Guelph homecoming game takes on extra meaning for father-and-son football coaches
The University of Guelph homecoming weekend saw the Gryphons football squad take to the field with a heartwarming duo behind the bench.
This year’s game was more than just a welcome back for students, there was also a family affair years in the making.
It all started as a shared passion for a sport that has bonded a father and son for decades.
“I grew up in football stadiums. I was the water boy for the Concordia Stingers. I grew up going to ball parks and watching the McGill football team as well as the Concordia football team,” said Ryan Sheahan, U of G’s head football coach.
Ryan and his dad, Pat, have coached university football teams across the country, with the elder Sheahan’s career spanning over 40 years.
Now the tables have turned, instead of the son following the father, this time the father is following the son.
“My wife insisted that if I was going to continue in coaching I might as well come and help him,” said Pat. “He’s all in here, and I know what he’s experiencing as the head football coach. You’re like the CEO of a company.”
“It’s fun to work together. We have a lot of great conversations. We get to chat about a lore more than just football too. It’s a lot about X’s and O’s and making sure people are ready to perform each week,” added Ryan.
The pair were previously at Queen’s University where Pat was the head coach and Ryan the assistant.
Their first game together in their new roles happens to see their Guelph Gryphons take on the Queen’s Gaels in the homecoming football match.
“The homecoming game is an opportunity to come back and relive those memories and reacquaint yourself with your campus, your friends, that kind of thing,” said Pat.
The Sheahan’s say football has given them a chance not only to bond, but help shape the lives of young athletes.
“It’s definitely been a great ride so far this fall and hopefully it’s something we get to continue for the next few years,” Ryan explained.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.