More on RB and Special Teams Coach Don Yanowsky

The RedBlacks announced their coaching staff yesterday.  The bios included in the release are now copied in the coach-specific page at right.

Most of the coaches are in the early part of their coaching careers, relatively speaking, but Don Yanowsky has clearly been around.

Yanowsky brings a wealth of coaching experience to Ottawa, having served over three decades in the professional, college and high school ranks. He made a CFL debut in 2012 in Calgary as linebackers coach for the Stampeders and held the same position last season. Yanowsky has served in several positions with various NCAA and high school programs, including Memphis, Louisiana State, Boston College, East Carolina, Duke, Arkansas State, Minnesota and Utah; including 10 seasons as a special teams coordinator in the NCAA. He began his coaching career in 1981 as a student assistant with the University of Toledo, where he also played.

So let's flesh that out a bit with his Memphis Tigers bio from just prior to his joining the Stamps.

Don Yanowsky, who served as the Memphis Tigers' offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator from 1989-94, returned to the U of M to guide the special teams unit and tight ends in 2010.

In 2010, Yanowsky guided one of the top punters in the nation as true freshman Tom Hornsey came to the United States from Australia and played in his first-ever U.S.-style football game...

Yanowsky and Larry Porter worked together during the 2009 season at LSU. The two were previously at Memphis together when Yanowsky was an assistant coach and Porter was a Tiger running back (1990-93).

Yanowsky was in his first season with the LSU Tigers in 2009, working with the tight ends and handling duties as recruiting coordinator. LSU's tight ends, led by senior Richard Dickson, combined to catch 27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as Dickson capped his career as the school's all-time leader for tight ends in receptions (89), yards (945) and touchdowns (10). Deangelo Peterson converted from wide receiver to tight end and responded with five catches for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Prior to joining the LSU staff, Yanowsky spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Boston College, where he was the special teams coordinator and guided the tight ends.

He has over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience on both sides of the football as well as that of recruiting coordinator.

In two years with Boston College, the Eagles went 20-8 overall and reached a bowl game in both 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Boston College won its first eight games and climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation. The Eagles went on to post an 11-3 overall mark in 2007 as they claimed the ACC Atlantic Division title and played in the league's championship game. In 2008, the Eagles were 9-5 overall.

Yanowsky's tight ends at Boston college combined to catch 73 passes for 719 yards and five scores in 2007, followed by 34 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns in 2008. His top tight end, Ryan Purvis, was a two-time All-ACC selection and is rated as one of the top five tight ends going into the 2009 NFL Draft.

Prior to his arrival at Boston College, Yanowsky spent the 2006 season coaching tight ends and special teams under Skip Holtz at East Carolina. He coached at Duke for three years, from 2003-05, directing the offensive line for two years and the outside linebackers and special teams for one season.

Yanowsky was hired by Steve Logan at East Carolina for the first time in 2001, coaching the defensive line and helping the Pirates earn a berth in the GMAC Bowl that year.

Other coaching stops for Yanowsky include a four-year stint from 1997-2000 at Arkansas State; a one-year stay at Minnesota in 1996 to coach the defensive line; six years at Memphis under former head coach Chuck Stobart; and three years at Utah from 1982-84 as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.

Yanowsky got his start in coaching in 1981 when he was hired as a student assistant coach at Toledo. After his three years at Utah, Yanowsky coached at the high school level from 1983-1988, serving as offensive coordinator at Bountiful (Utah) High School and later as the head coach at Viewmont High School in Utah. He returned to the collegiate ranks in 1989 at Memphis.

A 1982 graduate of Toledo with a degree in education, he was a two-year starter at offensive guard for the Rockets.

Head Coach Rick Campbell also has a background in education.  I mentioned it at the time of Campbell's hiring, but I love reading that about a coach since, at the end of the day, his job is to teach.  If the rest of the information above had not been available, I could have at least felt good about that part of it.

The coordinators are very experienced and the position coaches are younger guys who have played the position for which they are responsible.  On paper, this staff makes a lot of sense.