It's been three decades since McGill has had to name a Redmen head football coach. McMann, who played for 10 years as a receiver with the Montreal Alouettes and has been an assistant coach with the Calgary Stampeders since 1992, will be the 15th coach in McGill football history. This is a dream job for me, a great opportunity which I couldn't pass up. What really appeals to me at the university level is the ability to develop long-term relationships with the players. At the pro level, it's a revolving door.
Guys are in and out of the program very quickly.
Here, you recruit guys, then you're with them for four or five years, and you see them grow as people and get a great education while improving their football skills. Once they graduate, they're alumni, and they're still connected to the program. McMann is not exactly a stranger to the halls of academe either, having taught in Quebec for the Lakeshore School Board and at John Abbott College in the 1980s. I see myself as a teacher first and foremost, who happens to have an expertise in football. He's a hardworking man of integrity and honesty, and believes strongly in academic success.