders’ head coach, leading them to a 2319 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup game. He was named the CFL’s coach of the year, but still departed in 2008 to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Mississippi. Austin had previously helped the Riders win the 1989 Grey Cup game as a quarterback, earning the outstanding offensive-player award after throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns. The Riders edged the Tiger-Cats 4340 on a last-second field goal by Dave Ridgway.
“It’s funny how life throws you some curveballs,’’ Austin said with a chuckle when asked about being a member of Tiger-Cats.
Austin is an iconic sports figure in Saskatchewan due to his accomplishments as a player and head coach. A large banner with Austin’s likeness hangs outside Mosaic Stadium. Austin isn’t sure what the reaction will be among the team’s supporters now that he has joined the Tiger-Cats.
“I understand there will be detractors and that’s part of this business,’’ said the 49-year-old Austin, who has three children — Kendall, Kassidy, and Wesley — with his wife, Shelley. “You have to roll with the punches and have a thick skin. I haven’t anything but great things to say about Rider Nation and what it means to our family. Some of my best memories in football have been there. They have a great coach and their future is very bright.’’
Austin didn’t rule out the possibility of a reunion of sorts in Hamilton with Eric Tillman, who was the Riders’ general manager from August 2006 to January 2010. Tillman was recently fired as the general manager of the Edmonton Eskimos.
“Eric is a friend and we had some very long nights (with the Riders),’’ Austin said. “He’s very shrewd, intelligent and he can think outside of the box, which I like to do. I want to look at the current organizational structure and see where we’re doing things well. If there are areas that we aren’t and it makes sense to look outside for other talent, I will do that. I will evaluate this and go from there.’’
Austin takes over a team that had the league’s best offence and worst defence, which contributed to the Tiger-Cats missing the playoffs in 2012. The Tiger-Cats are also to play the majority of their nine home games in Guelph, Ont., approximately 50 kilometres north of Hamilton, due to the rebuilding of Ivor Wynne Stadium for the 2015 Pan American Games. Austin plans on embracing those challenges.
“You can use situations like that as strengths and it depends on how you present it,’’ Austin said. “I’m a coach who believes in being positive, being able to persevere and to overcome obstacles. That’s what this sport is about, because it’s not always going to go well. I want a team that is resilient and can respond to adversity.’’
Austin has won four Grey Cups. In addition to the two with Saskatchewan, he won as a player with the B.C. Lions in 1994 and as the offensive co-ordinator with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004.
He started coaching in 2003 with the Ottawa Renegades and joined the Argonauts the following season. He was fired in Toronto during the 2006 season, only to be hired by Tillman in December of that year.
On Jan. 16, 2008, Austin became the offensive coordinator at Mississippi, his alma mater. Two years later, he accepted the headcoaching job at Cornell University. Over three seasons at Cornell, Austin compiled an 11-19 record.