WATCH ABOVE: Quentin Tynes is this week’s Everyday Hero. Ross Lord reports.
Quentin Tynes strides purposefully along the field, with the coiled intensity of a drill instructor.
“Okay, let’s go. You guys ready?” Tynes barks to a few dozen young football players. “Ten jumpin’ jacks. Everybody ready? Begin.”
His players in the Halifax Argos Minor Football program snap to it in unison.
But in the tough-love culture of football, Tynes puts more emphasis on the “love” than the “tough.”
“He’s a coach. But, he’s also a father to all these boys that you see out here on the field,” said Argos manager Marsha Saoud.
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Tynes relates to his players, many of whom live in Mulgrave Park — the same low-income Halifax neighborhood where he grew up and still resides.
Tynes credited his father with instilling in him a resolute work ethic, by working two jobs and ensuring he and his siblings always had clean clothes and food on the table.
But, it was football that gave Tynes a way out.
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“My neighbour’s in jail for murder, who I grew up with. And a lot of my neighbours are in jail or prison. I was lucky,” he said. “I had two parents in my family, and they were really strict and we had a lot of kids in our family that looked after each other. So, if it wasn’t for sports, I probably would have ended up like them.”
Despite being constantly dismissed as too small, the running back nicknamed “Snoopy” defied the odds, winning Metro League MVP honours in High School, and the Rookie Of The Year award in University football, which was capped by scoring the winning touchdown in Acadia University’s victory in the 1981 Vanier Cup national championship.
“It shaped my life. I grew up in a family of 13 in public housing,” Tynes told Global News. “I got a university degree out of football and now I got a opportunity to give back, which is great.
“I can change a lot of lives and be instrumental in a lot of these young kids lives and steer them in the right direction, away from the violence and crime.”
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On the field, Tynes is all business. But, his credibility is apparent.
Another player, 12-year-old Jay Hawley, agreed.
“Sometimes, he’s strict but that’s good as a coach, obviously.”
Building the Halifax Argos Minor Football program hasn’t been easy.
Tynes and other volunteers have driven players to and from the field because their parents aren’t in a position to do it.
The Argos had a hodgepodge of mismatched equipment and other teams looked down on them because of that.
And, making the program pay for itself has been a constant struggle.
But, when the National Football League selected him as the volunteer youth coach of the year in Canada, out of 300 others, a $5,000 bursary and another$5,000 dollars in equipment money came with it.
As a result, the Argos have shiny, new jerseys, along with matching helmets and socks, for the first time.
“They deserve something new, to get on the field and play in new gear. Just to match up with the rest of the teams in our league,” Tynes said.
Lori Welsh, whose son is in the Argos program, says Tynes’ tireless efforts transcend the gridiron.
“They’ll certainly take the things that they’ve learned here to wherever they go,” she said. “And, I’ve seen some of the kids over the last couple of years transform from shy or quiet or insecure, into young men with a lot of confidence.”
To his former coach, Tynes is not just a community hero.
At 51, Tynes’ appetite for football shows no sign of diminishing.
Coaching up to four teams a year, Tynes designs his moving business to accommodate his football schedule.
But, Tynes has assured his wife he won’t let his priorities get out of whack.
“I promised her next year I’m gonna cut back and … go into the administrative part of the Argos.”
WHAT MAKES AN EVERYDAY HERO?
There are many people trying to make a difference who rarely receive the media attention they deserve. Everyday Hero is our attempt to provide better balance in our newscast. We profile Canadians who don’t go looking for attention, but deserve it. People who through their ideas, efforts and dedication are making a difference in the lives of others.
If you know of an Everyday Hero whose story we should tell, share the information with us by emailing viewers@globalnational.com
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