Photos (courtesy of Jeff Chan)

Hamilton (November 21, 2008) – Capping his 20th season as a CIS football head coach, Pat Sheahan of the Queen's Gaels is the 2008 recipient of the Frank Tindall Trophy as CIS coach of the year.

A first-time winner, Sheahan was honoured Friday morning during the CIS Coach of the Year Breakfast at the Hamilton Convention Centre.

He becomes only the second Queen's sideline boss to capture the prestigious award since its inception in 1969, following Doug Hargreaves in 1983. The trophy itself is named in honour of long-time Queen's football head coach Frank Tindall (1939, 1948-1975).

“I'm pleased for the program. It's a tremendous honour and obviously an award like this means a lot especially given its connection to Queen's,” said Sheahan. “I'm sure this will be appreciated by our legends of the past.”

“This however is bittersweet,” continued Sheahan. “I appreciate the acknowledgement for the program and the hard work our staff undertake. Underlying all that... I would trade it all in to still be on the field this week.”

In Sheahan's ninth season at the helm, his Gaels spent five weeks at No. 2 in the national Top Ten media poll and finished 8-0 in conference play for the first time in team history. It marked Queen's first unblemished regular season since a 7-0 campaign in 1989, and the eighth in the program's storied history that dates back to 1882.

The team also claimed its first regular season title since a first-place finish in the defunct OQIFC in 1997, before suffering a heart-breaking 23-13 loss to Ottawa in the semi-final round of the OUA playoffs.

The Gaels were dominant on both sides of the ball in 2008, leading the nation with 374 points scored and finishing first in Ontario and third in the country with 116 points allowed.

Running back Mike Giffin (MVP), linebacker Thaine Carter (defensive player of the year) and defensive end Osie Ukwuoma (outstanding down lineman) captured individual awards in the OUA, with Carter winning the Presidents' Trophy as the CIS' top defensive player.

Sixteen Queen's players were named OUA all-stars and eight of them achieved all-Canadian status, including six as members of the first CIS team.

Since joining the Queen's staff in 2000, Sheahan has compiled a 43-29 record in the regular season and a 5-6 playoff mark. He came to the Gaels after 11 seasons at the helm of the Concordia Stingers, with whom he went 48-33 in conference play and 6-8 in the post-season.

He led Concordia to a Vanier Cup appearance against the Saskatchewan Huskies in 1998, 11 years after winning the CIS title with McGill as an assistant head coach. The Redmen gave him his first university coaching position in 1984, after a two-year stint with the Montreal Junior Concordes of the CJFL.

With the Junior Concordes in 1982, Sheahan coached alongside current BC Lions head coach Wally Buono, and helped guide the team to the CJFL championship game.

Sheahan is a five-time conference coach of the year, twice in the old OQIFC (1998, 1990) and three times in the OUA (2008, 2007, 2001).

As a player, he spent five seasons with the Stingers as a tight end and then as an offensive tackle in the late 1970s, and had a CFL tryout with the Edmonton Eskimos before starting his coaching career in 1979.

Saint Mary's Steve Sumarah, Laval's Glen Constantin and Simon Fraser's David Johnson were the other finalists for the 2008 Frank Tindall Trophy.

This is also the 12th time a head coach from Queen's has captured a CIS coach of the year honour and first since Beth Barz of women's rugby was awarded a similar honour in 2006.

NOTE: Bryan Crawford, a former Gael and current member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League has been working with the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) this fall and was on hand as an attaché during the All-Canadian Banquet in Hamilton on Friday evening. Following the award presentation of the Coach of the Year, Queen's Head Coach Pat Sheahan was highly complementary of Crawford in helping make the event a success.

2008 FRANK TINDALL TROPHY NOMINEES
AUFC: Steve Sumarah, Saint Mary's
QUFL: Glen Constantin, Laval
OUA: Pat Sheahan, Queen's (recipient)
Canada West: David Johnson, Simon Fraser

PAST WINNERS: FRANK TINDALL TROPHY (CIS coach of the year)

2007 Frank McCrystal, Regina
2006 Denis Piché, Ottawa
2005 Glen Constantin, Laval
2004 Jerry Friesen, Alberta
2003 Gary Jeffries, Wilfrid Laurier
2002 Chuck McMann, McGill
2001 Brian Dobie, Manitoba
2000 Greg Marshall, McMaster
1999 Blake Nill, Saint Mary's
1998 Larry Haylor, Western
1997 John Stevens, StFX
1996 Dan McNally, Guelph
1995 Rick Zmich, Wilfrid Laurier
1994 Brian Towriss, Saskatchewan
1993 Larry Uteck, Saint Mary's
1992 Ian Breck, Bishop's
1991 Rich Newbrough, Wilfrid Laurier
1990 Larry Haylor, Western
1989 Dave Knight, Waterloo
1988 Larry Uteck, Saint Mary's
1987 Frank Smith, UBC
1986 Bruce Coulter, Bishop's
1985 Peter Connellan, Calgary
1984 Steve Bruno, Mount Allison
1983 Doug Hargreaves, Queen's
1982 Bernie Custis, McMaster
1981 John Huard, Acadia
1980 Cam Innes, Ottawa
1979 Dave “Tuffy” Knight, Wilfrid Laurier
1978 Frank Smith, UBC
1977 Peter Connellan, Calgary
1976 Darwin Semotiuk, Western
1975 Don Gilbert, Ottawa
1974 Ron Murphy, Toronto
1973 Ed Hilton, UPEI
1972 Dave “Tuffy” Knight, Wilfrid Laurier
1971 Jim Donlevy, Alberta
1970 Frank Cosentino, Western
1969 Henry Janzen, Manitoba


Queen's CIS Coach of the Year Recipients (CIS sports only)
2008 – Pat Sheahan –Football
2006- Beth Barz- Women's Rugby
2003 – Barry Campbell – Women's Rugby
2003- Al McVicar – Men's Soccer
2000- Peter Reid – Women's Rugby
1998- Dave McDowell- Women's Soccer
1993- Dave McDowell- Women's Soccer
1992- John Walker- Men's Soccer 
1984 - Dave Grant - Men's Cross Country
1983 - Dave Grant - Men's Cross Country
1983- Doug Hargreaves- Football 
1981 - Rolf Lund - Men's Cross Country